Agenda item

School Place Planning Report 2013

(Report of the Director of Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children). The report seeks agreement from Cabinet to the revised school place planning principles and endorsement of the new school place planning areas.

 

Minutes:

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, which provided information with regard to the principles behind school place planning and that also provided an overview of the key data that informed this work. The report also sought agreement to publish the 2013 school place planning data and agreement that in the future the data informing school place planning would be published annually without having to obtain permission from Cabinet on an annual basis.

 

The Cabinet Member noted that a further report setting out the strategic approach that would be taken to school place planning on a longer term basis would be brought to Cabinet in the Autumn.

 

RESOLVED:

 

        i.            That Cabinet note the new school place planning areas as set out in paragraphs 5.1 to 5.6 of the report;

 

      ii.            That Cabinet note the revised school place planning principles as set out in paragraphs 5.7 to 5.9 of the report;

 

    iii.            That the 2013 school place planning data be published on the Council’s website at www.haringey.gov.uk/schoolplaceplanning in July 2013 as set out paragraph 5.25 of the report;

 

     iv.            That it be agreed that in future years the data informing school place planning would be published annually on the Council’s school place planning page without an annual Cabinet decision at www.haringey.gov.uk/schoolplaceplanning to promote transparency with regard to the way that we inform our recommendations and decision making, as detailed in paragraph 5.25 of the report;

 

       v.            That it be noted that further Cabinet decisions would be requested reviewing the outcome of feasibility studies that would be undertaken to assess where it is possible to create additional school places; and  

 

     vi.            That it be noted that a strategic planning report would be brought to Cabinet in Autumn 2013 that would set the direction of travel for future place planning work taking into account our local context as well as London pressures and government policy.

 

Alternative Options Considered

The amendments to the school place planning principles take into account the changing context for how additional school places can be delivered within the borough including the provisions of The Education and Inspections Act 2006, as amended by the Education Act 2011, which places a statutory duty to give precedence to academy/free school proposals, where a local authority identifies the need to establish a new school in their area.  The revised Principles also take account of the findings of the independent education commission – Outstanding for All.  At the time of writing this report no alternative options were considered. 

 

Reasons for Decision

The recommendations set out in this report underpin the school place planning work carried out as part of the overall work of the Admissions and School Organisation Service.

 

The report sets out how the Council will continue to plan for sufficient school places within Haringey to meet the statutory duty to ensure that all Haringey pupils of statutory school age have a school place. In seeking to ensure this we have taken into account the latest birth and school roll data, free school provision and the work of out neighbouring boroughs and how this might impact on our plans for school places. We have also taken into account the borough’s housing trajectory and the regeneration plans for the identified growth areas as well as other smaller regeneration projects planned for the borough. In taking this broad and holistic approach we are as confident as we can be that out plans are robust and will respond to an evolving demographic as we move forward.

 

Supporting documents: