The Children, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee met on Tuesday 15 September 2026 to discuss a range of issues concerning education and children's services. Key topics included proposals for capital contributions to school rebuilding programmes, the acceptance of Department for Education funding for school-based nurseries, and updates on the condition of the maintained school estate.

Water Meadows Primary School Rebuild and Expansion

The committee considered a proposal for Kent County Council (KCC) to contribute £1.4 million towards the Department for Education's (DfE) Schools Rebuilding Programme for Water Meadows Primary School¹. This funding is intended to enable the inclusion of core facilities for two forms of entry (2FE) within the DfE's planned one form of entry (1FE) rebuild. The expansion is deemed necessary due to projected pupil growth from new housing developments in the area, with forecasts indicating a need for 277 additional primary pupils. The proposal was endorsed, with the understanding that if a bid for remaining funding from Canterbury City Council is unsuccessful, the shortfall will be covered by the wider Schools Basic Need Capital Budget.

School-Based Nursery Programme Funding

The committee also discussed the acceptance of Department for Education (DfE) funding for Phase 3 of the School-Based Nursery Programme, which aims to create approximately 550 additional nursery places across around 20 schools between 2027 and 2030. This initiative is part of the government's commitment to expanding early education and childcare provision, particularly in areas of deprivation and those with lower current capacity. The proposal was endorsed, with authority delegated to the Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education to accept and deploy the grant funding, and to the Director of Infrastructure to manage the delivery of the approved capital projects.

Dover Grammar School for Girls - Modular Classroom Replacement

An additional funding request of £400,000 was presented for the replacement of modular classrooms at Dover Grammar School for Girls. This increase, bringing the total project cost to £1.8 million, is necessitated by a requirement from Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) for a sprinkler system due to site access constraints for fire tenders. The original plan for replacing the modular units was deemed the most cost-effective option despite the additional expense. The committee was asked to endorse this funding increase.

KCC Maintained School Estate Condition Survey Update

An update was provided on the condition surveys of KCC's maintained school estate. The surveys, initially conducted in 2021 and updated to reflect current prices, indicate a backlog of maintenance valued at approximately £313 million over the next ten years. A new phase of condition surveys is planned to commence in 2026 to refresh asset data. The council continues to prioritise warm, safe and dry standards across its school estate. The report also highlighted that ten schools have been nominated for the DfE's latest school rebuilding programme, including Dover Grammar School for Girls.

Performance Monitoring

The committee reviewed the Directorate Performance Scorecard, which provides a detailed breakdown of key performance indicators (KPIs) across various areas of children's services and education. Several indicators were highlighted as being red or amber, indicating areas requiring attention. These included the percentage of children in care in the same placement for the last two years, the percentage of care leavers in education, employment or training, and average caseloads in Children's Social Work Teams. Discussions also touched upon the percentage of Year 12-13 pupils not in education, employment, or training (NEET), with a particular focus on the challenges in coastal areas and the capacity of further education colleges. The issue of pupils attending college but not engaging with more than half of their courses was also raised, with officers explaining that national data collection processes do not track attendance in this way.

Work Programme

The committee noted the work programme for future meetings.