Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report :

1. Executive Summary

1.1. On 27 April 2009 the Cabinet approved the closure of Oak Farm Community School with effect from 31 August 2011 and that there be no admissions to Year 7 in September 2010. In addition the Cabinet re-affirmed its commitment to continuing use of the Oak Farm Community School site for educational and community purposes.

1.2. The Cabinet instructed the Chief Executive and Director of Children's Services to begin discussions on the community use of the facilities at Oak Farm Community School with Rushmoor Borough Council and appropriate community organisations, including the Nepalese community.

1.3. This report summarises action taken to date and sets the wider context with respect to Building Schools for the Future (BSF) as it relates to this area of the County.

2. Contextual Information

2.1. The Cabinet have decided that Oak Farm Community School will close with effect from 31 August 2011.

2.2. In arriving at its decision the Cabinet recognised the important role which the school plays within its community resulting in a commitment to continuing use of the school site for educational and community purposes.

2.3. There are a number of issues which need to be considered regarding the future use of the Oak Farm site and it is important to recognise the wider context within which any decision on future use needs to be made.

3. Building schools for the future (BSF)

3.1. Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a national initiative intended to rebuild, remodel or refurbish all secondary schools in England, including secondary age special schools and education centres, over a 15 year period from 2005. This renewal programme must take place within the context of a locally developed agenda to transform secondary education to meet the demands of the 21^st Century.

3.2. Hampshire County Council could attract investment through BSF totalling up to £1billion, probably over a period of about 10 years. The scale of this investment is unparalleled and the work required to ensure that this is successful is far-reaching, ranging across many disciplines and involving a large number of stakeholders. It is a one-off opportunity for the County Council and schools to make a radical impact to ensure that secondary education in Hampshire better meets the needs of all learners and to modernise provision for the generations to come.

3.3. In December 2008 the County Council submitted its Expression of Interest to join the BSF programme, as invited by the DCSF. Criteria laid down by the DCSF placed Rushmoor and Bordon's secondary schools in Hampshire's priority group 3 out of 10 and the local authority is planning to implement the transformational agenda which BSF will bring for secondary school provision in this area as soon as funding can be released by the DCSF.

3.4. The County Council submitted its Readiness to Deliver BSF for the first priority area, Havant and Gosport, in May. If the County Council is successful in being included in the BSF programme it is likely that capital investment will not take place in the Rushmoor and Bordon area until about 2014/2015. The planning for the transformational education vision for the Rushmoor and Bordon area has only recently commenced as it has been necessary to concentrate on the first two areas for BSF investment in the County. The first meeting with secondary school headteachers and chairmen of governors took place on 14 July 2009 where an introduction to the BSF programme was given. More detailed consultations will begin in the autumn.

3.5. Whilst there clearly needs to be an engagement with all stakeholders in discussing the future education vision initial discussions have identified a number of issues that need to be taken into account in the planning for future education provision in the area.

4. Planning to meet the demand for school places

4.1. As part of the initial planning for BSF pupil number forecasts have been produced up to 2020 taking into account demographic trends and any new housing developments planned in the area. This is an essential part of the planning for BSF investment in the area and within Rushmoor there are two differing aspects regarding future pupil numbers.

4.2. The closure of Oak Farm Community School will significantly reduce the number of secondary school surplus places in the area in line with DCSF guidance on BSF. When the school closes in August 2011 it is expected there will be fewer than 70 pupils who will require an alternative school and this number can be accommodated within the local schools. There is therefore no requirement to expand existing schools local to Oak Farm through BSF investment as a result of Oak Farm Community School being closed.

4.3. However, there is a significant housing development planned in Aldershot which will have an impact on the requirement for school places. This development is known as Aldershot Urban Extension (AUE) and relates to the release of a large area of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) land in Aldershot potentially providing 4,500 new dwellings. The timing for this development has been delayed but latest indications show that new housing will start in 2011/12 and continue until 2024/2025 with a completion rate of 350 houses per annum. At primary phase it is proposed that two new 3 form of entry (630 places) schools will be built with each school being phased appropriately to reflect the rate of housing development and pupil yield.

4.4. At secondary level there will be a need for additional places at local schools to cater for the additional pupils from AUE. Options for meeting this demand will be developed as part of the BSF consultation.

