CABINET ALLOCATION OF FUNDING FOR SCHOOL PLACES

Transcription

1 Report No: 219/2016 PUBLIC REPORT CABINET 20 December 2016 ALLOCATION OF FUNDING FOR SCHOOL PLACES Report of the Director of Places (Development and Economy) Strategic Aim: To deliver sustainable growth in our County supported by appropriate learning opportunities. Plan and support future population and economic growth in Rutland to allow families and communities to reach their full potential. Key Decision: Yes Exempt Information Cabinet Member(s) Responsible: Forward Plan Reference: FP/160916/01 No Cllr T King Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Development Contact Officer(s): Ward Councillors Paul Phillipson, Director of Places (Development and Economy) Andrew Edwards, Head of Property Services All pphillipson@rutland.gov.uk aedwards@rutland.gov.uk DECISION RECOMMENDATIONS That Cabinet: 1. authorise the allocation of up to 651k of Basic Needs Funding to support the provision of an additional 90 school places at Oakham Church of England Primary School. 2. delegates to the Director of Places (Development and Economy) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Places (Development and Economy), the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and the Director for Resources the authority to select the procurement route, establish the award criteria and appoint the most advantageous supplier or suppliers dependent upon the procurement route selected for the project Oakham Church of England Primary School project. 3. authorise use of up to 132k of Basic Needs Funding to cover the expenditure at Catmose Campus (Phase 1) which will contribute towards taking the Published Admission Number (PAN) from 900-1,050.

2 4. authorise the use of 130k of Basic Needs funding to cover the expenditure at Catmose Campus (Phase 2) to provide additional 150 pupil places increasing the PAN from 900 to 1, authorise the use of 200k of Basic Needs funding cover the expenditure at Uppingham Church of England Primary School to provide an additional 30 pupil places; 6. allocate 200k of Basic Needs funding as an indication of financial support that could be available to support the Barleythorpe Free Schools application should EFA funding be insufficient to cover the entire cost. 7. recommend to Council the use of 1,950k of Basic needs and targeted capital funding to support the further expansion of Secondary provision at Catmose College(Phase 3) to provide an additional 150 Secondary pupil places which will take the PAN to 1, delegates to the Director of Places (Development and Economy) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Places (Development and Economy), the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and the Director for People the authority to spend 200k on increased SEN provision subject to a viable business case being produced. 1 PURPOSE OF THE REPORT 1.1 This report takes forward the work required to meet the Councils obligation to ensure a sufficiency of pupil places in Rutland schools. It seeks Cabinet approval for the commitment of funds to: a. take forward the expansion of Oakham Church of England Primary School to provide an additional 90 places; b. the retrospective funding of 132k for works already completed at Catmose Campus (Phase1); c. support up to an additional 130k for works to provide an additional 150 places at Catmose College (Phase 2); d. support for 200k to cover the expenditure at Uppingham Church of England Primary School when required to provide an additional 30 pupil places e. support the identification of 200k as an indication of financial support that could be available to support the Barleythorpe Free Schools application should EFA funding be insufficient to cover the entire cost f. support the further expansion of Secondary provision at Catmose College(Phase 3) to provide an additional 150 Secondary pupil places which will take the PAN to 1,200 estimated at 1.950m g. Identify funding for increased SEN provision should a viable business case come forward. 1.2 The following table summarises the impact of the three proposed phases of work at Catmose, the impact on secondary places and the PAN.

3 Phasing Cost Places Provided Cost per place PAN Current before action N/R N/R N/R 900 Phase 1 132k 1050 Phase 2 130k 150 Places 1,746 Phase 3 1,950k 150 Places 13, To minimise delays the report seeks approval to delegate powers to the Director of Places (Development and Economy) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Places (Development and Economy), the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and the Director for Resources to select the procurement route, establish the award criteria and appoint the most advantageous supplier or suppliers dependent upon the procurement route selected for the project to increase the capacity of Oakham Church of England Primary School. 2 BACKGROUND AND MAIN CONSIDERATIONS 2.1 On the 16th August 2016 a report (154/2016) was presented to Cabinet that set out various options for the provision of additional primary school places by way of an increase to the PAN at Oakham Church of England Primary School and the provision of a new Free School adjacent to the existing Catmose College. 2.2 Cabinet approved the recommendations regarding the Free School and expansion of Oakham Church of England Primary School. Following this further work has taken place to establish the demand and also costs for the proposed developments. 2.3 However these two elements cannot be considered in isolation. There are additional pressures coming through the system that will need to be addressed and these will generate an additional financial pressure especially regarding Basic Needs Funding. 2.4 The pressures that are emerging across Rutland will not arise at the same time and it will be necessary to phase works to match demand for school places. The phasing can be identified as: a. Works which have been completed in anticipation of a pressure; b. Work required to be initiated within the next 12 months; and c. Work required beyond this timescale. 2.5 Completed Works Catmose College Phase 1- Increase in Secondary Capacity: elements of Catmose College have already been remodelled to provide space that will contribute to an increased PAN. The cost for these works is 132,000 and it is proposed that it is funded from our Basic Needs funding allocation.

