To receive a verbal update on pupil place planning assessment returns

(10 MINUTES)

A verbal update was received from Gill Curtis.  During discussion the following points were noted:

i.          Local authorities have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places in their area.  The school capacity survey (SCAP) is a statutory data collection that all local authorities must complete every year. LAs must complete statutory collections by law unless they have a very good reason not to.

ii.         Local authorities must submit data about:

·                  school capacity (the number of places and pupils in a school)

·                  pupil forecasts (an estimation of how many pupils there will be in future)

·                  capital spend (the money schools and local authorities spend on their buildings and facilities)

iii.        The survey collects information about:

·                  primary and secondary schools maintained by their local authority

·                  academies

·                  free schools (including university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools)

·                  city technology colleges

iv.        This year’s survey will be submitted by Friday 27th July and will contribute to the Education and Skills Funding Agency Annual School Capacity report – usually released late spring the following year. 

v.         Each local authority uses their local knowledge to generate pupil forecasts, which reflect the number of pupils they expect to provide a place for in each academic year. Local authorities provide forecasts 5 years ahead for primary pupils (from reception to year group 6) and 7 years ahead for secondary pupils (from year group 7 through to sixth form).

vi.        There is a degree of inherent uncertainty in forecasting three years ahead: pupil growth can materialise more quickly or more slowly than expected.  School Places Scorecard identifies that for 2017 Rutland over-forecast by +3.4% for secondary places which sits within a range of -9.3% to +4.8% nationally and +2.4% for primary places which sits within a national range of -6.2% to +8.5%.  This will be taken into account within 2018 SCAP forecasting.

vii.      Basic Need capital allocations are made to local authorities (LAs) to support the capital requirement for providing new pupil places by expanding existing maintained schools, free schools or academies, and by establishing new schools.

viii.     Basic need funding is allocated on the basis of a comparison of school capacity (not pupil admission numbers) against forecast mainstream pupil numbers from reception year to year 11, uplifted to provide a 2 per cent operating margin.

ix.        Basic need allocations are paid to local authorities (LAs) to support the capital requirement for providing new pupil places by expanding existing maintained schools, free schools or academies, and by establishing new schools. This is un-ring-fenced capital funding that is not time-bound, so that local authorities can make the best decisions for their local area.

x.         Between 2009/10 and 2016/ 17 393 new secondary and 197 new primary places were created, with an estimated 19.1% spare places in secondary schools for 2019/20 and 16.2% in primary.

xi.        Carl reported that a big housing development was proposed at Stamford North.  However all the S106 funding would go to Stamford i.e. Lincolnshire schools – nothing would be allocated to Casterton College Rutland even though pupils from Stamford would be attending the college.  Better cross border working between Local Authorities was needed.

xii.      It was agreed that SCAP returns would be a standing item on future agendas.

AGENDA