Contact: Contact: Bob Eardley, Strategic Planning Manager, 01962 846275

Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

1. That a Stage One submission be made to the New Opportunities Fund to take up the County Council's indicative allocation of £6.634m for the following schemes:

(a) Funding for provision of sports halls at the following secondary schools:

Alderman Quilley Secondary, Eastleigh

Fernhill Secondary, Farnborough

Hounsdown Secondary, Totton

Test Valley Secondary, Stockbridge

(b) Funding for provision of changing facilities to allow community use of sports halls at the following secondary schools:

Cams Hill Secondary School, Fareham

Crestwood Secondary School, Eastleigh

(c) Funding for provision of multi-use games areas at the following secondary schools:

Bridgemary Community, Gosport

Cowplain Secondary, Waterlooville.

Park Community, Havant

(d) Funding for capital improvements to the following outdoor centres, subject to a formal decision to acquire the Gordon Brown Centre at Rotherwick.

Gordon Brown Centre

Minstead Study Centre

Tile Barn Centre, Brockenhurst

Reason

2.1 To approve the submission of a bid to the New Opportunities Fund

Other options considered and rejected - not applicable.

Conflicts of interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted - not applicable.

Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable.

Reasons for the matter being dealt with if urgent

6.1 Not applicable

Approved by Date of decision

Councillor D Allen

Contact: Bob Eardley, Strategic Planning Manager, 01962 846275

1. Summary

1.1 This report sets out the results of the County Council's bid to the DfES for Targeted Capital (TCF) Funding for 2002/03 and seeks authority to make a stage 1 bid to the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) against an indicative allocation of £6.6m for capital projects to enhance physical education/sport, community provision in schools and outdoor education.

2. Targeted Capital Fund bid, 2002/03

2.1 A bid for credit approvals totalling £8.497m under the Targeted Capital Fund was submitted in December 2001 to fund the transfer of Sundridge School to the former Park House Primary School building, Havant and the proposed reorganisation of special schools in East Hampshire.

2.2 Notification was received from the DfES at the end of March that neither of the two bids had been successful. The available credit approval had been substantially over-bid and on this occasion the County Council's submissions were unsuccessful. An allocation of £805,000 for the amalgamation of Sharps Copse Infant and Junior Schools was received under the TCF in 2001/02.

2.3 The estimated cost of the work required to the former Park House Primary School to make it suitable for use by the Sundridge School is £2.424m. Work to provide a new all-age LD school on the site of the Meadow School, Bordon is estimated to cost £7.123m. There are no alternative capital resources currently available to fund either of these schemes and in the light of the DfES's response to the TCF bid, officers are reviewing alternative funding options. A further report will be submitted on 23 May.

3. New Opportunities Fund allocation

3.1 On 14 November 2001, the County Council was notified of the launch of the largest ever funding programme for physical education, and sport and outdoor education provision (£581.25m nationally). This programme has been designed to bring about a step change in the provision of sporting facilities for young people and the community generally. It is intended to offer not only sporting opportunities, but also to have a long-term impact on key issues facing local communities, such as education, health, crime and drugs use. The fund is intended to provide resources for a group of projects (a grant scheme portfolio) in each of the 150 LEA areas in England.

3.2 The provisional allocation for Hampshire is £6,634,000, which has been based on the size of the school age population and levels of deprivation within the county. The key role of the LEA is to act as the lead organisation for developing a group of projects for which there will be two stages of submission:

Stage One - an overall plan outlining proposals for expenditure of the funding provisionally allocated to a list of projects in priority order.

Stage Two - a detailed application for each of the projects within the grant scheme.

3.3 Success at both stages one and stage two will be dependent upon close working relationships being established with a range of partners, including schools, strategic health bodies, sports governing bodies and the voluntary sector.

Proposed strategy

3.4 A draft portfolio of schemes needs to be submitted to the New Opportunities Fund by 22 April 2002. it is proposed that this should be linked to the AMP priorities set out above and should, in addition, seek capital funding for the improvement of outdoor centres, for which there is no alternative source of capital funding. The proposed headings are:

Sports halls

Multi-use games areas

Outdoor education facilities.

Sports halls

3.5 The sports hall projects relate directly to the AMP, which identifies schools without sports halls as a high priority. The projects proposed for the NOF submission are at secondary schools, in view of the requirement to secure major improvements in facilities which also impact on the wider community. As it will not be necessary to fund secondary sports hall projects from the NDS Modernisation Fund, significant additional resources will be available to progress primary school improvement projects. There are currently nine secondary schools in Hampshire that do not have a sports hall. The table below lists these schools and indicates whether or not a strategy is in place to provide one.

· Alderman Quilley Secondary, Eastleigh

· Bishop Challoner Secondary School, Basingstoke

· Cams Hill Secondary School, Fareham

· Crestwood Secondary School, Eastleigh

· Eggar's Secondary School, Alton

· Fernhill Secondary, Farnborough

· Hardley Secondary School

· Hounsdown Secondary, Totton

· Test Valley Secondary, Stockbridge

Prioritisation of sports hall projects

3.6 The funding available through NOF is insufficient to meet the cost of sports halls at all the schools listed above and it is necessary to prioritise the schools for inclusion in the bid.

