SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL Cabinet Report 7

Report of: Sonia Sharp ______

Date: 4th August 2010 ______

Subject: Improving sports and play facilities and green spaces in Sheffield through investing part of the Chaucer School capital receipt ______

Author of Report: Kate Lewis Sport Strategy Adviser 0114 2506730 ______

Summary:

As part of the rebuilding of Chaucer School and the regeneration of the Chaucer area, part of the capital receipt generated must be reinvested in facilities for sports, play and green space. This paper sets out proposals to invest £4.96m of the Chaucer School capital receipt in improving sports facilities for community use at Chaucer School and 9 other secondary school sites by 2012 and in active playgrounds for 25 primary schools local to Chaucer by 2011.

The proposals will draw down an additional £775k of available matched funding. Value for money will also be enhanced by combining works on secondary school sites with works already planned under Building Schools for the Future.

The proposals seek to maximise the benefits of this significant opportunity to improve play, sports and green space facilities for Sheffield people both in the immediate Chaucer area and more widely.

Reason for Recommendation:

Implementing the proposals in this paper offers a cost-effective means of furthering the following City of Opportunity objectives:

- to position schools as community hubs through wider community use; - to promote participation in sports as part of the ‘Lighting the Flame for Sport 2009 - 2011’ Strategy and the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA 2018 World Cup Legacy strategy; - to promote strong communities through establishing new community sports clubs;

1 - to widen the availability of positive activities for children and young people; and - to promote good health and fitness and reduce obesity.

The sites identified offer a strong combination of areas of high local need for new facilities and opportunities to enhance existing successful facilities.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

(i) approves the proposed rationale for the investment of the prescribed part of the Chaucer capital receipt to meet the statutory requirements of s.77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the relevant statutory guidance.

(ii) . the inclusion of the project listed in this paper as part of the Council’s capital programme subject to the receipt of the external funding; and

(iii) notes that this scheme will be presented for financial approval as part of the monthly Capital Finance report presented to cabinet on August 4th

______Background Papers:

Category of Report: OPEN

2 Statutory and Council Policy Checklist

Financial implications

Cleared by Alan Rainford

Legal implications

Cleared by: Nadine Wynter

Equality of Opportunity implications No

Tackling Health Inequalities implications

N/A Human rights implications

N/A

Environmental and Sustainability implications

N/A

Economic impact

N/A

Community safety implications

N/A Human resources implications

N/A Property implications

To be included Area(s) affected Northern, Central, North East, East, Central & South West Community Assemblies

Relevant Scrutiny Board if decision called in Children and Young People’s

Is the item a matter which is reserved for ap proval by the City Council?

Press release

YES

1. Purpose

1.1. The purpose of this report is to make recommendations as to the use of the capital receipt from the disposal of land at Chaucer Business and Enterprise College to replace sporting and green spaces in Sheffield.

2. Summary

2.1 . As part of the rebuilding of Chaucer School and the regeneration of the Chaucer area, part of the capital receipt generated must be reinvested in facilities for sports, play and green space. This paper sets out proposals to invest £4.96m of the Chaucer School capital receipt in improving sports facilities for community use at Chaucer School and 9 other secondary school sites by 2012 and in active playgrounds for 25 primary schools local to Chaucer by 2011.

2.2 . Significant development will take place at Chaucer Business and Enterprise College as part of the conditions of the receipt. This will provide replacement sports facilities; including redeveloped grass pitches, a floodlit all weather pitch and synthetic running track. Together with enhanced external teaching and social areas and improvements and enhancements to the appearance of the front of the school.

2.3. The proposals will draw down a potential, additional £775k of available matched funding. Value for money will also be enhanced by combining works on secondary school sites with works already planned under Building Schools for the Future. The proposals seek to maximise the benefits of this significant opportunity to improve play, sports and green space facilities for Sheffield people both in the immediate Chaucer area and more widely.

3. What this means for Sheffield people

3.1 By the end of July 2011, 25 primary schools within two miles of Chaucer will have new active playgrounds. By September 2010 four secondary schools within two miles of Chaucer and six other local secondaries will have new sports facilities for school and community use. This will benefit not just the 16,500 pupils at these schools who will have access to better play and sports facilities, but their wider local communities who will also benefit from access including through new community sports facilities. Programmes will have been developed in partnership with the community to ensure that the facilities offer high quality, relevant programmes for as many people as possible to enjoy.

