(TAKE IN REPORT)
The report was introduced by Chris Williams, Pupil Place Planning & Capital Strategy Officer. Mr Stoneman added that the school modernisation programme only applies to local authority maintained schools for which the LA continues to have statutory responsibilities in terms of the maintenance of school buildings. For the sufficiency projects, the strategy in place makes no distinction between academies or maintained schools.
In response to a question from Councillor Hockaday regarding Priory School, Mr Stoneman advised that the school is part of the Bohunt Education Trust. The Trust has put forward a proposal to reduce the planned admission number of the school from 250 to 225. The LA has objected to the proposal which has now been lodged with the office of the schools adjudicator and this process is ongoing. He added that the LA is very sympathetic to what the school and the Trust is trying to achieve and recognise that space is constrained on the site, but reducing the admission number would leave the LA with a large capital bill in order to try and replace the school places and this funding is not available. The DfE would not take this into account in terms of any future basic need allocation unless there was an agreement about the reduced capacity of the school.
DECISION: The Cabinet Member noted the progress on the school modernisation "urgent condition" projects and the secondary school sufficiency projects (as set out in the report and in Appendix A).