Issue - meetings

That, subject to the agreement of the detailed financial information for the expansion set out in Part 2 of this agenda (item 13), the business case for the provision of a multi use games area (MUGA) as phase 1 of an additional 2 Form of Entry (240 places) junior places in Reigate be approved.

Reasons for Decisions:

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places, relative to demand.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by either the Council Overview Board or the Education & Skills Board]

The Cabinet Member for Schools, Skills and Educational Achievement requested Cabinet’s support for the approval of the business case for the provision of a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) as phase 1 of the expansion of Reigate Parish Church Infant School. The proposal was to expand this school from a 2 Form of Entry infant (180 places) to a 2 Form of Entry primary (420 places) creating 240 additional places in Reigate, to help meet the basic need requirements in the Reigate area from September 2016. She said that births in the Borough in 2013 were 21.1% higher than births in 2005.

She drew attention to the school place provision in the Reigate Planning Area and said that there was a shortage of junior provision in this area which this proposed expansion would help to address.

She also said that the expansion at this school would be in two phases: Phase 1 – the provision of a MUGA, which was necessary to provide in advance of the phase 2 because play space would be very restricted during the phase 2 construction works. Phase 2 would be a new 2-storey building providing 8 classrooms, staff and pupil toilets, new hall, staffroom, library and IT room and the subject of a separate report in the future.

Finally, she referred to the consultation process, as detailed in the report and confirmed that the Governing Body of the school had voted to proceed with the school expansion, had formally notified the Local Authority on 14 July 2015 and that she had taken an individual Cabinet Member decision to expand this school on 10 September 2015. She commended the recommendations to Cabinet.

RESOLVED:

That, subject to the agreement of the detailed financial information for the expansion set out in Part 2 of this agenda (item 13), the business case for the provision of a multi use games area (MUGA) as phase 1 of an additional 2 Form of Entry (240 places) junior places in Reigate be approved.

Reasons for Decisions:

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places, relative to demand.