Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning seeking approval for pre-statutory consultation on proposals relating to the future provision of primary school places throughout the City from September 2011.  The birth rate in Southampton has been rising for the past few years resulting in a significant and unprecedented increase in demand for places in the City’s primary schools.  Consideration will be given to increasing capacity in schools through a number of options including, where possible, reclaiming classrooms that are currently being used for other purposes.  A further report will be submitted to Cabinet detailing the outcomes of the pre-statutory consultation and seeking approval for statutory proposals for changes to school organisation in the City.

DECISION MADE: (Ref: CAB 4057)

On consideration of the report of the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning Cabinet agreed the following:

(i)  To add, in accordance with Financial Procedure Rules, a sum of £1 million to the Children’s Services and Learning Capital Programme, £690,000 for Primary Review Phase 2, an additional £125,000 for Primary Review Phase 1 increased places at Foundry Lane Primary and an additional £185,000 for Primary Review Phase 1 increased places at St Mary’s Church of England Primary school, funded from the Department for Education’s Emergency Basic Need Safety Valve grant.

(ii)  To approve, in accordance with Financial Procedural Rules, capital expenditure in the sum of £1 million including fees from the Children’s Services and Learning Capital Programme for the addition of Primary school places throughout the City;

(iii)  To authorise the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning to conduct pre-statutory consultation on a range of school organisation and admissions options for primary education in the city including (but not limited to) those options set out in Appendix 1.

(iv)  To delegate authority to the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Learning, to determine the final form of the consultation including the addition or deletion of such options as may be considered appropriate and to bring forward a further report on proposals arising out of these options for statutory notice and/or consideration in accordance with Admissions legislation as appropriate, including details of the costs and funding requirements of these proposals.

(v)  To delegate authority to the Executive Director for Children’s Services and Learning, in consultation with the Solicitor to the Council and following consultation with the Executive Director of Resources, to do anything necessary to give effect to the recommendations in this report

1. Children’s Services and Learning is aware that the demand for Primary school places has been increasing in recent years and continues to do so.  Without increasing the capacity of our primary schools we would not be able to accommodate all the pupils for whom we have a statutory duty to provide a school place.
2. Last year, in Phase 1 of the Primary Schools Review, a number of extra places were provided in the city centre and Freemantle areas of the city. The expansion of places right across the city over the next two years will need to continue.
3. The impact of the increased birth rate, amongst other things, may require the potential addition of around 355 places, the equivalent of 11.8 extra forms of entry (12 FE), in Year R (reception class – the first year of initial admission to infant and primary schools) by September 2012, with a consequent growth in the size of other year groups, as the increase in numbers of pupils works its way through the years of primary schooling.
4. If the proposals in Appendix 1 are carried out, this would add about 355 Year R places or 11.8 FE by September 2012 and eventually around an extra 2,900 primary places by September 2018.
5. In order to formulate strategic proposals for change, the City Council must carry out a pre-statutory consultation exercise involving all stakeholders. Once proposals have been formulated statutory proposals may be published and determined, so that any change can be implemented before the number of pupils exceeds the number of available places.

The City Council could decide not to make changes to primary school provision. If this were to happen, it is likely that there would be insufficient places for Year R children in the city from 2011 with a significant shortfall in 2012 sustained until at least 2014/15 and probably well beyond.  The City Council would be failing in its statutory duty to provide every child in the city with a school place.

Consideration was also given to the building of brand new schools in various parts of the city.  However, this was also rejected on two grounds;

• The location of suitable sites were not in suitable locations to satisfy the demand for school places

The recent cuts in public spending announced by central government makes it unlikely that this option could be funded