Agenda item

A report requesting funding from the Capital Investment Fund to meet the shortfall in funding to deliver school place sufficiency requirements over the next five years.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Peter Butlin

As Portfolio Holder for Education, Councillor Kam Kaur, introduced the report which sought funding from the Capital Investment Fund to meet the shortfall in funding to deliver school place sufficiency requirements over the next five years.

Councillor Kaur reminded Members that additional secondary school places were being provided in Rugby and primary school places in Nuneaton, however, an estimated two thousand additional places were still needed.  She also referred to the increased demand for specialist education provision, with a rise in the number of EHCP’s, which were estimated to rise by 9% over the next five years.  Whilst money had already been invested into resourced provision, the new school places required were estimated to cost £158 million over the next five years.

Councillor Peter Butlin, Deputy Leader, Finance and Property, explained that the allocation of £20.155 million would be come from the Capital Investment Fund.  He referred to Warwickshire as an expanding and prosperous area, resulting in lots of families wanting to come here to live and work.  This inevitably resulted in a growth in school places and the finances allocated in the report would help to secure places to the end of the decade.

Councillor Roodhouse welcomed the additional places in Rugy but raised a concern that additional places would still be needed as a result of the expansion of the area and the number of houses being built.  He hoped that discussions were already taking place about future numbers.

Councillor John Holland raised the issue of faith schools and the challenge when parents did not want their child to attend that school.  He also referred to the Local Transport Plan and the hierarchy of active travel and hoped that joined up plans would enable pupils to walk or cycle to school.  He felt that enough primary schools were being provided in Warwick but there was not enough capacity in the secondary schools, resulting in pupils being unable to attend school in the town they lived in.

In response, Councillor Kaur provided assurance about the conversations and feasibility taking place with regard to school places in Rugby.  The County was working closely with District and Borough Councils about local plans and where schools were needed in line with housing developments.

In relation to the comment about faith schools, it was recognised that sometimes parents may have to accept a place as it was the only one available.  In addition, Councillor Kaur reminded Members that the brand new Oakley School, near Bishop’s Tachbrook was due to open in September 2024.

Councillor Seccombe referred to the recent opportunity that Councillors had to visit the Oakley School and the plans to integrate the country park which would facilitate walking to school.

The recommendations on page 49 were outlined.

Resolved

That Cabinet recommends to Council an allocation of £20.155 million from the Capital Investment Fund towards the provision of school places as outlined in this report and their addition to the education capital programme which will be subject to further project specific Cabinet / Council approvals.