Purpose

To
consider alternative arrangements for the management/future ownership of the
childcare provisions Dorset Council run in Blandford and Shaftesbury.

 

Our objectives
are to: 

 

Meet our
statutory duty1 to secure sufficient childcare, so far as is reasonably
practicable, for working parents, or parents who are studying or training for
employment, for children aged 0-14 (or up to 18 for disabled children)

 

Ensure the
provisions are run by an organisation with the dedicated leadership,
experience, resources, and skills to do this effectively.

 

Content

(a)   
That the
ownership and management of the Dorset Council run Nursery and Oscar’s Out of
School Club in Blandford in its current form, be transferred to *The Diocese of
Salisbury Academy Trust (DSAT), in order to expand the provision at Archbishop
Wake CE Primary School and enhance the educational offer to create a single
school from 0 years, through to 11 years, on terms to be agreed by the Cabinet
Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, in consultation with the
Executive Director for Children’s and the Executive Director for Corporate
Development Services.

 

(b)   
That
Dorset Council progress discussions with
Sherborne Area Schools Trust (SAST) to consider feasibility of transferring
ownership of the nursery provision at the Dorset Council run Nursery at
Shaftesbury Children’s Centre, or to procure and award a contract to a suitably skilled provider to take on
management of the service in the event
that Sherborne Area Schools Trust is not able to do so.

 

(c)   
Cabinet
agreed to the lease of appropriate facilities at Blandford Children’s Centre
and Shaftesbury Children’s Centre to the successful providers who take on the
operation of Nurseries and out of school provision on these sites on terms to
be agreed by the Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth,
in consultation with the Executive Director for Place and the Executive
Director People – Children.

 

*Subject to community
consultation and grant of Significant Change by the Department for Education
(DfE) Making significant changes to an academy:
January 2024 (applies from April 2024) (publishing.service.gov.uk)

 

 

Reason for the decision

 

Dorset Council has a duty to ensure that sufficient
childcare was available for parents, but there was no statutory obligation for
a local authority to provide childcare. Most childcare settings were run by the
private sector, voluntary organisations, or schools. These types of
organisations were expertly placed to run thriving childcare settings with the
dedicated leadership, experience, resources, and skills to do this
effectively.