That:

(a)   Cabinet agree to progress with the permanent expansion of Aylestone High School;

(b)  Subject to securing planning consent, Aylestone High School is expanded to enable its permanent expansion to five forms of entry (150 pupils per year group) at a cost of not more than £13.1m including fees and contingency;

(c)   Delegated authority for award of procurement contracts for the lifecycle of the project, is given to the Corporate Director, Children and Young People; and

(d)  The Service Director, Education, Skills and Learning, be authorised to take all operational decisions necessary to implement the above in consultation with the S151 Officer and the Cabinet Members for Children and Families and Commissioning, Procurement and Assets; and

(e)   The Service Director, Education, Skills and Learning, present to Cabinet a draft strategic plan for the delivery of school places across the County for the period 2024 to 2034 for final approval by Cabinet within the next twelve months.

1. Expand Whitecross High School – this would be our preferred option, as there is a significant shortage of capacity at the school. However, the school is part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract for which the Council pays a unitary charge to the PFI contractor. The council explored what the impact of an extension at Whitecross would have on the PFI contract. Although the landlord was agreeable for the school to expand, it was identified that there would be a significant uplift in the annual unitary charge which has meant that any expansion, at this time, would not be financially viable, and therefore this option is not recommended.

2. Expand Kingstone High School – this was explored in detail and remains an option for the future, but not recommended at this time. A decision to expand Kingstone by one form of entry (1FE = 150 pupils) was due to be heard by Cabinet in November 2022 (to be closely followed by a further 1FE expansion proposal for Aylestone High School), but was later withdrawn to allow for: additional options to be considered following feedback during pre-cabinet scrutiny;and, further analysis identified a greater need for places in the city. Despite a number of housing developments in its catchment, Kingstone High School has the physical capacity to serve all the children in its catchment, meet the demand of the developments and provide the majority of places requested by parental preference. Any expansion at Kingstone, at this time, would result in transporting learners from the city to the Golden Valley and therefore would not align with the council’s commitment to climate change.