4 2.6 Works Required for Completion by July Internal Remodelling of Catmose College Phase 2 Increase in Secondary Capacity: On the 20th September 2016 (Report No. 181/2016) Cabinet approved the project and funds for the relocation of Visions Children s Centre. This project is now proceeding. It will release space that can be converted to contribute and build on the works already completed (Phase 1) with a combined increase on the PAN of 150 from 900 to 1,050. It is estimated that this work will cost 130k and will be funded from Targeted Capital and or Basic Needs needs subject to the availability of funding. Basic Needs funding will be used in the first instance. The figure of 130k has been based upon similar works elsewhere and will be subject to a detailed review when the information relating to costs is received to ensure that the costs are reasonable and relate directly to the project. 2.7 Expansion of Oakham Church of England Primary School Option 1: Single Storey Extension: This would in involve the provision of three additional classrooms adjacent to the existing school. This would increase the PAN by an additional 90. Description High ( ) Comments Basic Costs 405,000 Full costs excludes land value Fees (12%) 48,600 FF&E 60,000 Subtotal 513,600 Contingency (15%) 77,040 Sub-Total 590,640 Relocated Play Area 60,000 Total 650,640 Cost per place 7,229 On previous projects this element has been funded by the schools themselves and this should be explored. Assumes part of the playground will have to be relocated Option 2: Two Storey Extension: This would be a 2 storey extension. To take advantage of the floor plan an additional classroom (4) would be provided giving an increase to the PAN of 120. Description Cost ( ) Comments Basic Costs 551,667 Full costs excludes land value Fees (12%) 66,200 FF&E 60,000 On previous projects this element has been funded by the schools themselves and this should be explored.

5 Description Cost ( ) Comments Subtotal 677,867 Contingency (15%) 101,680 Sub-Total 779,547 Relocated Play Area 45,000 Total 824,547 Cost per place 6,872 Assumes part of the playground will have to be relocated Option 3: Additional Storey on the existing building: This option was considered and discounted for the following reasons: a) Ground floor classrooms would be unusable during the build period necessitating the need to lease alternative accommodation; b) Ground floor classrooms have a green roof. An additional storey would require the removal of this feature and the installation of mechanical and electrical for the ground floor classrooms; and c) There would be significant costs in upgrading the existing structure to carry additional loads There are therefore two realistic options (1 & 2). Both will provide accommodation to an identical standard. Option 2 will involve less of a land take and create 120 school places compared to 90. However, in order to ensure that it is accessible it will be necessary to provide a lift. If the additional 30 places are not required this is an expense that can be avoided. The cost per pupil are: Option 1 7,229 per pupil (90 pupils) Option 2 6,872 per pupil (120 pupils) If the requirement is for 120 pupils then a 2 storey option should be considered. If not then option 1 has to be the preferred solution. Preliminary advice from RCC Planning has indicated that a Single Story extension would be more suitable in the location and a travel and access plan is likely to be required. Based on this information the recommendation is therefore that option 1 (a single storey extension) that will increase the PAN by 90 is adopted. This option will be funded from Basic Needs. It should be noted that the final option may be influenced by planning considerations. 2.8 Future Requirements beyond 2017/ Further Expansion of Catmose College (Phase 3): It is proposed that Catmose College is expanded by an additional 150 secondary places. This will take the PAN to 1,200. No design work has taken place on this but based upon average Department for Education (D of E) unit costs of 12,961 the funds required are estimated at 1,950k Special Educational Needs: Significant sums are spent within and by the County to

