Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Education and Skills

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Education and Skills seeking authorisation for the programme of work on Secondary School expansions for September 2022 – September 2024.

Under Section 14 of the Education Act 1996, Coventry City Council has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places and fair, appropriate access to education. It is the Council’s role to plan, commission and organise school places in a way that raises standards, manages supply and demand and creates a diverse infrastructure.

The Coventry One Strategic Plan for Education, first presented to Council on 2^nd October 2018 and again on 18^th February 2020, sets out pupil forecasts for special, primary and secondary schools across education planning areas in response to rising or falling pupil cohorts across the city. It outlined the strategy proposed by the Local Authority and the Coventry Headteacher Partnership to meet the additional places required in provision from 2019 – 2024.

A phase 1 of secondary expansions has previously been agreed by Cabinet in the both 2^nd October 2018 and 18^th February 2020 reports. The strategy presented to Cabinet also outlined a provisional programme as to secondary school expansions that would be required, considering rising pupil numbers, between September 2022 and September 2024, a phase 2 of proposed secondary school expansions.

This report is not intended to provide a full update on the One Strategic Plan for Education, which is likely to be presented before Cabinet in July 2021, but instead to focus on the phase 2 works required for secondary expansion. This report will give specific details regarding schools recommended for inclusion and how this proposed programme of work will be funded.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been established to ensure partnership commitment between the Council and secondary schools. These partnerships signify a commitment and cooperation between the Council, governing bodies and school leadership teams to meet the educational needs of children and young people in Coventry, ensure the sustainability of Coventry schools, and to enable the City Council to meet its statutory obligations.

This partnership commitment signifies a statement of intent to collaborate and work in partnership to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people in Coventry, ensure the sustainability of Coventry schools, and to enable the City Council to meet its statutory obligations. As part of this process, varying options have been discussed at both Secondary Headteacher Partnership meetings, and the Secondary Headteacher Executive. The recommended option presented below has been agreed by the Education Service, the Secondary Executive, and the Partnership, as being the best valid option keeping in line with our statutory requirement as outlined by the DfE to:

i.  Spend capital funding efficiently

ii.  Safeguard the quality of places in the system

iii.  Manage down spare capacity in the estate where it exists.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:

(1)  Authorise the recommended programme of work outlined within the report on Secondary School expansions for September 2022 – September 2024.

(2)  Delegate authority to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35