Decisions

Doncaster Council are self-delivering the new SEN school on vacant land behind Hungerhill School, with funding from DfE, following a successful free school bid.

The DfE will make funds available for drawdown to deliver the project following the granting of planning permission. The aspirational opening date of the school is 1 September 2020, which requires work to begin as soon as possible should planning permission be granted at the Extraordinary Planning Committee meeting scheduled for 30 July 2019

Following the receipt of the project funds from the DfE, the £200,000 will be reallocated back to the Basic Needs Allocation.

To make a payment to Wilmott Dixon Construction of up to £200,000 for site set up costs in August 2019 for the delivery of the 'Bader School' (SEN Free School) - a new 100 place Communication and Interaction (C&I) Special School with an age range of 5-19. This will be achieved by a variation to the existing pre-construction services agreement PCSA with the agreement of Wilmott Dixon.

Due to the rising pupil population, individual need and complexity, there has been a rapid growth in demand for the request and provision of passenger transport by Doncaster Council. Therefore, there is a need to provide a strategic approach to travel assistance policy and processes to deliver effective, efficient and value for money passenger transport services for the children and people of Doncaster.

Approval given to initiate formal consultation period, to consult on the Travel Assistance Policy as part of the Strategic Travel Assistance Review (STAR).

The OA Partnership Board has approved the grants and tenders to the amounts set out above.

The services have been approved as they align with the ambitions set out in the Doncaster Opportunity Area delivery plan and the decision to go to market has been taken to ensure the VfM and quality of the procured services, and to test the market.

The grant is to be awarded based on business cases submitted to the Opportunity Area Partnership Board. A decision to directly award the grants is based on the organisation's track record of delivery, the bespoke nature of the programme, an evidence based approach and opportunity to facilitate market development in these areas.

To award £190,000 to Doncaster Chamber of Commerce for activities relating to the sustainability of the Middle Tier Organisation (MTO) 'Opportunities Doncaster'.

To award £117,315 to Partners in learning for an extension of their bespoke personal development programme for leaders

To go out to tender as per the Opportunity Area Partnership Board approval process for the services set out below:-

Up to £300k on activities relating to teacher recruitment and retention.

See attached Officer Decision Record for full details.

To approve the request to commission a new Care Provider for the Home Support Immediate Response Service as the current Provider is exiting the Doncaster market. The service is commissioned to reduce the delay in hospital discharges and complement the existing Commissioned Care and Support at Home service (CCaSH).

The reasons for decision are set out in detail in the Officer Decision Record as attached.

To seek approval to award a contract following a tender exercise for a period of 2 years with 2 x 12 month extensions for the provision of a supported accommodation and floating support service for young families or parents to be.

The OA Partnership Board has approved the grants and tenders to the amounts set out in the attached Officer Decision Record.

The services have been approved as they align with the ambitions set out in the Doncaster Opportunity Area delivery plan and the decision to go to market has been taken to ensure the VfM and quality of the procured services, and to test the market.

The school improvement funding will enable intensive support and additional capacity for all 19 secondary schools in the borough.

To award:-

£90k to Evolve Education to deliver their health mentors programme
£400k to secondary schools on school improvement and associated evaluation
£70k to schools for post-16 provision improvements
up to £80k to the Education Alliance for the leadership and management of the secondary school peer review process (funding will depend on number of schools engaged).
up to £315k paid for school improvement activity through funding allocated to schools for bespoke activity

To go out to tender for services set out below:-

£110k on commissioned school improvement initiatives and oversight
£40k on expert consultancy support for post-16 provision, following on from the LA's post-16 review.

See attached Officer Decision Record for full details.

To approve the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund allocations which were approved by the Learning Provision Organisation Board (LPOB) Sub Group on the 13th June 2019.

Due to the increase in demand for school places at Hall Cross Academy, it is necessary to utilise funds already secured through a Section 106 agreement to increase the capacity.

The school have agreed to accept an additional 30 pupils for the next 3 years to address the demand and, in order for them to be accommodated safely, the school have identified works that will need to be undertaken. A funding agreement will be entered into between Doncaster Council and Hall Cross Academy Trust to grant the sum of £376,433 in order to achieve this increase and the works will be undertaken by the Academy themselves.

As the increase in pupils will begin from the next academic year (September 2019), it is necessary to urgently address the issues identified to ensure there are no Safeguarding or Access problems.

