Decision details

The need for new Secondary School provision to meet demand arising from the Ebbsfleet Garden City development was identified during the original planning of the City and has been highlighted in recent versions of the KCC Commissioning Plan for Education Provision, including the latest 2017-21 version of the Plan.  More specifically the school is anticipated to accommodate pupils  who are residents of any of the three villages on Eastern Quarry or of the Ebbsfleet Green development. Based on current housing trajectories for those developments, it is anticipated the first four forms of entry will be required by September 2021.

The need for new Primary School provision to meet demand arising from the Ebbsfleet Garden City development was identified during the original planning of the City and has been highlighted in recent versions of the Commissioning Plan for Education Provision, including the latest 2017-21 version of the Plan.  More specifically the school is anticipated to accommodate pupils  who are residents of the Ebbsfleet Green development. Based on current housing trajectories, it is anticipated the first form of entry will be required by September 2020.

Regardless of the situation in respect of the ESFA’s Free School Wave application process, the onus is on the local authority to run competitions outside of any Wave, as both schools will be funded either wholly through developer contribution or through a mixture of Local Authority Basic Need funding and developer contribution.

Through the existing Section 106 agreements the Secondary School will be produced wholly through developer contributions relating to Eastern Quarry and Ebbsfleet Green. The Section 106 agreement for the Primary school on Ebbsfleet Green provides for a site of 2.05 hectares to be provided along with a 1FE Primary school with infrastructure to allow expansion to 2FE.

Due to the high pupil numbers being realised by existing housing developments in Dartford, exisiting pupil place pressures already being experienced in the District and the fact that 1FE Primary Schools are vulnerable in terms of viability, it is the intention to provide a 2FE Primary School within the Ebbsfleet Green development.

As Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, I agree:

(i)  that a Free School Presumption Competition process can commence in order to         seek applications from potential sponsors to run a new Secondary School in Dartford,  within the Alkerden development on Eastern Quarry, which forms part of the Ebbsfleet   Garden City.

(ii)   that a Free School Presumption Competition process can commence in order to seek applications from potential sponsors to run a new Primary School in Dartford, within the Ebbsfleet Green development, which forms part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City.

(iii) to allocate £2.5m from the Basic Need Capital Programme Budget to fund the provision of the second FE of the proposed 2FE Primary School on Ebbsfleet Green.

(iv)  to authorise the Director of Infrastructure in consultation with General Counsel to enter into   any necessary contracts/agreements on behalf of the County Council.

(v)   to authorise the Director of Infrastructure to be the nominated Authority Representative   within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.

(In the event of an increase of costs exceeding 10% of the allocated funding, a further decision will be required.)