Agenda item

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2016/154

Contact: Roy Leach, Strategic Lead Education Sufficiency & Access Education & Learning Tel (01865) 816458

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

The Department for Education has approved a proposal to create a new secondary school in Oxford providing 900 places for 11 - 16 year olds plus sixth form. The school will be delivered as part of the DfE's Free School programme with a proposed opening date of September 2019. It will be called The Swan School and will be part of the River Learning Trust. Subject to the necessary planning consents, The Swan School will be located on the Harlow Centre site in Marston which is owned by the Council and currently leased (125 years) to the Radcliffe Academy Trust. The Swan School will provide significant numbers of additional high quality secondary school places to those already available Oxford and will enable the Council to discharge its statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places at a time of growth in the size of the secondary school population in the city.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)          Approve the sale of the Harlow Centre site and buildings to the Department of Education for £1.00; and

(b)          Make a contribution of up to £2 million towards the construction costs of The Swan School.

The Department for Education has approved a proposal to create a new secondary school in Oxford providing 900 places for 11 - 16 year olds plus sixth form. The school will be delivered as part of the DfE's Free School programme with a proposed opening date of September 2019. It will be called The Swan School and will be part of the River Learning Trust. Subject to the necessary planning consents, The Swan School will be located on the Harlow Centre site in Marston which is owned by the Council and currently leased (125 years) to the Radcliffe Academy Trust. The Swan School will provide significant numbers of additional high quality secondary school places to those already available Oxford and will enable the Council to discharge its statutory duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places at a time of growth in the size of the secondary school population in the city.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval for a financial and resource contribution towards the project.

City Councillor Mary Clarkson, district member for the Marston Ward addressed the Cabinet against the proposal to place the Swan Free School on the Harlow Site on the basis that the site was only 6 hectares when guidance suggested it should be 12 affecting sport and outdoor play; the dangerous and difficult access to the site including the cycle track; congestion to the local area resulting in further pressure on the local hospitals and the fact that the provision of secondary schooling was largely concentrated in the East and the North East of the City already with little provision elsewhere.  She urged the Cabinet to reconsider building the school at the Osney Mead Site when it became available, with a short term site at the Cherwell South Site for the first three year groups.

Councillor Mark Lygo, local County Councillor for Marston & Northway endorsed the comments made City Councillor Mary Clarkson and added his concern regarding cyclists around the new proposed site and in particular the number of children cycling to Cherwell School and the possible dangers around this.  He questioned what the proposed transport plan for the area would be and suggested that officers go back to the Local Transport Plan 4.  He urged the Cabinet to reconsider and build the new school on the Osney Mead Site.

Councillor Howson referred to the admission arrangements for the new school and the fact that the River Learning Trust (RLT) had no requirement on them to consider pupil place need across Oxford as a whole. He sought assurance that the site was expected to be cost neutral to the County in revenue spend terms on school transport and given that all secondary schools affected were likely to be in charge of their own admission arrangements, questioned how likely it was that the arrangement could be brokered to cater for the extra need.  He further raised concerns about traffic and in particular the Marston Ferry link Road and queried whether there had been any discussions with the RLT about possible start and finish times to try and mitigate any further congestion.

Councillor Tilley in introducing the report drew attention to paragraph 16 of the report and stressed the importance of the Secretary of State approval of the Funding Agreement.

Lucy Butler, Director for Children’s Services responding to questions around the suitability of the site confirmed that the Education Funding Agency were responsible for selecting the site and that they had carried out an extensive search for an alternatives site but that none could be found. The current option bought £25m capital money with it but that was not without it challenges and difficulties.

RESOLVED:           to:

(a)          approve the sale of the Harlow Centre site and buildings to the Department of Education for £1.00; and

(b)          make a contribution of up to £2 million towards the construction costs of The Swan School subject to conditions expressed in paragraph 16 of the report.