Contact: John Clarke, Deputy Director of Children's Services (01962) 846464 ([email protected])

Robin Thomas, Assistant County Education Officer, Children and Families Branch (01962) 846426 ([email protected])

1 Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought that:

· the strategy for delivering a vocational skills based education at BS+ should be endorsed and the development of a business case for the investment should be supported;

· further reports should be presented on the progress and impact of the Basingstoke School Plus initiative on student outcomes and that the first of these reports should be presented in July 2006;

· further investigations into how best to meet the BESD needs of young people across Hampshire, as described in Appendix A, should be supported;

· further work taking place with Basingstoke secondary schools and the BS+ Management Committee, in order to develop a federated approach to provision and governance, should be supported;

· a report identifying the outcomes of these further investigations, including possible funding implications, should be received in autumn 2006.

2 Reason

These decisions support the following aims of the corporate strategy:

· Aim One - maximising life opportunities

· Aim Three - achieving economic prosperity

· Aim Four - building strong and safe communities

· Aim Five - improving services.

Aims One and Four are the most significant motivators. It is anticipated that the further development of provision at BS+ will have a major impact on the lives of the young people attending as well as on their families and the wider community.

These decisions also support all five outcomes of the Children Act in terms of:

· Be healthy: providing on-site facilities that will improve the mental and physical health of young people in Basingstoke and the surrounding area;

· Stay safe: ensuring an appropriate safe, yet challenging environment, which can be developed and utilised across a far wider cohort of the community than just those young people who attend BS+ on a daily basis;

· Enjoy and Achieve: enabling young people who attend, as well as many others, from across the area to learn how to learn, to gain satisfaction from achieving and to prepare for a more meaningful future;

· Make a positive contribution: re-focusing some of the County's most disaffected and damaged young people, as well as preventing others from becoming disaffected;

· Achieve economic well-being: building a skills base for the future through targeted vocational learning, increasing the likelihood of practical qualifications for post 16 progression.

3 Other Options considered and rejected:

Addressing the future provision for young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties in the Basingstoke area is a priority. The issue re the present inadequate Ashwood site is ongoing - doing nothing is not a viable option.

The total refurbishment of the present Ashwood site has been considered. However, this would be likely to incur greater capital outlay and the end result would be less appropriate and less fit for purpose.

4 Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or other Executive Member consulted

None

5 Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee

6 Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable

Approved by: Date:

Councillor F Hindson

Executive Member for Children's Services