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

1 Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

1. That, subject to the approval of the Executive Member, Policy and Resources,

a) the resources available for the 2002/03 capital programme be increased as follows by:

i) £632,000 unused resources carried forward from 2001/02, of which:

ii) £593,000 from capital receipts in 2001/02;

iii) £1,162,000 additional schools' devolved capital;

iv) £216,000 for minor works projects to improve staff workplaces;

v) £390,000 for minor works projects to enhance Adult and Community Learning provision.

b) provision in the 2002/03 capital programme for furniture and equipment be increased by £101,000;

c) £120,000 be added to the minor works provision for future capital work to be carried out following the review of primary school provision in south-west Basingstoke;

d) £55,000 be added to the general minor works provision for 2002/03 and allocated to fund improvement work at Lakeside School, Chandler's Ford;

e) resources available for the 2003/04 capital programme be increased by £517,000 for minor works projects to improve staff workplaces.

f) a major scheme to remodel the buildings of the former Mayfield Junior School, Farnborough to accommodate Cherrywood Primary School be added to the 2002/03 capital programme at an estimated cost of £1,250,000;

g) the scheme for improvement of design technology and food technology accommodation at Warblington Secondary School be deferred from 2002/03 to 2003/04, together with resources totalling £169,000.

2. That the provision for minor works in the 2002/03 capital programme be increased by £85,000 from the contingency to meet additional costs of the re-provision of Youth Service accommodation at Wildern Community School, Hedge End.

3. That £45,000 be made available from the 2002/03 general minor works provision to fund improvement works at Lakeside School, Chandler's Ford.

4. That the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services be asked to prepare costed feasibility studies on the projects listed in Appendix 1, with a view to possible inclusion in the Education capital programme for 2003/04.

5. That approval be given for the siting of temporary classroom accommodation at the following sites:

Meadow School, Bordon - one double unit;

South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit - one double unit and one single unit.

6. That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the Executive Member, Policy and Resources, that the applications for the temporary classroom accommodation listed in recommendation 4 be approved until 31 August 2006.

2 Reason

2.1 To approve variations to the Education capital programme.

3 Other options considered and rejected - not applicable.

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

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee - not applicable.

6 Reasons for the matter being dealt with if urgent - not applicable.

Approved by Date of decision

Councillor D Allen

Contact: Bob Eardley, Strategic Planning Manager, 01962 846275

1 Summary

1.1 This report recommends amendments to the 2002/03 and 2003/04 capital programmes.

2. Capital programme 2002/03 - additional resources

2.1 Since the last capital programme review report was submitted on 23 May 2002, additional resources have become available for the 2002/03 capital programme. These arise from:

· carry forward of resources from 2001/02;

· capital receipts due from land sales in 2001/02;

· additional DfES devolved capital allocations to schools;

· a DfES allocation to fund improvements to workplaces in schools;

· capital provision for work to comply with disability discrimination legislation and to finance minor works and equipment for Adult and Community Learning.

Carry forward from 2001/02

2.2 Paragraph 5.4 of the report on the final accounts 2001/02 (item 1 on this agenda) indicates that the value of schemes started in 2001/02 was £632,000 less than the cash limit. This amount is available to increase the cash limit for the current year. Of the unused resources, however, £101,000 relates to under-commitment by schools against the furniture and equipment allocation and this sum needs to be added to the current year's provision for this purpose. £120,000 relates to unused developers' contributions arising from the Beggarwood Lane development, Basingstoke. Following the recent review of primary school provision in that area, notices have been published for proposals which, if approved by the School Organisation Committee, will require significant capital expenditure, of which the developer's contribution would be an element. It is proposed, therefore, that £120,000 be added to the current year's provision for minor works. £55,000 relates to unspent general minor works provision, for which specific expenditure proposals are being brought forward. £356,000 of the carry forward is available for other uses within the programme.

Capital receipts 2001/02

2.3 Capital receipts totalling £9.339m are due to the Education capital programme from land sales in 2001/02. Of this sum, £8.746m relates to the in/out scheme for the relocation of John Hanson Secondary School, Andover. The remaining resources (£593,000) are available to supplement the current year's programme.

Additional devolved capital allocations

2.4 Following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget Statement, which included additional devolved capital funding for schools in 2002/03, the DfES announced revised allocations to LEAs at the end of May. A further £1.62m is available to non voluntary aided schools in Hampshire, making a total of £9.188m available in the current year. Schools have been notified of the additional amounts, which are being applied through a formula prescribed by the DfES. It is recommended that £1.62m is added to the 2002/03 provision for schools' devolved capital.

