Decision details

Decision:

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills is asked to:

a)    Allocate an additional £4.3 million from the Children, Young People & Education Basic Need Capital Budget to fund any necessary additional works or variations to accommodation.

b)    Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services in consultation with the General Counsel and Director of Education to enter into any necessary contracts/ agreements on behalf of the County Council.

c)    Authorise the Director of Infrastructure, Strategic and Corporate Services to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts. Variations to contract value to be no more than 10% above the capital funding agreed by the Cabinet Member without requiring a new Record of Decision.

Background:

The expansion of Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys from 180 to 210 selective Secondary school places is one of five secondary school expansions proposed in 2017 to provide additional capacity in selective and non-selective secondary schools in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge. The Cabinet Committee of 22 November 2017 endorsed the allocation of £7.7 million from the Basic Need budget to fund the permanent expansion of Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys.

The school’s first permanently expanded intake of 210 pupils in September 2019 was accommodated within the school’s existing accommodation, with additional accommodation needed to accommodate future intakes. The scheme includes the construction of a new teaching block of classrooms, a sports hall and additional dining facilities through conversion of the current gymnasium; works commenced in Summer 2019.

The proposal is to allocate a further £4.3 million from the Young People & Education Basic Need Capital Budget

The reasons for the increased expenditure are as follows:

·   Unforeseen costs relating to ground conditions (including soft spots remediations), repairs to the existing gym roof, a larger water attenuation tank required and a new foul drainage system.

·   An alteration to the scheme’s design has been made which will increase the capacity of the new dining facility in the former gymnasium such that the school’s current dining room, which is a rented mobile structure at the opposite end of the school to the kitchen will no longer be required. This will mean that KCC will no longer incur the monthly rental cost of this mobile unit, which would otherwise have been incurred in perpetuity.

·   Additional costs incurred due to longer build time than originally anticipated; this is primarily related to unaccounted for additional works (as detailed above) and the associated scoping and design works.

Actions have been taken to minimise the additional costs, including the procurement of a single contractor across this scheme and the expansion of the neighbouring St Gregory’s Catholic School.

Original Decision

https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=2117

https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=894&MId=7730&Ver=4