Agenda item

(a)  That a case be submitted for capital funding to the Department for Education following the demise of Building Schools for the Future, supported by the information about the need for secondary school places and Slough’s Secondary School Improvement Strategy.

(b)  That a statutory consultation be carried out on the proposed changes to schools (we can start preliminary consultation, but statutory notices cannot be published until funding to implement the capital works is in place).

The Cabinet considered a report which set out proposals for addressing the Council’s statutory responsibilities for ensuring sufficiency of secondary school places including how capital investment in the secondary schools estate over the next nine years could enable the additional school places required between now and 2019 to be provided. 

Following the cessation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) Programme and in light of the absence of any replacement funding framework to expand and improve schools Members were advised that the Council could choose to speculatively approach the Department for Education to highlight Slough’s future needs with the aim of securing agreement on future funding.  This would allow the Council to make plans to satisfy future needs. 

The report set out the work that had been undertaken with regard to the BSF Programme.  The implications for Slough’s mainstream secondary provision following the withdrawal of BSF the implications for Slough Special Educational Needs provision and Post-16 provision. 

The Director of Education and Childrens Services advised that the Authority had positioned itself well for submitting a request to Government for capital funding.  Slough was able to provide evidence of well thought out plans in education strategies to support both school improvement and more efficient use of resources.  The pupil place planning and school asset management data was robust, and the proposed school organisation plans would address the future demand for school places.  The Director outlined what the next steps for the Authority could be which included submitting a case for capital funding to the DfE, supported by the information and strategies referenced and attached to the report and starting the consultation process on the changes required for school organisation, including seeking applications from promoters/ providers for each of the two proposed new schools at the appropriate time. 

The Director answered a series of detailed questions with regard to the status of new Academy Schools and Free Schools that could be set up by parents/ other organisations.  She advised that the Authority was waiting for guidance on the detailed operation of the schools.

Resolved -

(a)  That a case be submitted for capital funding to the Department for Education following the demise of Building Schools for the Future, supported by the information about the need for secondary school places and Slough’s Secondary School Improvement Strategy.

(b)  That a statutory consultation be carried out on the proposed changes to schools (we can start preliminary consultation, but statutory notices cannot be published until funding to implement the capital works is in place).