Capital funding to improve staff workplaces

2.5 The DfES announced recently that funding would be made available to LEAs in 2002/03 and 2003/04 to improve workplace accommodation for teaching and support staff in schools. The allocation to the County Council is £733,000, split as follows:

2002/03	£216,000
2003/04	£517,000

2.6 Under the DfES's guidance, the funding should be used to make new provision, or improvements to existing provision, but not for the purchase of equipment, unless that is an integral part of the project. The DfES has asked that opportunities should be taken when allocating the grant to schools to link with other projects and funding streams to address wider priorities in schools.

2.7 One option for the use of this funding would be to distribute it equally among schools, but a more focused approach would make better use of the funding to meet specific needs and comply better with the DfES's aims. Work has been carried out to identify schools where staffing accommodation provision and improvements have been recognised as a need which could not be met from other funding sources. A list of schools where work is proposed in 2002/3 and 2003/04 is shown in Appendix 1 and it is proposed that feasibility work should be carried out on these projects and costed proposals submitted for decision in the autumn. When costings are known, schools will be approached for contributions from their devolved capital allocations, to ensure that the available funding is spread as widely as possible.

2.8 It is recommended that £216,000 is added to the 2002/03 capital programme minor works provision and £517,000 to the 2003/04 capital programme minor works provision to fund workplace improvements in schools.

Capital provision for work for Adult and Community Learning

2.9 The Learning and Skills Council has made grant allocations totalling £390,000 to the County Council to finance improvements to Adult and Community Learning provision:

· to comply with the legislation covering disability discrimination and special educational needs (£230,000); and

· to finance minor works and equipment (£160,000).

2.10 Consultations have been carried out with relevant schools on the most appropriate use of this funding, which must be spent by 31 March 2003. A list of schools where work is proposed to be carried out is attached at Appendix 2. It is recommended that £390,000 is added to the minor works provision for 2002/03 to meet the cost of these works.

3. Warblington Secondary School - proposed project deferral

3.1 A project to refurbish the design technology and home economics accommodation at Warblington Secondary School was approved on 22 March 2002 for inclusion the 2002/03 programme. The scheme was costed at £470,000 including fees, funded from the New Deal for Schools Modernisation provision. Additional resources totalling £390,000 have been allocated from the Policy and Resources capital programme, together with a school contribution of £144,000. By combining the funds available, a larger modernisation and refurbishment scheme is possible. The resulting £1m scheme requires further detailed planning and design and it will not be practicable to make a start on site before the summer term 2003. The headteacher and governors are in full support of this approach, which will create a considerably enhanced scheme. It is proposed, therefore, that this scheme is deferred to 2003/04.

4. Cherrywood Primary School, Farnborough

4.1 Following a review of surplus primary school places in north Farnborough, a decision was made to close the Mayfield Infant and Junior Schools and create a two form entry primary school on the former Mayfield Junior School site. Cherrywood Primary School opened in September last year and currently operates from the former Infant and Junior School buildings. A project appraisal for the necessary works to the former Junior School building to create the primary school accommodation is presented elsewhere on this agenda.

4.2 The funding to undertake these works is to be obtained from the sale of the former Mayfield Infant School site and buildings. The necessary consultation under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to secure Secretary of State's consent to dispose of school playing fields has been undertaken. The application form has been submitted to the DfES and a decision is expected by the end of October 2002. The intention is to start the building works as soon as possible after approval has been received from the DfES to sell the former Mayfield Infant School site. It is recommended, therefore, that this project be added to the 2002/03 capital programme to enable the start on site to be made in this financial year.

4.3 As the infant school site cannot be sold until the building works are completed, resources need to be identified in the current year to enable the scheme to be started. The value of the land is estimated at some £1.25m, although this is dependent upon the outcome of discussions with Rushmoor Borough Council about the percentage of affordable housing to be provided. There is a possibility that the value may be reduced if the affordable housing percentage is higher than originally anticipated and if this proved to be the case, the scheme and the resources available to fund it would need to be reviewed. Discussions will be held with the Borough Council during the summer and the outcome should be known before a decision is needed to let the contract. A further decision will be sought at that time. In the meantime, it is proposed to add the scheme to the 2002/03 capital programme at an estimated cost of £1.25m. Resources to fund the scheme would be made up as follows:

	£ `000
Balance of carry forward from 2001/02	356,000
Capital receipts from 2001/02	593,000
Part of resources for deferred scheme at Warblington Secondary School	301,000
Total	1,250,000

4.4 The capital receipt would be credited to the 2003/04 programme when the land sale is completed.

5. Wildern Secondary School

5.1 Wildern Secondary School has been using the Youth Service building centrally located on its site for curriculum purposes. To allow specialist facilities to be constructed, in the context of rising pupil numbers, and for the school to retain use of the building in the interim, funding sources have been explored to raise sufficient resources to re-site this building to an area of land immediately adjacent to Wildern Lane.