4. Background

4.1 The recent regeneration of the Chaucer area and rebuild of the secondary school involved the disposal of part of the former Chaucer playing field to Asda. Part of the condition of the sale of the Chaucer land was that the sporting and green spaces sold would need to be replaced in the City. Proposals have been drawn up with a view to ensuring that there are significant benefits to people living in the immediate Chaucer area by improving local facilities, and more widely within the city in areas of high need for improved facilities and to enhance

4 existing successful facilities.

4.2 Proposals have been drawn up to help address the following priorities:

(i) to ensure that more schools are at the heart of their communities as hubs for wider services, maximising the benefits to local people, as set out in the Feb 10 2010 Cabinet report “Our Schools as Community Hubs”.

(ii) to promote participation in sports as part of the ‘Lighting the Flame for Sport 2009 - 2011’ Strategy and the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA 2018 World Cup Legacy strategy;

(iii) to build stronger local communities by encouraging more people to take part in local community groups organising local activities;

(iv) to expand and improve the provision of positive activities for young people out of school hours including opportunities to build good relationships with local adults;

(v) to promote health and well-being through provision of attractive green spaces and sports facilities and to reduce obesity.

4.3 For primary-aged children schools there is considerable potential to enhance investment already being made by the Playbuilder programme – a national programme to enhance play facilities - Sheffield Let’s Change for Life - a city- wide programme focused on addressing overweight and obesity in children and families.

4.4 Data has highlighted high numbers of overweight or obese children amongst 71% of the primary schools within a 2 mile radius of Chaucer. In view of the high levels of need in the immediate Chaucer area it is proposed to ensure that every primary and special school within a 2 mile radius can be equipped with an exciting active play facility. We will seek to ensure through schools that pupils are involved in its design We will expect as a condition of funding, each school to provide access to play facilities to responsible community groups for supervised use at appropriate times.

4.5 For young people and adults high quality and accessible sports and leisure facilities are key. We need to build on current success and identify scope for expansion. Currently, for example, football clubs are key users of school pitches. There are some excellent arrangements for the use of school facilities between schools and community users. However, there are also a number of schools in Sheffield who are unable to support this, as extensive external use of limited grass pitches would mean that they would be rendered unfit for pupils’ use.

4.6 Sheffield is bidding to be a host city for the FIFA 2018 World Cup. As part of the bid a Sheffield Football Development Plan has been written. The plan focuses on identifying key sites in each community assembly to host a community sports club, of which the main focus is football, but also focuses on the development of other sports related programmes such as; coach and volunteer education, physical activity related programmes for parents and positive activities for young people.

5 4.7 Sheffield and Hallamshire FA have worked with the CYPS Sport Strategy Adviser, and Activity Sheffield’s Project Manager to identify schools that have the potential to host these clubs. They have committed to support an application to the Football Foundation to access 50% of the funding towards the facilities required to enable schools host a club. The Football Foundation has indicated that this project is likely to gain their support.

4.8 Football is not the only sport looking to make best use of school facilities for community use. British Cycling has approached Forge Valley and is now interested in working with City School with an offer of 50% funding to build cycle training tracks.

4.9 There is a very real opportunity to bring significant investment into Sheffield to achieve the city’s strategic objectives. The challenge is that in both cases this investment requires a minimum of 50% matched funding. The Chaucer receipt provides the city with an ideal opportunity to provide that matched funding.

5. Rationale for the selection of sites for investment

5.1 The primary and special schools targeted for investment are within a 2 mile radius of Chaucer. Where possible we will support schools to plan joint projects to make best use of the investment and facilitate family of schools collaborative working.

Meynell Community Primary Beck Primary School school Ecclesfield Primary School Monteney Primary School Firs Hill Community Primary Parson Cross CofE Primary School School Sacred Heart Catholic Fox Hill Primary School Primary School Grenoside Community Primary Southey Green Community School Primary School St Catherine's Catholic Hartley Brook Primary School Primary School St Patrick's Catholic Hatfield Primary School Primary School St Thomas More Catholic Hillsborough Primary School Primary School Watercliffe Meadow Hucklow Primary School Community Primary School Wisewood Community Longley Primary School Primary School Holgate Meadows Malin Bridge Primary School Community Special School Woolley Wood Special Mansell Primary School School Marlicliffe Community Primary School

6 5.2 For the secondary school sites there are four schools in the 2 mile radius where there is clear scope to develop community sports facilities – Chaucer, Parkwood, Firth Park and Yewlands.

