Agenda item

The Department for Education has now announced and confirmed funding for two new schools for Bath and North East Somerset.  To be eligible for funding the Council needs to confirm the availability of a site within B&NES to locate the two facilities.

(Note: At this point Cllrs McCabe and Wood left the meeting having declared interests in this item).

Cllr Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, introduced the report, moved the updated officer recommendation, and made the following statement:

“This proposal represents the most exciting opportunity for this council to secure delivery of two new schools for our community in Bath and to revitalise a site that has long been reserved for educational use.

We recently announced agreements with the Department for Education to fund a new school for children with special educational needs and disabilities and a new Alternative Provision school.

We now need to confirm that B&NES will make land available as soon as possible, and that is the main purpose of tonight’s decision.

As you know, the former Bath Community Academy at Culverhay has been closed for many years, following an earlier DFE decision. Since then, there has been a question mark over the future of the site, with various interim uses and potential pressure for the site to be reallocated – especially given the condition of the existing buildings on the site for conversion.

Our view has always been that this site must be used for education. Local members and I have worked tirelessly to preserve that education function. So, I am pleased – and relieved – that tonight’s report asks us to confirm in principle that the council will make the Culverhay site in part available as the location for these two new schools.

There are many advantages in co-locating the two schools on one site, including the possibility of some joint facilities and leisure facilities for shared use for the public out of school hours. This has always been an important factor for the local community, and I am glad that this door is being kept open.

I think it is clear to all colleagues that there is a great need across the country for better provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities and we are investing in other schemes across B&NES to meet those needs.

We are fortunate that we already have three excellent special schools in our area. However, we still need this extra capacity because demand has increased substantially in recent years. Some local children have had to be placed at expensive, specialist schools outside our immediate area.

The new school will provide 120 places to help fill that gap and I am pleased the established Three Ways Academy Trust has been contracted to work with us, through the DFE commissioning process.

As Cabinet Member for Children, I work closely with the Parent Carers’ Forum. It is clear that children, parents and families all feel the stress when a young person needs an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) and particularly so when it means travelling further to school.

Anything we can do to reduce that pressure for vulnerable young people having to leave our area has to be better for everyone. In addition, travelling often requires taxis and carers to accompany a child to those expensive out of area providers. Local provision will give a better outcome all round.

The 55-place Alternative Provision school will be contracted with the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, which is another very successful, local, Multi-Academy Trust, and will be called Sulis Academy.

Alternative Provision aims to support vulnerable children and young people who have been excluded, or are at risk of exclusion, from mainstream schools. Alongside early intervention, the academy will provide high quality and full-time education and vocational opportunities. The aim is to support children and young people to rejoin mainstream education or towards employment.

Again, this is a brilliant opportunity to make sure our children and young people get the best education and start in life that they can.

I am sure my colleagues will comment further on the cost of preparing the site and the long-term financial advantages of this decision. A future risk assessment will be carried out to decide whether B&NES or the DFE will lead on the design and contracts for the build.

The overall site allocation issues need to be worked through in detail after this decision is progressed, which is why we recommend keeping options open as things develop over a long period of time, with regard to any “surplus” land. One option may be a small amount of housing to help fund extra facilities and standards. At this stage we need to be open and accountable regarding value for money for any subsequent proposals.

The Council will be responsible for handing over a cleared site to the DFE, ready for that development, so we must also consider the costs of carrying out that work and the impact on current users.

In summary, I would like to emphasise that this is a really significant, positive, investment for local young people, which will secure the Culverhay site for educational use and bring benefits to the local communities. This decision reflects years of hard work by officers and colleagues on behalf of some of the most vulnerable children in our area. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Director of Education and his team for their diligence and persistence in working with the DFE to reach this point.”

Cllr Paul Roper seconded the motion and made the following statement:

“I am Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Corporate Estate. The Corporate Estate holds the assets owned by the authority that are mostly non-commercial assets which generate little or no income and usually come with associated costs such as insurance, heating, lighting and security.

Culverhay is a typical corporate estate asset. The partially occupied Culverhay site has been a significant drain on the finances since 2008 with a net cost to the authority of over half a million pounds over the past three years.

Local Liberal Democrat members and this administration have fought very hard to maintain the site for educational use. This has come at a cost, but the DFE funding that we have secured for two new schools is a major victory and will ensure the site is used for education for many decades to come.

By adopting this paper, officers will be able to move ahead with having the site cleared ready for the construction phase – this is a DFE requirement before they begin. Unfortunately, the existing buildings are not suitable for repurposing into two separate schools and would not meet current required energy standards. However, clearing the site will reduce the current operating costs to next to zero. This will be a significant saving to the authority in a time of need and is further good news.

It is of interest to note that the cost of clearing the site for redevelopment must be borne by this Authority and is not funded by the DFE. This money has to be found from the Council’s own budgets.

Whilst we cannot yet determine all the details in what will be a complex and lengthy project, it is hoped and indeed expected that the two schools can be created and still leave some land that could be released to generate income or capital receipts that will enable us to fund the clearance works and possibly support wider community uses on the site. I must stress the land I refer to not the playing fields. These will be maintained.

We have heard from Councillors Hirst and Moore this evening about wider aspirations for the site which are shared by many in the community and amongst our members. I can assure cabinet we will work hard to try and deliver as comprehensive community use for the site as possible. Funding has been secured for a hydrotherapy pool and sports hall for the site and it will be our objective to enhance these over and above the basic funding from the DFE and ensure these assets are made available for community use. The mechanisms, business case and funding by which we achieve this have yet to be determined but it is something we will all strive for.

There is still much work to do to deliver these two new schools and this paper represents the first steps on our exciting journey for this much-loved site. This is however fantastic news, and I would also like to thank officers for all their efforts in securing this funding from the DFE.”

Cllr Mark Elliott stated that he was strongly in favour of the proposal.  He explained that the Council has a legal and moral duty to provide sufficient school places for pupils in the area with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.  He also pointed out that it is better for pupils to have provision within their own area rather than being allocated places outside of the area.  This will reduce the distance of journeys giving pupils more time with their families.  It will also reduce the transport costs for these pupils and home to school transport costs have played a significant part in the huge pressure on the Council’s budgets over the last few years.  It will also reduce reliance on out-of-area school placements, bringing a significant reduction in costs year on year.  The cumulative net saving over the next seven or eight years should be well over £5m. 

Cllr Tim Ball stressed the importance of this facility for local pupils and hoped that it would be up and running as soon as possible.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

(1) To approve in principle the deployment of the Culverhay site for continued educational use to provide:

(a)  SEND Free Special School contracted with Three Ways Academy Trust

(b)  Alternative Provision School contracted with Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership Trust

(2)  To approve in principle the release of surplus land for non-educational use to achieve best value for the Council.

(3)  To progress early clearance, demolition and site preparation to ready the site for school delivery.

(4) To approve £200K for a Culverhay Re-provision for Project Feasibility Team from Schools Improvement Basic Needs Grant.

(5) To delegate:

(a)  The decision on preferred delivery option to officers in consultation with portfolio holders and the Cabinet Member for Resources.

(b)  The decision on commitments to fund abnormal costs and additional requirements from Council Basic Need and SEND grant funding to the Director of Education in consultation with the Section 151 Officer.

(Note: At this point Cllrs McCabe and Wood returned to the meeting).