Agenda item

This report provides Cabinet with a refresh of the School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, approved by Cabinet in October 2023.

Cabinet RESOLVED:

(1)       To approve the refresh of the School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

(2)       To note the continued focus on planning for the sufficiency of places and the sustainability of schools, based on varying demand patterns impacting on school planning areas in Brent.

(3)       To note there continues to be increasing demand for places that meet the needs of children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 and the intention to further develop the SEND estate capital investment programme with strategies to address this need, as set out in Section 4 of the report.

(4)       To note the school place planning actions completed in the first year of the strategy and the actions planned for the coming academic year as set out in section 5.1 of the report.

(5)       To note the update on the success measures set out in the original strategy in section 3.1.3 of the report.

Eligible for call-in: Yes

Deadline for submission of call-in: 6pm on Tuesday 19 November 2024

Councillor Gwen Grahl (Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Schools) introduced a report outlining the first refresh of the School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, which had originally been approved in October 2023.

In introducing the report, members noted the refresh of the strategy had been designed to reflect the continued focus on planning for the sufficiency of places and the sustainability of schools based on varying demand patterns currently impacting on school planning areas in the borough given the context of the current challenges being faced across the education sector and falling demand for places across some areas of the borough.  Members were advised that the refresh included the latest assessment of school place demand across the borough based on pupil projections from the Greater London Authority (GLA) which had highlighted demand for primary school places continuing to fall not only in Brent but across London whilst demand for local special places continued to grow.  Whilst recognising that lower demand would provide increased choice for places in some areas of the borough it was highlighted this also needed to be balanced against the organisational and financial challenges on schools in seeking to manage reduced intakes, with the opportunity taken to pay tribute to the way in which schools were managing the process.

Based on the data within the strategy, members were advised that Brent had currently been assessed as requiring an additional 188 primary special places and 34 secondary special places in addition to those already being created as part of the current capital expansion programme and with the need projected to increase year on year.  As a result, the refreshed strategy had proposed that where spare capacity was identified, the approach would be to repurpose existing sites to support that provision.

Whilst recognising the impact that some of the measures outlined within the strategy would have on pupils, parents and staff members acknowledged how the refresh had been designed to reflect the challenging context in which the school place planning process was having to operate, with the Council continuing to work in partnership, engage closely and consider feedback from school communities in an effort to avoid school site closures and ensure that in cases where that was not possible the sites were maintained for educational use.

Having recognised the challenges identified, particularly as a result of varying patterns of demand, Cabinet welcomed the approach outlined in terms of the refresh of the strategy, which it was noted had involved a detailed assessment of available data and balance needing to be achieved in relation to the process for managing any potential reduced demand for school places.  The approach identified in relation to the provision of additional SEND provision was also welcomed and commended with members recognising the way in which the strategy had been designed to ensure fairness and transparency in terms of the objectives and operating principles underpinning the Council’s approach to school organisation and planning in order to give every child in Brent the best start in life.

In recognising the importance in keeping the strategy under review given the challenges identified in terms of ongoing planning for the sufficiency of school places across Brent and impact of young people and their families, Cabinet RESOLVED:

(1)        To approve the refresh of the School Place Planning Strategy 2024-2028, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

(2)        To note the continued focus on planning for the sufficiency of places and the sustainability of schools, based on varying demand patterns impacting on school planning areas in Brent.

(3)        To note there continues to be increasing demand for places that meet the needs of children and young people with SEND aged 0-25 and the intention to further develop the SEND estate capital investment programme with strategies to address this need, as set out in Section 4 of the report.

(4)        To note the school place planning actions completed in the first year of the strategy and the actions planned for the coming academic year as set out in section 5.1 of the report.

(5)        To note the update on the success measures set out in the original strategy in section 3.1.3 of the report.