Purpose

Proposal for the
recommissioning / waiving of Standing Orders for short breaks
provision currently commissioned with Nexus Academy
Trust.

Decision

ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

RECORD OF OFFICER EXECUTIVE DECISION

 

Date of Decision:

13th March
2024
 

Title:

Nexus Extended Activities and
School Holiday Provision (Short Breaks) for Children and Young
People with SEND

Decision Maker:
(Including Job
Title)

Helen Sweaton – Joint
Assistant Director Commissioning Performance and Quality

Details of Specific Cabinet
Delegation
or Delegation contained in the
relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.
 

Assistant Directors
responsibility:
In
respect of procurement, contract administration and best
value:

·    
In accordance with Financial and Procurement
Procedure Rules, matters relating to the specification for works,
goods and services, the seeking of estimates, quotations and
tenders, the evaluation of the same and acceptance of tenders
relating to contracts for works, goods and services in accordance
with approved budgets or supplementary estimates.

·    
Where a contract for support and maintenance is
renewed within five years of the original contract, authority to
award such a contract.
 
The initial contract term for 3
years is a cumulative value of £440,430 which falls into the
value bracket of the responsibility of Assistant
Director.
 

Decision:

To recommission via direct
award and following the exemption procedure the contract for
Extended Services (short breaks) for Children and Young People with
SEND with Nexus Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).

Reasons for the
Decision:

Background
Nexus MAT are a multi academy
trust which encompasses three of the schools for children with
special needs in Rotherham including 2 schools for children and
young people with PMLD.
 
Delivery involves 5 After
School Clubs per week:
2 x at Hilltop
School
1 x at Newman School –
Whiston site
1 x at Newman School –
Dinnington site
1 x at Kelford
School
 
Nexus also deliver a range of holiday clubs and activities
through this contract.
 
An exemption for three
years’ service delivery is due to end 31/03/2024.  As the justification for Direct Award still
stands, a further exemption to allow a direct award is being
requested for five years (with appropriate break clauses built
in).
 
Justification for direct
award
 

Nexus
have built into their employment contracts the requirement to
support the staffing of after school clubs, so there is a
ready-made bank of experienced staff with the specialist skills
required to support the young people (many of whom they already
know).
The
schools have access to specialist equipment, accessible buildings
and environments that can meet children and young people’s
needs. 
As a
Trust they have opened up the offer to
young people who are not Nexus pupils to access short break
activities.
Because Nexus deliver after school
clubs from their premises, where the majority of the service users
are already situated due to their school placement, this avoids a
huge disruption to the child’s day in relation to negating
the need to transport them to another provider.  This is particularly important for children and
young people with ASD and SEMH related needs.

 
For the reasons stated above,
it is understood that there is no other valid competition for this
type of service in the borough. 
Certainly, Nexus would not approve an alternative service to be
delivered from its premises.
 
Other considerations
Parents and carers pay a small
amount towards the costs of the clubs (£5.00) this was agreed
after consultation prior to previous commissioning arrangements
being put in place. The costs are commensurate with activities
undertaken by families for their non-disabled child.
 
Nexus have built on their offer
and have created more ‘bespoke’ packages such as
bowling nights for groups of teenagers with complex needs who might
otherwise not get this opportunity and giving them time and space
away from their families to experience this type of
activity.
 
Performance
The Nexus short breaks offer is
monitored through quarterly performance meetings and the Trust
consistently demonstrate that it delivers value for money in the
number of short breaks offered as well as the range of
activities.  Feedback is consistently
good with young people telling us that they enjoy the
activities. 
 

Details of alternative
options considered and rejected:

There are no known other viable
options for delivery of these afterschool and holiday
clubs. 
 
Workforce:
The Nexus MAT consists one of
the biggest pool of workers in the borough that can meet the needs
of children and young people with additional needs.  In addition to this they are familiar with the
children that access the clubs and their respective needs as they
also work in the special schools that the children
attend.
 
Location:
Many of the children and young
people that access these services attend Nexus academy schools so they are already at the location of the
after school clubs.  Nexus would not
agree to another provider delivering on their premises. The
buildings are accessible environments with appropriate specialist
equipment on site and can meet the needs of children and young
people with SEND.
 
Cost:
Due to much of the
pre-requisite conditions already being in place (staff, buildings,
equipment etc) the service they provide consists of good value for
money.  The cost to the Council is
£146,810 per annum which provides 190 after school clubs per
year plus 30 holiday clubs per year. 
This includes:
-      
Premises costs
-      
Materials and resources
-      
Staff costs
-      
Management costs
-      
Transport for children that require this
 

Conflicts of interest
declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker
which relates to the decision:

No conflicts of interest
declared

Dispensations
Granted:
(If any)

N/A

Reports or parts of
reports considered

Exemption Request Form
ERF000423-23
 

 
I
certify that this is a true record of the executive decision to
recommission the Nexus Extended Activities and School Holiday
Provision (Short Breaks) for Children and Young People with SEND
for a period of 3 years with an option to extend for 2 further
years.

Signed by the Decision Maker  
 
Dated: 13/03/24     
 
Name:
         Helen
Sweaton                          
Job
Title:    Assistant Director, Commissioning,
Performance and Quality.