6 support SEN in a number of ways:- a. Out of County Placements (including travel costs) b. Children educated within mainstream settings c. Children attending The Parks Currently there is no identified pressure within the existing arrangements. Clearly we would like to see more Children and Young People supported within Rutland. But we have to recognise that complex cases with a significant degree of variety within the cohort require very specialist support that it would simply not be viable to provide in Rutland for such a small total cohort. So there is always going to be a need to use Out of County placements in a small number of cases Within the County The Parks provides a suitable setting for a small number of Primary aged Children with complex needs. Many Children with SEN requirements are supported within our schools or within small special units within our schools Supported by the Head of Learning and Skills our schools are working together to explore how we can better support Children and Young People with SEN requirements within our schools at both Primary and Secondary levels. This work is cognizant of the overall low numbers of SEN Children. This is not about creating a new provision but building on existing expertise, within our existing estate. The work will also consider how we can reduce the number of children out of county. This is likely to provide improved outcomes and a sounder business case in the right circumstances. It is too early to say if there might be a case for a special unit. If this were to be the case it is likely to be small similar to the Parks but for older children. It is possible this could be as part of an existing school. Indeed this is likely to be the most sustainable model This work is at a very early stage and it may require investment at some point in the future. This would be based on a sound business case that would present the demand and the most effective solutions to allow the Children and Young People who would be supported to achieve their full potential Accordingly it is recommended that a sum of money - 200k should be identified as a contingency to support a proposal if a viable business case comes forward. 2.9 Increase in Capacity Uppingham Church of England Primary School In April 2015 (Report No. 81/2105) Cabinet approved an allocation of 167k to support the provision of additional school places at Uppingham C of E Primary School. Work did not progress due to unexpectedly low numbers of pupils alleviating the pressure. However there is still a potential future demand for additional school places so it is proposed that Basic Needs funding of 200k (to allow for inflationary pressures) is allocated and held for this purpose Barleythorpe Free School Costs have also been developed for the provision of a Free School at Catmose. Two options have been considered and are set out below. These exclude land values and also assume a modular approach to asset delivery The source of funding for the Free School is yet to be determined but will be subject to a bid to the Educational Funding Agency (EFA). At present it is not

7 clear as to the extent of funding that will be made available through this route and as a result the levels of funding that may be required as a contribution from the Council are not yet defined Given this Cabinet are asked to note the progress being made with regards to the provision of the Free School. Cabinet will also note that as identified in Section 6 of this report (Financial Implications) there is insufficient Basic Needs Funding to fund all pressures for school places for both Primary and Secondary. It is therefore essential that EFA funding for the Free School is maximised to protect the Councils funding to meet its wider obligations to secure sufficiency of places across the County. Option 1: 210 PAN with an Infrastructure for a PAN of 420 This would provide a 210 PAN School with the infrastructure in place to allow a build in future years to bring it up to a PAN at 420. In addition it would also benefit from a main hall (or halls) that are sized for a 420 PAN. Description Cost ( ) Comments Basic Costs 1,974,500 Fees (12%) 236,940 FF&E 210,000 Subtotal 2,421,440 Contingency (15%) 363,216 Total 2,784,656 Excludes land value Option 2: Provision of school with a 420 PAN This would provide a standalone new build sized for a PAN of 420. Description Cost ( ) Comments Basic Costs 3,950,000 Fees (12%) 474,000 FF&E 420,000 Subtotal 4,844,000 Contingency (15%) 726,600 Total 5,570,600 Excludes land value 3 PROCUREMENT ROUTE 3.1 Procurement will follow existing procurement rules and for the larger elements is likely to be via an existing Framework or through a Two Stage (Restricted) tender. However this will be decided when the procurement route has been determined and will be accordance with the Council s Contract Procedure Rules. 3.2 To ensure that the project to increase the capacity of Oakham Church of England

8 Primary School is delivered within the required timescales ie ready for September 2017 it is proposed that all necessary powers are delegated to the Director of Places (Development and Economy) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Places (Development and Economy), the Portfolio Holder for Lifelong Learning and the Director for Resources to select the procurement route, establish the award criteria and appoint the most advantageous supplier or suppliers dependent upon the procurement route selected for the project. 4 CONSULTATION 4.1 Internal consultation has taken place amongst officers and cabinet members to explore the most appropriate route to address the provision of additional pupil spaces. This report also builds on a Report presented earlier in the year to Cabinet and Council. 4.2 Further consultation will take place as the schemes develop. 5 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS 5.1 All Options are considered in greater detail in Section 2. Consideration has been given to the do-nothing option. However failure to provide additional school places will result in Rutland County Council failing to meet their statutory obligations. 6 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 6.1 With the exception of the expansion to Uppingham Primary School (part estimated cost only) the projects proposed are not included in the capital programme and therefore no funding has been allocated to the projects. 6.2 This requirement is being driven by the need to provide additional school places. The time is now apposite to review the funding available and match against the proposed projects. It is clear that in total there will be insufficient Basic Needs funding and there will be a need to look at alternatives. 6.3 Table 1 below provides a breakdown of estimated available funding up until 2019/20 and includes an indication of the order in which the funding should be applied.