This funding and these works did not appear in the approved original capital programme due to the ongoing work of Pupil Place Planning and the requirement for admissions applications information which became available after the submission. Furthermore, there have been ongoing discussions with the developers with regards to the Education Commuted Sum to establish that the trigger point for the payment had been reached.

To utilise £376,433 of monies raised from a Section 106 agreement to provide additional capacity at Hall Cross School. The funding will be allocated to the school who will complete the works.

This building will replace the existing unsustainable Levett Upper building, costs of which can be offset against this new provision. To sustain the existing Levett Upper building would require significant financial investment and would provide very little value to the learning provision landscape.
This development will also provide permanent Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) places for vulnerable Doncaster Children who currently have no appropriate provision locally to be placed in. The Doncaster Children

To obtain the lease for both the East Dene Centre and Lansdowne Centre, Lansdowne Road, Intake, Doncaster, to establish specialist SEMH places within this setting and to close the existing Levett Upper Facility. This has now been agreed by Strategic Assets Board.

To comply with the Secretary of State's Academy Order of 24 May 2019.

Further to the academy order of the Regional Schools Commissioner issued on 24 May 2019, the Council is now required to execute all formal documentation necessary to complete the conversion to academy status.

This decision record approves the appropriate instruction to the Council's Legal section to complete and seal the appropriate documentation in order for Lakeside Primary School to convert to academy status on 1 November 2019 as a converter academy. It is proposed that Lakeside Primary School will join a Multi Academy Trust - XP Academy Trust.

To comply with the Secretary of State's Academy Order of 24 May 2019.

Further to the academy order of the Regional Schools Commissioner issued on 24 May 2019, the Council is now required to execute all formal documentation necessary to complete the conversion to academy status.

This decision record approves the appropriate instruction to the Council's Legal section to complete and seal the appropriate documentation in order for Plover Primary School to convert to academy status on 1 November 2019 as a converter academy. It is proposed that Plover Primary School will join a Multi Academy Trust - XP Academy Trust.

The initial contract length for both contracts is 4 years. Under Section C, (Clause C.1) of both contracts, the Council may exercise its right to extend the term of the contracts by up to 2 years from the current contract expiry dates of 31st March 2020.

Due to the essential nature of the services, the decision has been taken to extend both contracts for the permitted two years taking the expiry to March 31st 2022.

The agreed annual contract values, activity volumes, and performance indicator targets for contract year 4 remain unchanged for Contract Years 5 and 6

To extend the current contracts held by Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber Trust (RDaSH) for the School Nursing Service and Project 3, Young Person's Health and Well-being Service, by two further periods of 12 months from the current Contract expiry date of 31 March 2020.

This follows on from the 2017/18 and 2018/19 Schools Roofing Programme, issues that have become a priority since the original programme was established. This phase of the programme will cover the same building elements as the initial programmes replacing or repair roofs that have become a persistent target for patch repairs. The work is identified through the annual building surveys and a review of any data that has been collected through call outs or emergency repairs , as well as comments from regulatory inspections (OFSTED and Safeguarding). By delivering the programme DMBC will ensure the school buildings remain open and ensure pupil places are not at risk due to condition issues within the premises. The work will also ensure that work to electrical and mechanical infrastructure as well as the general fabric of the building is protected.
The original consultation undertaken was:
The CYPS Capital Monitoring Group has been consulted regarding this proposal. This group includes officers representing service areas with responsibility for various CYPS capital assets, Technical Services and Corporate Services and Corporate Resources.
Schools Forum has been consulted. Further updates will be provided as the programme progresses.
Individual schools will be consulted on the proposed programme of works before the final programme is agreed. This will ensure that no urgent items are missed. It is also intended that there will be sufficient flexibility within the programme to incorporate missed or unknown issues that arise during the programme.
Drawing the funding is sought to allow the delivery of these projects.

Following Cabinet approval on 12th February 2019 and full Council approval on 4th March of £241,785 funding for the School Roofing Programme, which will ensure schools are warm, weather tight, safe and not at risk of closure at short notice, approve the draw down of these funds for the delivery of the 20219/20 programme.

To comply with the Secretary of State's Academy Order of 26 April 2019.

Further to the academy order of the Regional Schools Commissioner issued on 26 April 2019, the Council is now required to execute all formal documentation necessary to complete the conversion to academy status.

