Decision details

The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Education and Early Years, which sought approval from the Cabinet for two capital projects that will offer additional places and enhance provision for pupils with additional needs who are based within the Cranmer Trust. The report was also seeking approval for the allocation of funding from the HNPCA and Basic Need Grant towards the schemes.

 The two projects would enhance existing provision and provide additional provision for pupils with additional needs. These proposals were now developed sufficiently for costs and proposals to be placed before Cabinet for a final decision. These projects will create a total of 50 new places in mainstream secondary schools for children with additional needs.

Currently the Local Authority has around £2.7m of Basic Need funding and £7.1m of High Needs Capital Allocation Funding. It was proposed that where projects will generate additional places these projects are funded from the HNPCA Grant provision These developments reinforce Oldham’s commitment to an inclusive system where specialist support is available earlier, within mainstream settings, reducing escalation of need and delivering better long-term outcomes for children and young people. This aligned directly with the government’s vision that schools should be inclusive by design, with dedicated inclusion bases forming a core component of the future school estate.

Project 1 related to Brian Clarke C of E Academy, an inclusive, co-educational, Church of England secondary school situated in Oldham Town Centre. The school caters to pupils aged 11–16. The existing capacity of the school is eight forms of entry (8FE) equating to 1,200 pupils. As part of the Cranmer Education Trust, this academy was committed to inclusive education and already demonstrates strong SEND practice (Ofsted June 2025) and is a school of choice for families where children have SEND. This proposal sought funding to establish an Autism Education Resource Base (ERB).

Project 2 related to Blue Coat School. Blue Coat School was an inclusive, co-educational, Church of England secondary school situated in Oldham Town Centre. The school caters to pupils aged 11–18. The existing capacity of the school is eight forms of entry (8FE) equating to 1,692 pupils, of which, the number on roll in the sixth form is 434. As part of the Cranmer Education Trust, this school also was committed to inclusive education and already demonstrates outstanding SEND practice as evidenced by Ofsted and also by the positive outcomes young people with SEND achieve year on year.

Options/Alternatives:

Option 1: To approve the above capital investment for the projects listed above to deliver the ambitions of the SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2023 - 2027.

Option 2: To not approve the projects and risk not fulfilling the above strategy.

Resolved:

That the Cabinet approves the capital investment, for the projects at the two schools detailed in the report, namely the Brian Clarke C of e Academy and the Blue Coat School, to deliver the ambitions of the SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2023 - 2027.