9 Table 1 Available funding Order of application Source of Funding Holding 2016/ / / /20 Total 1 Basic Needs 1,032 1,047 1, ,213 2 Targeted Capital 3 Capital Maintenance (Based on 50% of available amount) 1 4 Developer Contributions (Section 106 & CIL) Dependent upon future development 340 Total Available 1,858 1,147 1, , Based on the funding identified as available in Table 1 and the proposed order of application. Table 2 indicates the proposed financing for the projects set out in this report. Table 2 Use of funding Project Oakham C of E Primary School (Single Storey Expansion - 90 places) Uppingham C of E Primary School (Additional Classroom - 30 places) Catmose College - Phase 1 Phase 1 & 2 will increase PAN by 150. From 900 pupils to Est. cost Application of funding and balance available after allocation Basic Needs 3,213k 651k 651k 200k 200k 132k 132k Targeted Capital 180k Capital Maint. 481k 1 Capital Maintenance funding is required to support on-going maintenance works across the RCC School Estate. In order to protect funding to support this then only 50% of the available funding from this source has been included as available to fund the projects contained within this report.

10 Project 1,050 pupils Est. cost Application of funding and balance available after allocation Basic Needs 3,213k Targeted Capital 180k Capital Maint. 481k Catmose College Phase 2 A contribution to the Barleythorpe Primary Free School Catmose College Phase 3 (Extension places) Will take PAN from 1,050 to 1,200 pupils. SEN supporting the delivery of increased capacity within our existing schools. A provisional allocation of figure of 200k only has been added. Total 130k 130k 200k 200k 1,950k 1,900k 50k 200k 130k 70k 3,463k 3,213k 180k 70k used 411k remainin g 6.5 If the projects proposed in this report are financed as suggested then this would mean that our entire Basic Needs allocation will have been used up. Note this will not be replenished in the future. We would also have used our Targeted Capital funding and a proportion of the Capital Maintenance Fund. 6.6 If we were required to fund in excess of a 200k contribution for the free school and / or the SEN business case required in excess of 200k then the remaining options would be to use the remaining balance of the Capital Maintenance Fund ( 411k) and then S106/CIL of 340k. If forced to do that we would have exhausted all available resources specifically targeted for support to schools. This would place the Council in a high risk situation should pressure for school places emerge over the next few years in areas so far not evident. With accelerating housing growth and transition within our Armed Forces community this is possible. 7 LEGAL AND GOVERNANCE CONSIDERATIONS 7.1 There is a statutory requirement for the Local Education Authority Rutland County Council to ensure that there are sufficient Primary and Secondary School Places. The actions set out in this report will ensure that the Council meets these obligations.

11 7.2 In accordance with Finance Procedure Rules, Cabinet can add projects to the value of 1m to the capital programme using existing funding (that available at the time the budget is approved). Where projects exceed a value of 1m then approval must be sought from Council. Only one project, Catmose College (Phase 3), falls into this category. 8 EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT 8.1 An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) has not been completed because there are no service, policy and organisational implications. 9 COMMUNITY SAFETY IMPLICATIONS 9.1 There are no community safety implications. 10 HEALTH AND WELLBEING IMPLICATIONS 10.1 There are no Health and Wellbeing Implications 11 CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY OF REASONS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS 11.1 The recommendations out in the above report will ensure that the Council continues to meet its obligations and provide the necessary Primary and Secondary School Places The proposed funding mechanisms and associated recommendations will ensure that funding for school places is appropriately targeted at priorities. It will ensure that the most effective use of scare resources supports this The recommendations therefore: a. allow for projects to progress and identifies the source and level of funding b. seeks appropriate delegations to support (a) 12 BACKGROUND PAPERS Cabinet Report No. 81/2015 dated 21 st April 2015 Cabinet Report No. 154/2016 dated 16 th August APPENDICES 13.1 There are no appendices. A Large Print or Braille Version of this Report is available upon request Contact