Issue details

Proposed decision:

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills proposes to:

a)    authorise the allocation of £6,187,241 from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget to permanently expand Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, Nackington Lane, Canterbury Kent CT4 7AS from 120 places to 150 places from September 2022;

b)    authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with KCC General Counsel and the Director of Education to enter into any necessary agreements on behalf of the County Council; and

c)    delegate authority to the Director for Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to take necessary actions, including but not limited to entering into necessary contracts or taking other legal actions as required to implement the decision.

Reason for the decision:

To allocate £6,187,241 from the Capital budget for the expansion of Simon Langton Grammar school for Boys by 1FE. Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys has offered over their 120 PAN since 2019 and in 2019 consulted to increase their PAN to 150. The school has capacity to take one more year (September 2021 entry) at 150 before they require additional buildings to accommodate a permanent expansion to a PAN of 150. As part of the proposed project it is planned that the Basic Need programme will encompass an earlier agreed modernisation project designed to replace current dated and no longer fit for purpose mobile accommodation.

Background:

The Kent Commissioning Plan 2020-2024 identified the need for additional selective places for the Canterbury and Faversham Planning group. Forecasts indicted a deficit of 20 Year 7 places for September 2021 and a continual need through the plan period of up to 37 additional places. However, as Simon Langton increased their PAN in 2020 before the agreed build programme, their expansion has already been factored into the forecast. The expansion at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys will also ensure that the Boys and Girls Grammar school’s PANs are closer in the numbers offered, helping to secure equality of opportunity for boys and girls to attend a grammar school in the planning area.

Options (other options considered but discarded):

There are four grammar schools in Canterbury and Faversham selective planning group. We have commissioned a feasibility study to expand Queen Elisabeth Grammar by 1FE.  Barton Court Grammar School was expanded by 1FE in 2017 and Simon Langton Girls Grammar school has a Priority School Building programme nearing completion, rebuilding, and relocating the school on their current site. Neighbouring selective planning groups, including Sittingbourne and Sheppey and Thanet, forecast a deficit of year 7 places.

How the proposed decision meets the objectives of ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’:

This proposal will help to secure our ambition “to ensure that Kent’s young people have access to the education, work and skills opportunities necessary to support Kent business to grow and be increasingly competitive in the national and international economy” as set out in ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2017 - 2022)’.

The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2020-24 identified the need to commission additional capacity in Canterbury and Faversham Selective Schools.