5.3 Chaucer Business and Enterprise College as part of the developments in the Southey Owlerton Centres Strategic Delivery Plan will receive investment to upgrade its external facilities. Planning has been approved to build an all weather football pitch and an artificial athletics training facility. This exciting project is being led by the school but has been developed in partnership with Hallamshire Harriers Athletics Club and Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association. In September a stakeholder group will be established to develop the business plan for the all of community facilities at the school. There will be representation from all the key community partners; including young people, to ensure that the programme developed at the school is appropriate, accessible and affordable. The proposed completion date is summer 2011. The school will operate the day to day management of the facilities and will report to the stakeholder group.

5.4 The requirement for the £3.06m investment at Chaucer Business and Enterprise College is necessary to provide replacement sports facilities and external areas to part of the condition of the General Consent that was issued by the then DfES for the disposal of part of the existing school site .

5.5 As part of Parkwood Academy’s aspiration to be a community asset, it will be used to provide education to adults and families, community facilities for meetings, performances and celebrations and it will be a venue for a wide range of activities related to sport, fitness and well being. The sports facilities associated with the school are key in encouraging significant numbers of people to use the site in the evenings and at weekends and enabling communities to recognise the value of the Academy as a community and service delivery hub. Linked to the City Football Facility Strategy, the resources would be used to develop an all weather multi use pitch. The development of the infrastructure to manage the facilities is well underway. Parkwood has engaged consultants to undertake a comprehensive audit of existing provision and to develop an understanding of the key community partners that wish to be involved in the programme development for the facilities. Once this is complete a stakeholder group will be established to plan for the opening in September 2012.

5.6 Firth Park Community Arts College and Yewlands Technology College are also within the 2 mile radius of Chaucer. They will be supported in developing appropriate outside spaces in collaboration with the students and family of schools.

5.7 More widely within the city, there is scope to realise significant benefits for local communities at the Wisewood and Myers Grove sites, at Stocksbridge and City schools, at the Abbeydale Grange site, and at King Edward’s Upper School.

5.8 With the closure of Wisewood School and Community Sports College in August 2011, there will be consultation with the local community as to the future use of the site. It is proposed that during this consultation the community would be asked about their views on the provision of additional sport and physical activity facilities.

5.9 On the current Myers Grove school site, the new Forge Valley school, to open in September 2011, is also part of the City Strategy for Football. It is proposed that the pitches will be developed to a point where they can be used extensively for both curriculum and community use. The school has been identified by the British Cycling Federation as a regional site for its Traffic Free Cycle Sport Facilities. It wishes to invest 50% of the cost of a facility at the school that will provide a base for an accredited community club. This is an exceptional opportunity not only for the school but also for Sheffield as this will be one of the first of its kind based at an education site. The team responsible for developing the very successful programme at Wisewood School and Community Sports College are currently working up a similar model for the new school. The provision will be complementary to other exiting local provision and will be shaped by a stakeholder group. The school and the proposed facilities will be open in September 2011.

5.10 Stocksbridge High School has one of the best developed community football clubs in the City. As part of the city strategy we are seeking investment to develop the school facilities to further develop the school to community link that is already in existence. The proposed investment would provide the school with a multi use games area when building is completed in September 2011.

5.11 The City School has been selected as part of the City Strategy for Football. The development of a multi use games area, with match funding from the Football Foundation, will go a long way to meeting the high, unsatisfied demand for facilities in the area. British Cycling has also indicated that they are interested in developing a cycle speedway facility at City. The school has a clear vision as to how they want to become a hub of the community and they see this proposed investment as being an essential ingredient to their success. In a similar vein to the other projects, a stakeholder group will be established to support the school in the development and management of these facilities. The new school will be completed in September 2012.

5.12 With the closure of Abbeydale Grange school in July 2011, consideration needs to be taken as to what will be done with the green space currently belonging to the school. The proposed investment would be used to develop the site should the outcome following any public consultation be that the facilities are determined to be enhanced for sport and physical activity.

5.13 King Edward VII School Swimming Pool is owned by the Council but managed by a Trust. There are significant concerns about the current state of the buildings and their ability to cater for what is already significant school and community use. There is an increasing shortage of water space in the city. The proposed investment will enable the pool to continue operating in a safe and effective manner and cater for the increased demand that will result from the current school swimming review.

5.14 The sites above have been selected through strong collaborative working with the schools, the Sport Strategy Adviser in Children and Young People’s Services and the team from Activity Sheffield in Place. They offer significant potential to maximise benefits from the available investment whether because of their location in an area of need or their potential to build upon the availability of suitable land, matched funding for specific schemes, or existing successful

8 facilities which require enhancement.

