Purpose

To fund Wrenn School Secondary Expansion Phase
2. £1,691,800

Content

RESOLVED
 
KEY DECISION
 
That the Executive:
 

a)   
Agreed Wrenn Secondary Expansion Phase 2 project to
address significant deficit of Year 7 school places in North
Northamptonshire.
 

b)   
Delegated authority to the Executive Member for
Children, Families, Education and Skills, in consultation with the
Executive Director of Children’s Services and the Executive
Director of Place and Economy, to authorise all necessary legal,
property and financial agreements to ensure effective delivery of
the project.
 
 
Reasons for Recommendations:

·      
Council pupil
projections indicate significant deficit of Y7 places across North
Northamptonshire in September 2024 and beyond.
 

·      
The Council is required to provide additional
capacity to ensure it fulfils its statutory obligations.
 

·      
To expand pupil places at the school, Capital
investment is required to enable the schools to increase pupil
admission numbers in 2025.
 

·      
The recommendations support the council to address
the lack of sufficiency of secondary pupil places across North
Northamptonshire.
 

·      
Under school place planning duties (s13-14 Education
Act 1996) the Council as an education authority has a duty to
promote high standards of education and fair access to education
including SEND. 
 

·      
To accord with legislation and the policy of the
Council.
 
 
Alternative Options
Considered:
 

·      
Option 1: Do nothing
- This would fail to support our sufficiency
strategy to develop mainstream schools both primary and secondary
to address the deficit of pupil places.
 

·      
Option 2: Deliver an expansion project at Wrenn
School to deliver 30 additional Y7 pupil places by 2025.