Purpose

The purpose of this report is to update the Executive on the locations for the provision of the two new Special Education Needs schools within the Borough and agree the proposed terms of the lease of the site to the Department for Education.

Decision

RESOLVED that the Executive:

1) Confirmed support for the development and provision of two new Special

Educational Needs School at Rooks Nest Farm in Finchampstead (as per the

Officer’s recommendation having reviewed this site against all available sites in the Council’s ownership)

2) Gave delegated authority to the Executive Member for Children’s Services to approve the lease of these sites to the DfE for use as a Special Educational

Needs school on their model Heads of Terms (a copy is in Appendix A) and

delegated, under 5.4.3 [ which applies to all delegations to officers and individual members below] powers to the Director of Resources and Assets, in conjunction with the Leader of the Council, to complete the lease.

3) Approved a supplementary estimate of £1.5m for the infrastructure and abnormal costs associated with the delivery of the two new SEND schools. Working with the DfE, the Council will aim to minimise these costs where possible. Any costs will be funded from the approved capital contingency budget.

4) Subject to the DfE approval of the Council’s bid to self-deliver the free school capital projects, give delegated authority to the Director of Resources and Assets, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Executive Member for Childrens Services, to approve the capital development of both schools (5.1.9.2) (b) re Virements over £500k) and the procurement and awarding of the construction works through a competitive procurement process, details to be presented and approved by the Strategic Procurement Board (SPB).

5) Give delegated authority to the Director of Children’s Services in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Executive Member for Childrens Services, to run the presumption exercise (along with the DfE) to select and enter into leases with a Trust (or Trusts) to manage both schools.

6) Give delegated authority to the Director of Resources and Assets, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Executive Member for Finance, to approve the infrastructure costs and abnormals (not funded by the DfE) when these are known.

7) agreed that the whole of the Rooks Nest Farm site, which has previously been promoted to the Local Plan Update for residential use with an estimated

residential land value of £19.25M, will now not be used for residential use, with the residential land value estimation to be foregone and that the previous

promotion of the site for residential development will be withdrawn from the Local Plan Update process.