Agenda item

To allocate School Condition Allocation funding for cyclical maintenance to support maintained schools for a future school replacement building programme.

Approval was sought to allocate School Condition Allocation funding for cyclical maintenance to support maintained schools. The balance would be retained for a future school replacement building programme.

Following Cabinet approval on 17 March 2021 (Minute No.79/21 of Cabinet refers), to allocate £850,000 from the council’s Special Education Needs and Disability capital grant to fund extension works at The Meadows School (9-19), detailed design and survey work had now been completed, and full planning consent obtained. In particular, the survey work had established that significant ground works are required to enable construction, including an alternative foundation piling solution, and safe disposal of contaminated waste, which had been unknown at the time of the initial approval. Commencement of the works had now been delayed until mid-September.

Basic Need Allocation was providing new places in the borough. Data shows by the academic year 2023/24 there would be a shortfall in secondary places. It was the Local Authority’s statutory duty to provide sufficient school places.

Reason for Decision

The DfE had confirmed a new allocation of £10,733,158 Basic Need capital grant funding to the Authority.

It was currently projected that an additional 828 places would be required in secondary schools by September 2024. The project at Health Futures University Technology College (UTC) would provide 360 of those places. The shortfall was in addition to the proposed opening of two new secondary free schools that were due to be opened by the DfE in September 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Alternative Options Considered

There were either no alternative options, or options had already been discounted through project development:

The terms of the School Condition Allocation met funds had to be spent on maintained school’s cyclical maintenance.

Within the maintained schools sector, it was the primary school building stock that would also require a programme of replacement to commence shortly. The deteriorating condition of school buildings wold otherwise continue to be a drain on the School Repair Account.

Early feasibility at The Meadows School identified the proposed location for the extension works as the most suitable and appropriate. The Authority does not have an alternative secondary special school to admit the additional pupils to, that could meet their individual special needs.

Health Futures UTC – the alternative option would be the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust sponsored secondary free school proposed for West Bromwich Town Centre in partnership with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra that had already been approved by the DfE and will provide 750 additional secondary school places required in the town.

Agreed:-

(1)          that approval be given to a sum of £1.5m of the School Condition allocation to be used to support cyclical maintenance;

(2)          that approval be given to the allocation of an additional £200,000 from the council’s Special Education Needs and Disability capital grant to fund extension works to The Meadows School (9-19), Dudley Road East, Oldbury B69 3BU;

(3)          that approval be given to the allocation of £4,575,000 from the Department of Education (DfE) Basic Need allocation to fund remodelling and refurbishment at Health Futures University Technical College, 350 High Street, West Bromwich B70 8DJ as part of the Schools Capital Programme 2021– 2024;

(4)          that in connection with Resolution (3), approval be given to the allocation of £2,035,000 from the council’s School Condition balances to enable works to be completed;

(5)          that in connection with Resolution (1), (2) and (3) above, that the following actions are implemented to reduce any risk to the council:-

•        In connection with School Condition, ensure that repair / maintenance work for schools is undertaken following an analysis of pre-determined criteria and that records are maintained to demonstrate the priority need of each school;

•        Maintain project programmes for each scheme within the Schools Capital Programme to ensure that effective project monitoring can be undertaken to aid the timely delivery of the programme

•        Ensure that corporate Risk Registers are maintained and reviewed for all projects, and ensure all risks are appropriately identified and assessed, with adequate mitigation;

•        That cost estimates are reviewed to ensure that any future costs can be managed within the allocated funding;

•        Ensure rigorous financial monitoring is undertaken on the Schools Capital Programme to ensure future funding needs can be met;

•        Ensure that the Council enters into such form of legal agreements as required to allow capital works on all proposed sites; and

•        Post project evaluation should include specific outcomes, to monitor the successful delivery of each project, along with benchmarking of final costs to ensure value for money is achieved; and

•        Project evaluation information is reported at an appropriate level for accountability and to ensure future improvements in programme implementation.