6. Sustainability

6.1 On the secondary sites we will see a network of facilities that provide high quality learning environments that will also serve the community. There will be excellent teaching taking place in state of the art facilities and there will be a range of sport and physical activities taking place in the evenings, weekends and holiday periods. The activities will be run in partnership between the school and the local community sports clubs and providers. This will be facilitated by a robust school and community sports plan supported by the National Governing Bodies of Sport, Children and Young People’s Services, the School Sport Partnerships and Activity Sheffield.

6.2 This sustainability of this project relies on there being the desire from the schools involved to become the driver in making the community programme happen. To support them in shaping this vision it will be essential that a stakeholder group be established and supported by the Sport Strategy Adviser.

6.3 The steering group for the secondary school projects will consist of the following organisations:

• Tenants and residents associations (TARAs) • Young People • Voluntary and Community Sector • The School • The National Governing Bodies of Sport (depending on funding partners) • Building Schools for the Future lead for school • Community Sports Clubs • School Sport Partnership Development Manager • Activity Sheffield • Primary Care Trust • Community Assembly representative • Key users

6.4 For the 25 primary schools a stakeholder group will be established in each community assembly benefitting from the receipt.

6.5 The groups will undertake an assessment of need; consulting with young people, the community and local providers. From this an action plan will be developed. This will be owned and managed by the steering group. The monitoring and reporting on each output would be the responsibility of the lead organisation relating to each outcome. For example the PCT would report on the childhood obesity measurement programme. Activity Sheffield would report on the Active People Survey.

6.6 The programme development at Abbeydale and Wisewood will be led by whatever governance structure emerges from the proposed community consultation as to the future use of the two sites.

9 6.5 By undertaking this process we will ensure that we will be getting best value for the investment by embedding the concept of school based community sports facilities and the principles accepted in the ‘Our schools as Community Sites’ report to Cabinet.

7. Legal Implications

7.1 The City Council is required to comply with statutory provisions, which explain what can be classed as a capital receipt and what a capital receipt can be used for. These provisions are contained in the Local Government Act 2003 and the Local Authorities (Capital Finance and Accounting) (England) Regulations 2003

8. Financial Implications

8.1 There is £4.96million allocated from the Chaucer receipt. This will draw down an additional investment of approximately £775,000 from the Football Foundation and British Cycling. This will invest a total of £5.735 million into physical activity and sport facilities on school sites that will be attractive and accessible to the community.

8.2 We will maximise value for money by combining the project with the Building Schools for the Future programme. The facilities to be developed at Stocksbridge, Chaucer, Parkwood, King Edward’s, City and Forge Valley are all at a reduced cost because of the economies of already having contractors on site.

8.3 The allocation of funding from the Chaucer receipt is tied into the disposal of the site to Asda, and there are a number of conditions that have to be met under the terms of the disposal before the funding is released. Any delay will affect the timescale for the release of the funding. As part of the rebuilding of Chaucer School and the regeneration of the Chaucer area, part of the capital receipt generated must be reinvested in facilities for sports, play and green space.

Total Contribution Matched Funding Project required available Cost Primary / Special Schools 350,000 0 350,000 Secondary school sites 1,550,000 775,000 2,325,000 Chaucer BEC 3,060,000 3,060,000 4,96 0,000 775 ,000 5,735,000

8.4 In accordance with Financial Regulations, a capital Approval Form has been submitted for approval as part of the monthly finance report.

9. Human Resources

9.1 There are no direct Human Resource implications.

10. Equality of Opportunity

10.1 The overall aim of this programme is to ensure that access to high quality community physical activity and sport facilities is improved. Working closely with the community will ensure that many of the existing barriers to access will be overcome and community participation rates on school sites will improve.

11. Environmental Implications

11.1 By providing the community with local opportunities, it will significantly reduce the need for car journeys.

12. Reasons for Recommendations

12.1 Implementing the proposals in this paper offers a cost-effective means of furthering the following City of Opportunity objectives:

- to position schools as community hubs through wider community use;

- to promote participation in sports as part of the ‘Lighting the Flame for Sport 2009 - 2011’ Strategy and the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA 2018 World Cup Legacy strategy;

- to promote good health and fitness and reduce obesity

- to promote strong communities through establishing new community sports clubs; and

- to widen the availability of positive activities for children and young people.

12.2 The sites identified offer a strong combination of areas of high local need for new facilities and opportunities to enhance existing successful facilities.

13. Recommendations

13.1 That Cabinet:

(ii) the inclusion of the project listed in this paper as part of the Council’s capital programme subject to the receipt of the external funding; and

(iii) notes that this scheme will be presented for financial approval as part of the monthly Capital Finance report presented to cabinet on August 4th.

Sonia Sharp, Executive Director, Children and Young Peoples’ Service June 2010