5. Extended services and community provision

5.1. Oak Farm has been funded by the County Council to develop and deliver a locally managed community education programme since the 1970s. Arrangements were formalised in an agreement between the County Council and the school's governing body in 1997. Since 2005 the school has been developing as an extended school and is now a member of the Rushmoor Extended Services Partnership. The school offers an extensive, varied and much valued programme of learning opportunities for its community and beyond, in partnership with other educational establishments, agencies and authorities.

5.2. The school provides opportunities for community groups to use the school's facilities through community lettings, utilising the buildings and grounds, including the sports hall and all-weather pitch. In addition there are a significant number of adult and community learning programmes provided at the school:

· Personal and community development learning with a total of 134 courses offered in 2007/08, with enrolment numbers of 1,409

· Family learning

· Skills for independent living provided to adults with a learning difficulty

· Basic skills and vocational courses.

A more detailed breakdown of community provision is given in Appendix 1.

5.3. In addition, the Oak Farm Pre-School is situated in the school buildings and provides 26 places for part of each week. The school is well-used by groups from the local Nepalese community. There are also links with the Mayfield Youth Partnership, Rushmoor Healthy Living Initiative, Mayfield Community Partnership and the local family learning cluster group, working with the new Owls Children's Centre, situated at Cherrywood Primary School.

5.4. A pavilion and club room were constructed adjacent to the all-weather pitch in 1998 using lottery funding provided by Sport England. In keeping with their normal conditions of grant, the County Council entered into a separate agreement with Sport England designed to ensure continued community use of the lottery funded facilities.

6. 14 - 19 Education provision - Diplomas

6.1. The Diploma is a new qualification for students aged 14 - 19 and is part of central government's 14 - 19 Reform Programme being rolled out over the next five years. It is intended that Diplomas will become one of three main education choices alongside GCSE / A Levels and apprenticeships The local authority is responsible for ensuring that, by 2013, all students in the county have access to all the new Diploma lines. Within Hampshire the 71 secondary schools and 16 colleges now operate within one of nine 14 - 19 consortia, each with a responsibility for a strategic overview and implementation strategy to deliver the 14 - 19 Diploma agenda

6.2. Oak Farm Community School is part of the Rushmoor and Hart 14 - 19 consortium and, as part of the consortium's Diploma delivery strategy, began engaging students in IT Diploma study in September 2008. In the second round of awards, announced on 19 March 2008, Rushmoor and Hart Consortium was also successful in gaining three further diploma lines: Construction and the Built Environment from 2009 ( which will be offered on the Oak Farm site) with Engineering and Creative and Media tentatively approved for delivery from 2010.

7. Future use of the Oak Farm Community School site

7.1. There are a number of elements relating to the consideration of the possible future use being made of the site. Key is the context surrounding the implementation of the BSF strategy in the area and the vision that needs to be developed for educational provision and the impact this will have. The areas that need to be considered are detailed below.

Building Schools for the Future

7.2. Hampshire's Expression of Interest for BSF submitted to the DCSF in December 2008 identified the Rushmoor and Bordon area as priority group 3 out of 10. Key in the planning for investment through Building Schools for the Future is the consideration of a transformational agenda for secondary provision in the area. The planning for investment will take some time and will need to involve all stakeholders from the community and local authorities. Hampshire's BSF vision recognises the crucial link between well-being and educational attainment and sets out measures to ensure that all, including vulnerable and underachieving groups, have high self-esteem, ambition and the skills to be adaptable, persistent, happy and successful.

7.3. Hampshire's BSF Strategy for Change is at a very advanced stage of development The County Council is committed to achieving a step change in performance focused on schools, communities and groups of young people. At the heart of the strategy is the delivery of personalised learning for all and specifically for those facing the greatest challenges.

7.4. It is anticipated that the DCSF will confirm if Hampshire has been successful in being entered into the BSF programme, through phase 1 in Havant, this summer. The likely period for implementation in the Rushmoor Area is unlikely to be before 2014/2015 and the planning for developing the transformational change agenda will commence in the autumn this year. This will involve working with headteachers and chairmen of governors together with other stakeholders to develop the vision. It is important to ensure that any interim activity does not have an adverse impact in being able to deliver the ambitious transformational BSF strategy for the area.

