Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Children, Education & Families

Forward Plan Ref: 2013/152

Contact: Diane Cameron, School Organisation Officer Tel: (01865) 816445

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA9).

New schools for Didcot Great Western Park: approval of preferred provider. 

The Cabinet meeting of 18 September 2012 approved a process for the identification of sponsors for new academies to meet the needs of population growth such as this which requires 2 new primary schools and one secondary between 2015 and 2017.

This process has been followed and has now reached the point where preferred  providers have been identified from a group of 4 short-listed bidders which were assessed against criteria.

The Cabinet is asked to consider options and agree one of these options which will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education for a final decision.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to select one of the following options to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education for final agreement:

Option 1

To recommend GLF Academy Trust to provide all three of the schools to be run as an all –through school which will make provision for pupils from 4 to 16 on three sites on the Great Western Park development  

Option 2a

To recommend  GLF Academy Trust  to provide the Secondary school and  Primary School 1 to be run as an all through 4-16 school.

To recommend GEMS Trust provides Primary School 2.

Option 2b

To recommend GLF Academy Trust  to provide the Secondary School and Primary School 2 to be run as an all through 4-16 school.

To recommend GEMS Trust provides Primary School 1.

The Cabinet meeting of 18 September 2012 approved a process for the identification of sponsors for new academies to meet the needs of population growth such as this which requires 2 new primary schools and one secondary between 2015 and 2017.

Following this process  providers have been identified from a group of 4 short-listed bidders which were assessed against criteria .The Cabinet considered a report setting out options and were asked to agree one of the options which will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education for a final decision.

Councillor Nick Hards, speaking as a local Councillor recognised the urgent need for one of the primary schools but expressed some concern over the options presented. In response to a question he indicated that he would like to see the first primary school agreed but without a commitment to the secondary or further primary school.

Councillor Tilley, Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Families in moving Option 2(b) commented that she had been very impressed by both GLF Academy Trust and GEMS Trust. Charlotte Christie, Academies and Collaborations Coordinator, added that the much of the criteria used in the evaluation came from the Department for Education (DfE) together with the County’s own specification. All those considered were approved sponsors.

During discussion Cabinet noted that the final decision would be taken by the Secretary of State for Education.

RESOLVED:             to select option 2(b) set out below to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Education for final agreement:

Option 2b

To recommend GLF Academy Trust  to provide the Secondary School and Primary School 2 to be run as an all through 4-16 school and to recommend GEMS Trust provides Primary School 1.