That:

(a)  The school capital and maintenance schemes as set out in appendix 1 be approved for implementation in 2020/21;

(b)  The Assistant Director Education Development and Skills be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to implement the approved schemes within the approved budget of £1.447m for maintenance and £43k for individual pupil needs; and

(c)  The Assistant Director Education Development and Skills be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to vary the approved schemes should the amount of funding received from the Department for Education differ from that used to determine the proposed schemes.

1.    The capital and maintenance grants supporting building works in schools could be profiled differently. The schemes have been determined from the last condition reports produced for each school. The profile has been considered extensively by the schools capital investment strategy team, the council’s property services section and the capital strategy consultative group (involving headteachers). The proposed works are addressing the known priorities.

2.    Basic need could be allocated to schools. The priorities are being formulated on the best information and advice available and consulted upon. Basic need allocation should be directed to projects that are clearly adding pupil places.

3.    No funding is spent on accessibility improvement works in schools and children are required to attend different schools. There is a statutory process which requires the council to arrange the admission of a child with a disability or an education health and care plan to the parent / carers preferred school, unless it can be shown that to do so would prejudice other children or it would be unreasonable to do so. The excessive financial cost of making adaptations could be considered unreasonable.