3.7 A proposal was approved by the Asset Management Sub-Committee for an in-out scheme at Crestwood Secondary School to fund provision of a sports hall through the sale of land, which is currently being progressed. There is, however, insufficient financial provision for changing accommodation. A similar proposal is being developed for Bishop Challoner School. It is proposed, therefore, that these schools be omitted from the bid, except for the provision of changing facilities at Crestwood.

3.8 The temporary dome at Cams Hill Secondary School has recently been taken out of use. The school is currently intending to fund a replacement through a loan. As with Crestwood, however, there is insufficient provision for changing accommodation and it is proposed that this should be funded through the NOF bid. Hardley Secondary School has two indoor gymnasia, while the remainder of the schools have only one. It is proposed, therefore, that this school should be a lower priority than the others and that consideration should be given to funding a sports hall through the NDS Modernisation Fund in future years.

3.9 As the NOF allocation is sufficient to fund only four sports halls, at a typical cost of about £1.2m, it is necessary to prioritise the remaining five schools. A fair way of doing this would be to rank the schools in order of the amount of playing field space available per pupil. This approach recognises the relative pressure on existing games space for each school, without favouring large or small schools and is relevant to effective curriculum delivery. The following list, indicates the relative priority of the five schools.

School	Number on roll	Playing field area sq m	Area per pupil sq m
Test Valley	661	27,996	42.35
Fernhill	752	34,106	45.35
Alderman Quilley	663	31,019	46.79
Hounsdown	1,123	56,678	50.47
Eggar's	697	58,765	84.31

3.10 On the basis of this prioritisation, it is proposed to submit Alderman Quilley, Fernhill, Hounsdown and Test Valley schools for allocation of NOF funding for sports hall provision. Discussions are currently under way with the governing bodies of Eggar's and Amery Hill schools, Alton about allocation of significant basic need funding to provide additional places at both schools. The possibility of using funding available through the Eggar's Grammar School Trust to provide facilities which would not normally be available through LEA funding is also proceeding with the Trustees. This includes the possibility of funding a sports hall at Eggar's School.

Multi-use games areas

3.11 It is proposed to include in the bid three multi-use games areas (MUGAs) in areas of relatively high social deprivation. These would significantly enhance the outdoor games facilities at these schools for the benefit of pupils and the local communities.

Bridgemary Community, Gosport

Cowplain Secondary, Waterlooville.

Park Community, Havant

Other funding sources

3.12 It is proposed to take up the full allocation and seek contributions from individual schools from their devolved capital towards each of the secondary school projects outlined above. Specific amounts would be agreed with individual headteachers prior to the portfolio being submitted. As school contributions are in some cases dependent upon devolved capital being available in 2004/05, for which no confirmation form the DfES has yet been received, there is some risk that all of this funding may not be available, although the level of risk is unlikely to be significant.

Outdoor education centres

3.13 It is proposed as part of the NOF submission to take the opportunity to bid for funding to carry out much needed improvements to two of the County Council's outdoor education centres and to seek a contribution to improvement of a centre currently under consideration for acquisition from the London Borough of Brent.

3.14 The NOF rules allow some 10% of an LEA's submission to be allocated to work of this type and it is proposed to take full advantage of this to fund work which could not otherwise be afforded. Both the Minstead Study Centre and Tile Barn Centre, Brockenhurst, are in need of major works to improve the facilities they offer and to strengthen their viability.

3.15 Following an approach from the London Borough of Brent, consideration is currently being given to the possible acquisition of an outdoor education centre at Rotherwick, near Basingstoke, the Gordon Brown Centre. This would meet the need for such a centre in the north of the county and, because of a proposed contribution through the NOF from LB Brent, represents a cost effective opportunity to acquire such a facility. Feasibility work has been carried out to assess what repairs and improvements would be necessary to the existing facilities and, with the aid of a contribution of £350,000 from the NOF, in addition to LB Brent's contribution, it would be possible to carry out the necessary work. It is recommended, therefore, that this centre should be included in the submission to the NOF, subject to a formal decision to acquire it.

Revenue implications

3.16 Despite this being a capital grant, NOF do require the LEA to identify a percentage of the allocation that will be used to support the start-up revenue costs. This is necessary to ensure, particularly with the community use of facilities, that management costs are appropriately funded. It is anticipated that some £85,000 will be required.

Proposed submission

3.17 It is proposed to make a Stage One application to the NOF covering the projects listed above.

Recommendation

That a Stage One submission be made to the New Opportunities Fund to take up the County Council's indicative allocation of £6.634m for the following schemes:

(e) Funding for provision of sports halls at the following secondary schools:

Alderman Quilley Secondary, Eastleigh

Fernhill Secondary, Farnborough

Hounsdown Secondary, Totton

Test Valley Secondary, Stockbridge

(f) Funding for provision of changing facilities to allow community use of sports halls at the following secondary schools:

Cams Hill Secondary School, Fareham

Crestwood Secondary School, Eastleigh

(g) Funding for provision of multi-use games areas at the following secondary schools:

Bridgemary Community, Gosport

Cowplain Secondary, Waterlooville.

Park Community, Havant

(h) Funding for capital improvements to the following outdoor centres, subject to a formal decision to acquire the Gordon Brown Centre at Rotherwick.

Gordon Brown Centre

Minstead Study Centre

Tile Barn Centre, Brockenhurst