“A great place to learn” OLDHAM’s STRATEGY FOR THE PROVISION OF EDUCATION PLACES 2016 - 2020 DATE VERSION SUMMARY OF CHANGES BY WHOM 01.02.2016 Initial draft 0.1 Updated to include feedback Gill Hoar 19.02.2016 Initial draft 0.7 Updated to include feedback Gill Hoar 19.02.2016 Draft 1.0 Conversion to Draft status Gill Hoar 23.03.2016 Draft 1.4 Organogram added Gill Hoar 15.04.2016 Final draft 2.0 Updates following final feedback Gill Hoar 18.04.201 Final draft 2.1 ToR for EPG Gill Hoar 20.04.2016 Final draft 2.2 Updated provider lists Gill Hoar 28.0.2016 Final draft 2.3 Amendments following EPG Gill Hoar CONTENTS Foreword Page 3 Introduction Page 4 Principles and local context Page 5 Needs analysis Page 6 Funding streams for capital works Page 7 Revenue Funding Implications Page 9 Decision making and governance Page 10 Variable over the lifetime of the Strategy Page 12 Glossary of terms Page 13 Appendix A: Schools in Oldham Page 16 Appendix B: Annual School Capacity Assessment 2015 Page 24 Appendix C: Pupil forecasting methodology Page 32 Appendix D: Decision Support Matrix Page 54 Appendix E: Draft Academy Conversion policy Page 60 Appendix F: Education Provision Group, Terms of Reference Page 61 Appendix G: Schemes considered as priority – January 2016 Page 66 Page 2 of 66 April 2016 FOREWORD BY COUNCILLOR SHOAB AKHTAR, Cabinet member for Education and Skills Oldham Council, along with many other local authorities nationally, is facing the significant challenge presented by the increase in demand for school places. The current pressure on primary school places is set to hit the secondary sector in 2016/17 and beyond. The report of the Oldham Education & Skills Commission, “A self improving education system” was published in January 2015. It sets out the vision for the future of education in Oldham. “A good education system is crucial to the future success of Oldham. Whether it is top quality schools, excellent colleges or successful training providers, the town and its citizens need high education standards and a highly skilled workforce.” This is reinforced in the statement made by the leader of the Council; “To succeed we will have to move towards a culture where education is everyone‟s business.” Key to the delivery of the vision is the aim that all schools in Oldham are good schools serving their local communities. Whilst schools have a high degree of autonomy in this regard, the way that schools are organised and the policies that the Council adopts play a fundamental role in this overarching aim. The government continues to articulate an urgent need to reform our school system to prevent the standard of education in the UK from falling further behind that of other countries and that it intends to create a more autonomous and diverse school system that offers parents choice and concentrates on improving standards. This strategic document provides the context and policy for the provision of education places in Oldham for children and young people aged 2 – 19. Page 3 of 66 April 2016 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Councils have a statutory duty to ensure there are enough school places available to local children and young people. No other local or national body shares with them the duty to secure sufficient primary and secondary schools, although they increasingly have to work with schools and other partners to deliver the places needed. 1.2 This strategic document provides the context and policy for the provision of education places for children and young people aged 2 – 19. The information may prove useful for schools and education providers in the context of their own development planning. 1.3 Oldham Council, along with many other local authorities nationally, is facing the significant challenge presented by the increase in demand for primary school places. The current pressure on primary school places is set to hit the secondary sector in 2016/17 and beyond. 1.4 Future demand for school places is predicted using an agreed formula that takes account of birth rates, inward migration and proposed new housing. Additional primary school places have been created through a number of school expansion projects and the creation of a new three form entry primary school in the town centre. Current forecasts indicate that significant investment in the secondary schools‟ capital estate will be needed to meet a known shortfall in 2016/17 and 2017/18 in order to accommodate the increased numbers of students moving through from the primary phase. There will be a further predicted shortfall in the 2021 – 2014 period which will require further significant investment 1.5 In order to deliver its statutory responsibilities around the provision of school places, Oldham Council will seek to provide standardised design solutions based on the Education Funding Agency‟s (EFA) baseline template wherever possible, in order to minimise costs and timescales. The process to identify schools for expansion or new build projects will follow the published criteria set out at Appendix D of this document. Oldham Council will always take governing body views into account when reaching decisions. 1.6 The report of the Oldham Education and Skills Commission (OESC) sets out the vision for the future of education in Oldham. The recommendations of the published report will always be given consideration within the decision making process for creating additional school places. 1.7 The Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) for Lancashire and West Yorkshire works with school leaders to promote and monitor academies and free schools and is responsible for decisions regarding new academy and free school sponsors, approving new academies in the area and intervening in underperforming academies and free schools. 1.8 The population growth forecast across the Greater Manchester authorities will continue to create increased demand and consequent pressure on school places. Consideration is being given to the development of a GM pupil forecasting model as part of the proposed GM Education, Employability and Early Years Devolution Page 4 of 66 April 2016 Programme. The aim would be to consolidate fragmented pupil place planning processes and school estate capital. 2. PRINCIPLES AND LOCAL CONTEXT 2.1 The report of the OESC, “A self improving education system” was published in January 2015; available on the Oldham Council website: www.oldham.gov.uk. It sets out the vision for the future of education in Oldham: “A good education system is crucial to the future success of Oldham. Whether it is top quality schools, excellent colleges or successful training providers, the town and its citizens need high education standards and a highly skilled workforce.” This is reinforced in the statement made by the leader of the Council; “To succeed we will have to move towards a culture where education is everyone‟s business.” Key to the delivery of this vision is the aim that all schools in Oldham are good schools serving their local communities. Whilst schools have a high degree of autonomy in this regard, the way that schools are organised and the policies that the Council adopts play a fundamental role in this overarching aim. 2.2 Whilst there is mention of all phases in this document, the focus is with school provision. Its purpose is to help the Council and other stakeholders to understand the projected need for school places in Oldham. Information relating to the provision of early years education and 14-19 education are covered in other documents which can be found on the Oldham Council website: www.oldham.gov.uk. 2.3 When seeking to manage the demand and supply of school places in Oldham, Oldham Council will take into account the diverse range of provision and educational organisation arrangements that are working well. When new or changed provision is considered the Council will seek to influence any proposals to secure high quality educational provision for its citizens. The Council works with all education institutions, the RSC and academy and free school sponsors to secure high standards ensuring parents have a real choice in selecting appropriate provision for their children. The current school and college estate is shown at Appendix A. 2.4 The White Paper, “Educational Excellence Everywhere”, published in March 2016, sets out the current government‟s vision for schools in England and its plans for the next 5 years, building on and extending existing reforms to achieve educational excellence everywhere. The paper is built upon the five guiding principles of the DfE‟s strategy, concluding that in order to put the principles into practice, it will move to a system where every school is an academy. 2.5 The DRAFT Oldham Council policy for Academy Conversion (final policy due June 2016), Appendix E, sets out the council‟s position when a school converts to academy status. Academies become independent of local authorities and conversion leads to changes in responsibilities, finance and working relations between local authorities and academies. The policy and guidance outline the approach that will be taken by the Local Authority and offers practical advice and guidance on how governing bodies should approach the issue of conversion and how the Local Authority (LA) will manage the conversion process. 2.6 When a school converts to an academy it receives its funding direct from the Page 5 of 66 April 2016 Education Funding Agency (EFA): the Dedicated School Grant (DSG) received by Oldham is consequently reduced. The Local Authority will lose £87 per pupil based on current funding rates as a result of a school converting to an academy. In real terms this means that a one form entry school converting to an academy will result in an estimated reduction in Oldham‟s revenue funding received from the Educational Services Grant (ESG) of £18.2k.