5.2 Funding for this scheme has come from a number of sources including Eastleigh Borough Council and Hedge End Town Council. The total amount of funding available, including fees, is £220,000, of which £70,000 is from the capital programme allocation for minor works. A tender has recently been received at £366,000, including fees, and this has been reduced by £46,000 following negotiations with the contractor. The Youth Service is able to allocate a further sum of £15,000 (including fees) towards the project which leaves a shortfall of £85,000 (including fees) to allow the scheme to proceed. It is recommended that this sum be approved from the capital programme contingency to allow the contract to be formed.

6. General minor works - Lakeside School, Chandler's Ford

6.1 Resources carried forward from 2001/02 include £65,000 from the general minor works allocation, which is intended to fund small-scale schemes. As the amount of devolved capital in schools has increased, there has been a decreasing number of calls on this funding, and there is no provision in the current year's programme.

6.2 As part of the Asset Management Plan suitability assessment process, a number of areas within Lakeside School have been identified as in need of improvement. The latest OfSTED report highlighted the same areas: specialist accommodation, inappropriate library facilities, no clear main entrance, which poses a security threat, and inadequate staff accommodation. A minor works project would allow for the first phase of these improvements to be delivered and £10,000 was earmarked last year from the general minor works provision pending detailed proposals, which have now been developed and costed. The redundant residential accommodation in one of the buildings on the site would be remodelled to become the new main entrance to the school and provide improved administration facilities. The existing school office accommodation would be altered to provide adequate staff accommodation. This first phase would allow space for further alterations to the main building as part of the second phase under the NDS modernisation programme, on which feasibility work is currently being carried out. The cost of this first phase of work is £130,000, of which the school is contributing £55,000. It is recommended that a further £45,000 should be made available from the general minor works provision to contribute to the funding for this project.

7. New Deal for Schools Modernisation Fund 2002/03

7.1 The 2002/03 capital programme includes provision of £700,000 for refurbishment of science laboratories at four schools: Cove Secondary, Farnborough, Harriet Costello Secondary, Basingstoke, Staunton Park Community, Havant and Yateley Community. Feasibility work and costings were prepared for these schools, together with Henry Beaufort Secondary, Winchester, the next highest priority scheme. In addition to the provision in the capital programme, there are resources totalling £115,000 from the Policy and Resources capital programme and £215,000 from schools' devolved capital.

7.2 If Henry Beaufort Secondary School is added to the programme of refurbishments, there is a shortfall of £133,000 to be met from the capital programme contingency. This can be substantially reduced, however, by seeking additional contributions from schools' devolved capital. Schools have been approached on this basis and contributions totalling £x [to be updated at EBAG meeting] have been agreed, leaving a shortfall of £y to be met from the specific contingency of £158,000 in the 2002/03 capital programme for New Deal for Schools Modernisation schemes. In view of the need to let contracts urgently to ensure that work could take place over the summer holidays, officers proceeded on the basis outlined above, including the work at Henry Beaufort, as the additional expenditure was within delegated limits.

8. New Deal for Schools Modernisation Fund 2003/04

Secondary schools

8.1 The last capital programme report to the Executive member, Education (on 23 May 2002) set out proposed schemes at primary and special schools on which design work and costings would take place with a view to inclusion in the 2003/04 capital programme. That report also stated that work was in hand to identify priority schemes for refurbishment of science, design and technology and food technology accommodation. Resources for this work totalling £3.3m in 2003/04 were approved on 22 March 2002. Prioritisation of schemes has now been completed and a list of projects is proposed for design and costing by the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services. This is shown in Appendix 1. A firm programme of schemes will be proposed in January 2003, when feasibility work is complete. Schools will be approached for contributions from their devolved capital allocations towards the cost of this work.

9. Temporary classrooms

9.1 Approvals are sought to the placing of temporary classrooms at the schools listed below.

Meadow Special School, Bordon

9.2 The proposed reorganisation of the Whitedown Special School, Alton and the Meadow School, Bordon, which recommends the closure of both schools and construction of a new school on the Meadow site. Funding has yet to be identified to implement this proposal, as the Targeted Capital Fund Bid made to the DfES last year was not approved.

9.3 The Meadow School has requested the provision of a double temporary classroom to improve staff facilities. Staff numbers at the school have increased by almost 50% over a four year period, as the school has moved from catering for pupils with moderate learning difficulties to catering for pupils with a range of more complex needs. There is currently a total of 55 staff who work at the school.

9.4 The existing administrative accommodation and staffroom are undersized. The proposal is to provide temporary accommodation to house a staffroom and staff workroom, together with resources, in order to allow the existing staffroom to become a new administrative office, providing more suitable accommodation for three administrative staff. The current administrative office would be released to become a deputy head's office, as the current office is shared with the health co-ordinator. The removal of the deputy head into a different office would enable the health room to function appropriately. Providing an enlarged staffroom would enable full staff meetings and briefings to take place and provide workspace for staff during their non-contact time for curricular management.

