Agenda item

The School Organisation Plan 2019 – 2025 at Appendix 1 (the Plan) covers the current level of primary and secondary school provision in the Authority and projected pupil numbers up to admissions in September 2023 for primary and 2025 for secondary, based on births and resident population data.

The Director of Education, Inclusion and Children’s Safeguarding introduced the report and said that it seeks to provide reassurance of the number of school places available over the coming years. He added that there was a separate process for planning for places for those pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The School Organisation Manager explained that due to the delivery of new schools and school expansions over recent years and to further expansions and new schools under construction and planned, primary school provision is expected to be sufficient for future pupil numbers arising from underlying population growth up to 2023 and housing development allocated in the Core Strategy period.

She informed the Panel that in most areas, existing secondary school provision is expected to be sufficient for future pupil numbers arising from underlying population growth up to 2025 and housing development allocated in the Core Strategy period. She said that additional capacity is expected to be required in the Greater Bath Consortium Planning area and the Norton Hill Planning area.

She added that should a shortfall of secondary school places be projected as a result of future proposed new housing development identified in the Local Plan, the Authority will apply CIL funding or seek S106 Developer Contributions to provide additional school places and that these places are likely to be delivered via the expansion of existing schools.

The Chairman commented that he was aware that Chew Valley Secondary School could expect a further 500 pupils in total.

The School Organisation Manager replied that this was a significant number but that most of those pupils will likely to be living outside of the school’s catchment area, so Chew Valley had sufficient capacity for B&NES residents.

Councillor Eleanor Jackson said that the impact of the Mendip Local Plan if approved would be considerable as it would potentially allow 515 new dwellings on the border of Westfield and Midsomer Norton. She added that around 180 of these dwellings would be in close proximity to Westfield Primary School.

She stated that Section 106 and CIL funding does not follow the pupils across Council boundaries.

She said that she believed that the information provided on page 56 of the report was out of date as the Radstock Railway Line housing development had already been completed and that permission for the approved Old Pit Yard, Clandown had lapsed.

She said that the application for further housing at theformer MoD Ensleigh site referred to in the Plan had recently been turned down by the Planning Committee.

She asked, referring to Whitchurch, where children might be displaced to Bristol, what agreement do we have in place to ensure that spaces will be available in Bristol for these children.

The School Organisation Manager replied that the displaced primary age pupils would be expected to be Bristol residents and therefore the responsibility of Bristol City Council. Also that cross border communication with school place planning colleagues in Bristol is ongoing and constructive.  Whitchurch is served by Broadlands School for secondary, where there is sufficient capacity. She added that they do work closely with colleagues in Planning Policy in terms of recognising new housing developments and the impact they might have on the capacity of their local schools.

She said that the application for a small number of further dwellings on the former MoD site may possibly be resubmitted, perhaps in a slightly different format.

Councillor Andrew Wait asked if Covid-19 was to have any effect on the planned opening of the two proposed new schools in September 2020.

The School Organisation Manager replied that both the new 420 place Free School, Two Rivers C of E Primary and the new 630 place Free School, Norton Hill Primary were due to open in September 2020 and both initially with a PAN of 30.

The Panel RESOLVED to;

(i)  Note the proposed strategy for the provision of school places within the 2019 – 2025 Plan period.

(ii)  Note the proposed strategy for the provision of school places within the Core Strategy period.

(iii)  Note that the LA has undertaken significant planning and investment for increasing capacity for children with SEND. These developments can be viewed via links in the Plan document.

(iv)  Note that future iterations of the LA’s Plan will include planning for children with SEND, but the Panel is reassured that significant planning and delivery for children with SEND in Bath and North East Somerset has been undertaken.