Issue - meetings

That the construction of a new primary school, as detailed in the submitted report, be agreed in principle subject to the consideration and approval of the detailed financial information set out in Part 2 of this agenda (item 19).

Reason for Decisions

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population in the Horley area.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by either the Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee and / or the Children and Education Select Committee]

In the absence of the Cabinet Member for Assets and Regeneration Programmes, the Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning presented the report, to approve the business case for the provision of a permanent one form entry (210 places and 26 place nursery) Diocesan primary school in Horley, as part of the Schools Basic Need Programme. She said that numbers of children in Horley had been increasing over several years, due in part to large scale housing development in Horley and the surrounding areas.

Mrs Hammond, the local Member for Horley West confirmed the need for additional school places in the area and said that the local community had been involved in the project. She was pleased that the school would open, with a reception class, in September 2014 but asked whether it was feasible to have a Year 3 intake at the same time, as this would alleviate pressure for junior school places in the area.

RESOLVED:

That the construction of a new primary school, as detailed in the submitted report, be agreed in principle subject to the consideration and approval of the detailed financial information set out in Part 2 of this agenda (item 19).

Reason for Decisions

The proposal supports the Authority’s statutory obligation to provide sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population in the Horley area.