ITEM CMDCY4
CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE & FAMILIES 5 MAY 2009
Shortlist of large capital grant projects for early years provision
Report by Director for Children, Young People & Families
Introduction
1. In Round 1 of the Large Grants phase of the Early Years Capital Programme 28 expressions of interest from early years providers were received and these have now have been assessed.
Needs Assessment
2. The needs assessment process used similar principles to those that guided the Primary Capital Strategy (see Annex 2 for the criteria and weighting used).
3. Annex 1 contains the
draft shortlist of projects and shows the individual scores and overall score
for each project (out of a maximum score of 12).
Preliminary Risks Assessment
4. A preliminary assessment of the major risks associated with each project was carried out. The risks assessed were:
· Contractual: project on school site in school building? · Quality of provision: satisfactory or above? · Project completion: likely to be achievable by March 2011? · Strategic provision of the service: matches the needs of the community?
Results of the Assessment
5. 6 projects were identified as “reduced risk” projects. In all cases these are projects on council school sites that involve an extension to the school building for occupation (usually through a lease or licence) by the early years provider.
6. These projects can now proceed to implementation.
7. 14 projects were assessed as “other shortlisted” projects.
8. These projects can now proceed to a full application process. This will involve the early years providers submitting a full application, including designs, planning permission, costs quotations, named professional project manager. Also required will be a formal funding agreement with the council.
9. The processes for assessments of the full applications, and the subsequent formal funding agreements, are being drawn together by council officers from Legal Services, Procurement, Property Services as well as Early Years.
10. The applications will be assessed individually as they are received and grants awarded, subject to funding availability.
11. 5 projects are still to be determined. In most cases this is because it has been complex to fully assess whether the strategic provision of the service matches the needs of the community.
12. 3 projects have not been shortlisted: · Rush Common Pre-school (because the project completion date is not likely to be achievable by March 2011) · Park Pre-school (because the Ofsted judgement is that the quality of the provision is “poor”) · Bloxham Pre-school (because the overall needs assessment score is low, and there has been recent significant capital investment in the buildings occupied by the Pre-school).
Financial and Staff Implications
13. £3.8 million (plus 20% contingency) is available for Round 1. The revised cost estimates currently show that £4.5 million (plus contingency) would be needed if all shortlisted projects submitted an approved application. So approved applications will be funded on a “first come, first served” basis.
RECOMMENDATION
14. The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families is RECOMMENDED to:
(i) approve the “reduced risk” shortlisted projects;
(ii) delegate to officers the final approval of “other” shortlisted projects, following the outlined full application process; and
(iii) instruct officers to continue to develop the “still to be determined” projects with the early years providers concerned, and to decide whether these projects should be shortlisted.
JANET TOMLINSON Director for Children, Young People & Families
Contact Officer: Marion Evans, Early Education Development Manager, Children & Families Tel: 01865 815115 April 2009
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