9.5 The long-term proposal is to demolish the existing Meadow School building and build a new school for 140 pupils with complex learning difficulties. The provision of temporary accommodation pending the implementation of this project is the most suitable way of providing appropriate staff facilities. The school has identified devolved capital to meet the majority of the cost of installation of the temporary building. Section 2 of this report recommends proposals for spending the capital allocation received from the DfES to improve staff workplaces in the schools, which includes a proposed contribution of £10,000 towards the estimated cost of £51,000 to provide the temporary building at the Meadow School.

South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit - interim retention of temporary buildings

9.6 South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit is currently a unit for permanently excluded pupils, mainly at Key Stages 3 & 4. It has 12 fte places but, as provision for pupils is on a 0.5 fte basis, it can accommodate 24 pupils.

9.7 A further 12 fte pupils at Key Stages 2 and 3 receive education provision at the Prospect Centre in Farnborough. This provision is leased from a local community centre. Because the centre is used by the community during out of school hours, all educational provision has to be set out and cleared away at the end of the day. Furthermore, there are no specialist facilities (e.g. science, CDT, ICT or PE) and no separate facilities for staff.

9.8 The County Council was successful in 2000/01 in a bid under the New Deal for Schools and was allocated £322,000 to extend the South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit in order to:

i) meet the demands of full-time provision for permanently excluded pupils from September 2002;

ii) relocate the Prospect Centre to a single site provision at South Farnborough;

iii) relocate some staff and pupils from the Chawton Park Pupil Referral Unit in Alton, which is due to close by September 2003.

9.9 At the time of the NDS bid, the brief for the extended unit was based on permanent exclusions remaining at, or about, the target figure for the County Council, i.e. not more than 152 per annum. Changes to government legislation and guidance have been reflected in an increase in exclusions, both nationally and locally. This, combined with the statutory requirement of the County Council to provide full-time provision for permanently excluded pupils and the need to transfer pupils from the Prospect Centre in order to deliver an enhanced curriculum, means that additional accommodation will be required.

9.10 During the building programme to extend and refurbish the current PRU accommodation, temporary buildings comprising one double and one single unit were placed on the site in order that education provision could be continued. It is recommended that these buildings remain on site pending identification of capital resources to provide additional permanent accommodation.

Recommendations

1. That, subject to the approval of the Executive Member, Policy and Resources,

a) the resources available for the 2002/03 capital programme be increased as follows by:

i) £632,000 unused resources carried forward from 2001/02, of which:

ii) £593,000 from capital receipts in 2001/02;

iii) £1,162,000 additional schools' devolved capital;

iv) £216,000 for minor works projects to improve staff workplaces;

v) £390,000 for minor works projects to enhance Adult and Community Learning provision.

b) provision in the 2002/03 capital programme for furniture and equipment be increased by £101,000;

c) £120,000 be added to the minor works provision for future capital work to be carried out following the review of primary school provision in south-west Basingstoke;

d) £55,000 be added to the general minor works provision for 2002/03 and allocated to fund improvement work at Lakeside School, Chandler's Ford;

e) that resources available for the 2003/04 capital programme be increased by £517,000 for minor works projects to improve staff workplaces.

f) that a major scheme to remodel the buildings of the former Mayfield Junior School, Farnborough to accommodate Cherrywood Primary School be added to the 2002/03 capital programme at an estimated cost of £1,250,000;

g) that the scheme for improvement of design technology and food technology accommodation at Warblington Secondary School be deferred from 2002/03 to 2003/04, together with resources totalling £169,000.

2. That the provision for minor works in the 2002/03 capital programme be increased by £85,000 from the contingency to meet additional costs of the re-provision of Youth Service accommodation at Wildern Community School, Hedge End.

3. That £45,000 be made available from the 2002/03 general minor works provision to fund improvement works at Lakeside School, Chandler's Ford.

4. That the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services be asked to prepare costed feasibility studies on the projects listed in Appendix 1, with a view to possible inclusion in the Education capital programme for 2003/04.

5. That approval be given for the siting of temporary classroom accommodation at the following sites:

Meadow School, Bordon - one double unit;

South Farnborough Pupil Referral Unit - one double unit and one single unit.

6. That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the Executive Member, Policy and Resources, that the applications for the temporary classroom accommodation listed in recommendation 4 be approved until 31 August 2006.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None.

Appendix 1

Proposed New Deal for Schools modernisation projects - 2003/04

Science laboratory refurbishment

Design Technology refurbishment

Food technology refurbishment

Improvement of staff workplaces - proposed schemes

Appendix 2

Schools where schemes are proposed to comply with disability discrimination and for minor works and equipment purchases for Adult and Community Learning