This decision record approves the appropriate instruction to the Council's Legal section to complete and seal the appropriate documentation in order for Coppice School to convert to academy status on 1 October 2019 as a converter academy. It is proposed that Coppice School will join a Mult Academy Trust - Nexus Multi Academy Trust.

This follows on from the 2011/12, 12/13, 13/14, 14/15, 15/16, 16/17, 17/18 and 18/19 Schools Capital Condition Programme, addressing maintenance issues that have become a priority since the original programme was established. This phase of the programme will cover the same building elements as the initial programmes, i.e. mechanical (heating and ventilation), electrical (lighting and Mains upgrades) and building fabric improvements (windows) etc. The work is identified through the annual building surveys and a review of any data that has been collected through call outs or emergency repairs, as well as comments from regulatory inspections (OFSTED and Safeguarding). By delivering the programme DMBC will ensure the school buildings remain open and ensure pupil places are not at risk due to condition issues within the premises. The lighting, mechanical and mains upgrades will ensure the Authority meet all its statutory requirements as set out in the condition reports held by the Authority.

The original consultation undertaken was:

The CYPS Capital Monitoring Group has been consulted regarding this proposal. This group includes officers representing service areas with responsibility for various CYPS capital assets, Technical Services and Corporate Resources.

Schools Forum has been consulted. Further updates will be provided as the programme progresses.

Individual schools will be consulted on the proposed programme of works before the final programme is agreed. This will ensure that no urgent items are missed. It is also intended that there will be sufficient flexibility within the programme to incorporate missed or unknown issues that arise during the programme.

Drawing the funding is sought to allow the delivery of these projects.

Following Cabinet approval on 12th February 2019 and full Council approval on 4th March 2019, of £1.058m funding for the Capital Condition Programme, which will ensure schools are warm, weather tight, safe and not at risk of closure at short notice, approve the draw down of these funds for the delivery of the 2019/20 programme as per the schemes detailed on Appendix A.

Section 32 of the Education Act 2022 places a duty on local authorities to determine the dates when school terms and holidays are to begin and end in respect of community, voluntary controlled or community special schools. it is the governing body's responsibility in respect of foundation schools, voluntary aided schools and academies.

Regulations require the pupils be in attendance for 380 sessions (190 days) in each school year and, in 1987, teacher's conditions of service were modified to require teachers to be available for a further 5 days with a requirement for them to undertake training on 5 of the total 195 day.

Therefore, the Local Authority remains responsible for determining the school calendar for community schools.

Determination of the school terms and holiday pattern for the 2020/21 school year as set out at Appendix 1 to the report.

To comply with the Secretary of State's Academy Order of 15 March 2019.

Further to the academy order of the Regional Schools Commissioner issued on 15 March 2019, the Council is now required to execute all formal documentation necessary to complete the conversion to academy status.

This decision record approves the appropriate instruction of the Council's legal section to complete and seal the appropriate documentation in order for Thorne Moorends West Road Primary School to convert to academy status on 1 September 2019 as a converter academy. It is proposed that Thorne Moorends West Primary School will join a new Multi Academy Trust - Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust.

At the request of Schools Forum, the Department for Education/Secretary of State gave permission to establish a central Schools Block DSG expenditure budget of £1,000,000 to focus on two areas:-
- Access
- Safeguarding
The budget is provided to deliver learning environment improvements within Schools, Academies, Pupil Referral Units and Learning Centres and it is expected that a 10% contribution will be required towards any project based on the estimate provided. For the final round, this was increased to 15% to ensure the funding is fully utilised. It is intended that the funding will be allocated over 3 year period with a full review and progression report supplied to School Forum in July 2018.
Schools Forum delegated responsibility for administering the funds through the Learning Provision Organisation Board.
The Board Sub Group discussed each application on a case by case basis following recommendations from Construction Services and the Learning Provision Organisation Team. Approved bids were felt to meet the defined criteria of the Safeguarding and Access Fund and as such approved under these circumstances.

To approve the Safeguarding and Access capital allocation for the Seedlings Nursery to the value of £20,956.23, which was provisionally approved by the Learning Provision Organisation Board Sub Group on 6 March 2019.
As this is a Local Authority setting, the Local Authority will fund the 15% contribution towards the works (£3,698.16). This is to be funded through the Safeguarding Fund.