Decision details

Additional Expansion of Hollinwood Academy

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Decisions:

The Cabinet considered a report of the Head of School Support Services seeking approval for an additional expansion of Hollinwood Academy.

 

The Cabinet was informed that the Local Authority (LA) had a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places within its area. There was significant place pressure at Hollinwood Academy, which provided education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and social communication difficulties. The academy was the only bespoke provision in Oldham for pupils with these conditions. Without further additional expansion the academy would not be able to offer places to a number of children whose Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP’s) had indicated that the academy would be the preferred provider.

 

The Cabinet noted that, in February 2019, a delegated decision was taken to contribute £390,000 Basic Need Funding to the physical expansion of Hollinwood Academy. In the time since that decision was made, it had become apparent that further place pressure would be made on the school which would mean that it would require an additional 8 classrooms, as opposed to the original 4 approved in February 2019. On current predictions there would be 215 pupils in the school in September 2019 which was expected to cater for around 50 pupils.

 

The Cabinet was informed that the LA had a statutory obligation to provide sufficient special school places in the borough. The additional increased pressure on places was a result of parental choice and an increase in the number of EHCP’s where the school was named as the preferred provider.

 

Options/Alternatives considered:

·       Provide an additional contribution to the Newbridge Trust to facilitate the increase in pupils.

·       Not approve the additional funding.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.     An additional basic need funding of £300,000 for the increased expansion of Hollinwood Academy be approved.

2.     Authority be delegated to the Director of Education, Skills and Early Years to develop, consult, procure and arrange for the execution by the Director of Legal Services of any relevant contracts and incidental and ancillary documentation in accordance with the agreed school expansions programme.

Publication date: 20/08/2019

Date of decision: 19/08/2019

Decided at meeting: 19/08/2019 - Cabinet

Effective from: 29/08/2019

Accompanying Documents: