Building Schools for the Future Outline Business Case: Elm Court Programme Draft Version 9. Date: 20th February 2006 Steve Tubby Programme Manager London Borough of Lambeth Mobile: 07774 195009 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................. 1 1.1 Overview ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Options appraisals and feasibility studies ...................................................... 1 1.3 Delivery of construction ........................................................................... 2 1.4 Affordability ......................................................................................... 3 1.5 Other services...................................................................................... 3 1.6 Key risks ............................................................................................ 3 2.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 5 2.1 Purpose of document ............................................................................. 5 2.2 Structure of the OBC .............................................................................. 5 2.3 Consultation ........................................................................................ 6 2.4 Related Documents ............................................................................... 7 3.0 BACKGROUND & CURRENT POSITION ...................................................... 8 3.1 Background......................................................................................... 8 3.2 SEN Strategy....................................................................................... 9 3.3 Current position: New West Norwood School ................................................. 9 3.4 Current position: Elm Court .....................................................................10 3.5 Current position: Michael Tippett ...............................................................10 3.6 The Pupil Referral Unit (the Park Centre) .....................................................11 4.0 PROJECT OBJECTIVES ............................................................................... 13 4.1 BSF Programme objectives .....................................................................13 4.2 Elmcourt Programme Objectives ...............................................................14 5.0 EDUCATION AND SCHOOL VISION ................................................................ 15 5.1 Education Vision ..................................................................................15 5.2 School Vision for New West Norwood.........................................................15 5.3 School Vision for Elm Court Special ...........................................................22 5.4 Michael Tippett School...........................................................................26 5.5 The Pupil Referral Unit (the Park Centre) .....................................................32 6.0 OPTIONS APPRAISAL AND SCOPE OF PROJECT ...................................... 36 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................36 6.2 Initial Options Appraisal..........................................................................36 6.3 Preferred Options.................................................................................40 6.4 Feasibility Studies ................................................................................40 7.0 DELIVERY................................................................................................. 42 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................42 7.2 Key milestones....................................................................................42 7.3 Procurement strategy ............................................................................43 7.4 Project organisation and governance..........................................................44 8.0 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................... 51 APPENDIX A – OPTIONS FOR TIMING OF THE NEW SCHOOL...................................... 54 APPENDIX B – SITE OPTIONS ANALYSIS ................................................................ 55 APPENDIX C – ELMCOURT PROGRAMME PROCUREMENT REPORT ............................ 56 APPENDIX D – CRITICAL PATH PROGRAMME.......................................................... 57 APPENDIX E – FEASIBILITY STUDY REPORTS ......................................................... 58 APPENDIX F – WHOLE LIFE COST MODELS ............................................................ 59 APPENDIX G – ABNORMALS COSTS PRO-FORMAE .................................................. 60 1.1 Lambeth BSF OBC Elmcourt Programme 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Overview This Outline Business Case has been prepared to appraise the viability of procuring the construction required to deliver the following schools: • New West Norwood School; • Elmcourt Special School; • Michael Tippett Special School; • Pupil Referral Unit. These schools are collectively known as the Elmcourt programme but are part of the overall Building Schools for the Future programme. They are to be procured in advance of the establishment of the Local Education Partnership in order to enable a new school to be built for New West Norwood School by September 2009. The school will be built on the Elmcourt Road site which currently accommodates the Special Schools and the Pupil Referral Unit. These schools are to be relocated to new or refurbished accommodation on other sites by January 2007 in order to provide adequate time for construction of the new West Norwood School. In the meantime it is proposed that new West Norwood will open in temporary accommodation in September 2007. This Outline Business Case must be considered in the context of the over-arching Strategic Business Case which sets the context for the overall Education Vision and Estates Strategy for Secondary Schools throughout Lambeth. Capital investment that delivers the Strategic Business Case is supported through central government funding from the Building Schools for the Future and Academies programme as well as local government funding. Outline Business Cases are prepared to provide more detail on the viability of segments of the overall Estates Strategy and are intended to enable the Authority and the DfES to approve progress to procurement on the basis that the project going out to procurement is viable. Final approval to the project is not provided until real costs are demonstrated following the procurement process. At this time a Final Business Case (FBC) is prepared to describe the detailed contract which the Local Authority will be expected to sign up to if it decides to proceed with the contract. There is an expectation that the Local Authority will proceed unless there is a fundamental discrepancy between the OBC and FBC. This Outline Business Case is unusual, however, because it is being presented before the over-arching Strategic Business Case has been finalised. The OBC needs to be approved at this stage in order to meet the September 2009 deadline for opening of the new West Norwood School while minimising disruption to associated Special Schools. This advanced approval means that there is a risk since Lambeth will potentially enter a procurement process for an advanced element of work before the overall affordability position for the entire BSF programme is understood. This risk has been mitigated as far as possible by detailed consideration of the scope and affordability associated with the wider programme but further discussions are in progress with PfS regarding funding availability. 1.2 Options appraisals and feasibility studies The Elmcourt Road site was selected for the new West Norwood School since no suitable alternatives were identified. A myriad of options were then considered for the re-location of the existing special schools and pupil referral unit to a range of different sites. The potential for refurbishment of existing facilities on the sites, new builds or a mixture of refurbishment and new build were also considered. Further sub-options were considered regarding co- Page 1 Draft version 9: February 20th, 2006 X:\CED\CCCAA-CCLDRY\Diary Folders\Executive\2005-06\130306\03B Mar 06_TSE Exec Report_Appendix II_Elmcourt OBC_3.1.06.doc Lambeth BSF OBC Elmcourt Programme location of new West Norwood School and the Elm Court special school. In addition a number of phasing options were considered regarding the timing for construction of the new West Norwood School. The resulting scope and sites for the projects was as follows: • A new secondary school with 900 11-16 places and a 200 place sixth form to be constructed by September 2009 on the existing Elmcourt Road site. • The provision of temporary accommodation (in a refurbished school at Norwood Park primary school) to enable opening of the new West Norwood School in September 2007. • The refurbishment of the existing facilities on the Strand to provide Elm Court School as a SEN FSE with capacity for 100 pupils at 11-16. • A new build of the Michael Tippett School at the existing Willowfield site for 80 pupils with a wide range of abilities including severe learning difficulties (PMLD) and Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). • A new Pupil Referral Unit at the site