AGENDA ITEM 4

MAIDSTONE LOCALITY BOARD

Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2012-2017

17 December 2012

Report prepared by:      Mike Whiting, Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills, Kent County Council

1.    Introduction:

1.1  Kent County Council (KCC) has two fundamental educational duties: the provision of sufficient, high-quality school places and the improvement of school standards.

1.2  In October 2012, KCC published the first iteration of Kent’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision, and a borough-specific extract from the plan can be found in the appendix. The Commissioning Plan sets out the requirement for places in early years provision, and in primary, secondary and special schools until 2017; it identifies the areas where providers will need to match supply with demand. It provides the context for the future organisation of school places in Kent and sets out the principles that need to be given serious consideration when commissioning school places. It is KCC’s intention that the Commissioning Plan will be re-published annually.

1.3  The Commissioning Plan for Educational Provision in Kent supports KCC’s objective to be one of the best places for children and young people to grow up, learn, develop and achieve. Good and outstanding schools are the basis of strong communities and a strong local economy. Parents want their children to go to a good school and a choice of schools to select from. One of KCC’s aims is to ensure that there is a good choice of local schools within reasonable travelling distance and that the number of parents who are satisfied with the school places offered for their child increases. Securing good quality school places in every community is essential for every young person to have the best start in life.

1.4  The data within the Commissioning Plan will be used by KCC to decide where new schools should be built and where existing schools should be either expanded or reduced in size. It is therefore vitally important that the figures contained within the Commissioning Plan are accurate, up-to-date and sufficiently localised to support school place planning.

1.5  The forecasts for pupils’ numbers will be affected by families moving into an area and by the changes in birth rate. KCC is therefore reliant on close partnership working with other agencies, such as the Borough Council and the Health Agencies, in order to be kept informed of new housing developments and changes in live birth data.

1.6  Any new school builds required would be funded from section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, in addition to the modest amount of basic needs funding provided to KCC by Central Government. Borough Councils determine the level of section 106 agreements through their planning committees and so partnership working is vital to ensure the section 106 contributions for educational purposes are appropriate.

1.7  Furthermore, Borough Councils may be aware of new providers entering the market now that parents and communities are able to make free school applications. Effective communication between the Borough Council and KCC will help to ensure that educational provision is established in areas of growth.

2.    Proposal:

2.1  KCC intends to publish the Kent Commissioning Plan for Education Provision annually, in October. The plan will be reviewed by KCC’s Education Cabinet Committee every six months.

2.2  Whilst the duty to ensure sufficient high-quality school places lies with the County, a greater level of involvement between the County and Borough Councils would be beneficial for the reasons outlined in paragraphs 1.5 to 1.7 above.

2.3  The proposal therefore is for the Locality Board to agree a mechanism by which it can acquaint itself with the requirements, as set out in the Plan, review them against local pressures (such as new housing developments and changes to the migrant population) and provide input for the Plan. For example, the Locality Board may wish to consider the creation of a focus group of the Locality Board with planning officers from both the Borough and County Councils to provide in-depth scrutiny and information to enable the Board to provide input for the Plan.

2.4  If this proposal is approved, KCC would ask that the input from the Locality Board would be fed back in April to KCC’s Cabinet Member for Education, Learning and Skills and KCC’s Education Cabinet Committee. The input from Borough Councils will inform the revised Commissioning Plan published annually in October.

2.5  Officer support for the review process from KCC will be arranged by the Area Education Officer.

3.    Recommendation:

3.1  The Locality Board is asked to agree the establishment of a focus group, on a task and finish basis, to include elected Member representation from both County and Borough and other interested MLB partners. 

Contacts:

Attachment: Kent’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision (2012 version) – Maidstone extract.