Decision details

The National Children’s Bureau is to be commissioned to strategically lead and coordinate the Making it REAL home learning project funded through the Opportunity Area.
Achieving the ambition of the Making it REAL project will require local partnership and support opportunities to enable sharing of practice, peer support.
To sustain the focus on Making it REAL and build local capacity Oldham has worked in partnership with Oasis Academy Limeside to develop an experienced practitioner to be a Making it REAL trainer. This enables the practitioner to deliver Making it REAL training and allows the practitioner to take on an expanded role in the delivery of local projects.
This methodology of system leadership and using capacity within the local system is reflected in Oldham’s Education Strategy and is supported by the Department for Education, Regional Schools Commissioner, and National College for Teaching and School Leadership. It is also consistent with the Local Authority Statutory Obligations.

RESOLVED - That an exemption from the requirement to use the CHEST to seek three quotes is granted for commissioning Oasis Academy Limeside Teaching School (up to maximum value of £24,500).
Plans are in place to increase expertise within Oldham’s early years system. This will enable a competitive process to take place in future delivery with three quotes being sought from Oldham’s teaching schools.

Option 1 - to seek exemption from Contract Procedure Rules under 21.3e in order to utilize expertise within Oasis Academy Limeside Teaching School and to create a suitable commissioning route for the Council to commission teaching schools and school leaders to deliver improvement activity. Due to rapidly changing school landscape no current/ specific commissioning process is in place.
Option 2 - Follow contract procedure rules.

Option 2 rejected - follow contract procedure rules - as this option would pose a significant risk in the following areas:
•May note result in the commissioning of a school with expert knowledge of the Making it REAL approach, successful project delivery within early years setting or delivery of a local Making it REAL project. Resulting in reduced fidelity and consistency of project delivery, additional pressure on the LA and increased risk of unsuitable local support to early years settings.
•Will not build improvement and leadership capacity within Oldham.

Consultation has taken place as the programme of work is covered in the Opportunity Area programme of work reported in the Report to Cabinet dated Monday 27 June 2016.