Agenda item - Independent Review of Secondary Pupil Numbers Forecasts

Report of Executive Director of Children’s Services (copy attached)

            RESOLVED - That the Committee agreed:

(1)  That recommendations 1-4 of the review report be agreed and the Cross Party School Organisation Working Party be delegated the task of implementing those recommendation. 

(2)  That the school level forecasts are not included in the methodology

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32.1    The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Children’s Services which informed them of the outcome of an independent review of the pupil number forecasting used by the Council. The report was introduced by the Head of Education Planning and Contracts and the Head of Capital Strategy.

32.2    Councillor Phillips noted that the officer’s predictions were accurate to within 2% and therefore suggested that it wouldn’t be necessary to employ an outside consultant again. Councillor Phillips said that she would agree recommendation 2.2, but with regard to recommendation 2.3 did not think that it would be necessary to include school level forecasts.

32.3    Councillor Brown thanked officers for the report and said that the data provided showed that there was a need for another secondary school. Councillor Brown agreed with Councillor Phillips that the Authority knew which schools were popular and so it wouldn’t be necessary to include school level forecasts in future methodology. Councillor Barradell agreed that the report indicated a need for an additional secondary school.

32.4    Ms Holt referred to Appendix 1 which stated that Kings School was a ‘denominational’ school, and said that that was incorrect and it was in fact ‘non-denominational’. Ms Holt discussed the proposed new Free secondary school in the city, and the fact that the Council had invited the University of Brighton, and not the Diocese, to submit a bid. The Executive Director of Children’s Services said that the Council was not involved in the process, and had not invited the University to bid. It would be for the Secretary of State to consider any bids submitted. Councillor Barradell said that the previous administration had agreed that there was a need for another secondary school, and this administration had asked for the data to be reviewed to assess whether that was still the case.

32.5    Councillor Barradell referred to the catchment area review and suggested that Sixth Form numbers be included too, and proposed that ‘the Authority include Post 16 Sixth Form provision for pupil forecasting systems’. That proposal was seconded by Councillor Brown. The Committee voted and agreed. The Chair said that Central Government had set up a Strategic Area Review for Post-16’s, which would commence shortly and conclude next year.  Councillor Barradell asked that the Local Authority recommend that the school sixth forms be included in the Strategic Area Review.

32.6    Councillor Taylor referred to Recommendation 5 in Appendix 1, and asked if the cost of implementing that had been calculated. The Head of Education Planning and Contracts said that it hadn’t. The Chair added that the report in Appendix 1 had been commissioned as there had been some doubt over whether additional secondary school places were needed. The cost of that report was under £5k.

32.7    RESOLVED - That the Committee agreed:

(1) That recommendations 1-4 of the review report be agreed and the Cross Party School Organisation Working Party be delegated the task of implementing those recommendation.  

            (2) That the school level forecasts are not included in the methodology

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