Possible future school provision

7.5. With the closure of Oak Farm Community School significant surplus places will be removed going a long way to meeting the target of 5% which is set by the DCSF with respect to areas for BSF investment. It is, therefore, not expected that there will be a need to remove additional secondary pupil places in the area. It is likely that additional places will be needed in the Aldershot area to respond to additional housing being planned as a result of the Ministry of Defence releasing land, namely Aldershot Urban Extension where it is anticipated there will be an additional 4,500 dwellings.

7.6. Whilst in the Farnborough area it is considered that there will not be a need for additional secondary pupil places there is still the requirement to consider opportunities for improving opportunities for young people and the wider community.

7.7. Opportunities for educational use of the Oak Farm site prior to implementation of the BSF strategy will be considered though any use is likely to be minimal rather than, for example, full occupation by another school. It may be possible for some continued use of the 14-19 facilities that currently exist and other ad-hoc uses as appropriate.

14-19 education

7.8. Initial discussions have taken place with the Chairman of the Rushmoor and Hart 14-19 Consortium to understand their strategic planning for the delivery of the diploma lines. As part of the Consortium's vision is the following statement:

"The Rushmoor and Hart Consortium seeks, in partnership, to provide the best broad and balanced curriculum to meet the needs of all learners. Through coherent, planned curriculum development, high quality delivery, and excellent information, advice and guidance, it will enable learners to achieve nationally recognised qualifications in the occupational, vocational and academic routes, irrespective of their school or college."

7.9. In order to support the vision the Strategy Group of the Consortium recognises that there is merit in retaining the educational usage of the Oak Farm site. The Consortium acknowledges there is a need to develop the strategic plan for educational provision in the area to include such opportunities around the potential growth of collaborative vocational and applied provision and delivery of the Foundation Learning Tier. Officers will continue to work with the Consortium to help develop the strategy in the overall context of planning for BSF.

Extended services and community provision

7.10. As detailed previously (paragraphs 5.1 - 5.4 and Appendix 1)there is significant use made of the buildings and site with respect to community use and extended services. It is intended that this use will continue into the future and that such provision will (with stakeholders and partners) be developed in the context of BSF.

7.11. The BSF programme will be implemented together with a range of community regeneration programmes to ensure that any change is wide-ranging and sustainable. The target communities identified through BSF have few families with higher education qualifications, a greater proportion of long-term unemployed, more school leavers who do not remain in education, obtain employment or move into training (NEET's) at 16 and 17, a high proportion of teenage parents and more people in the youth justice system.

7.12. BSF programmes will ensure that extended services are available to young people at the time and place when they need them and can make best use of them. Facilities for wider community use through local community groups accessing facilities, adult learning courses including the social aspect of community provision will be enhanced through the implementation of the BSF vision.

7.13. Initial discussions have taken place between County Council and Rushmoor Borough Council officers aimed at developing a community engagement plan where the overall strategy for BSF can be discussed as well as specific issues surrounding the future community use of the Oak Farm site. A letter has been sent to community groups who currently use the site and buildings explaining that there will be opportunities for discussing future plans later this year. A meeting has been held with a representative of the Nepalese community to explain the current situation and seeking their engagement on the development of the future community use strategy.

7.14. A model for the continued community provision on site post closure of the school and pre implementation the BSF strategy will need to be developed. Interim arrangements will be developed working in conjunction with Rushmoor Borough Council, local schools and community organisations. Management and operational arrangements will need to be identified together with the staffing and accommodation requirements necessary to run the community provision. The revenue costs associated with continued community provision post school closure are likely to be significant . Initial work has been undertaken to identify a staffing structure and building running costs and this indicated a cost between £0.25 and £0.4m per annum.

7.15. In the longer term through the development of the BSF strategy consideration will be given to the use of the Oak Farm site for educational purposes and it is envisaged that any educational facility provided will take responsibility for managing the community provision.

8. Conclusions:

8.1. The development of the BSF strategy for the Rushmoor area is key to the future use that can be made of the Oak Farm site. The complexities, process and timescale for the strategy's production will require an interim strategy for the use of the Oak Farm site.

8.2. It is necessary to develop a community engagement plan where the overall strategy for BSF can be discussed as well as specific issues surrounding the future community use of the Oak Farm site. Initial discussions have taken place with key stakeholders and further meetings will be held to discuss and agree how provision will continue to operate on the site post August 2011.

8.3. It is clear there will be a need for funding to meet staffing and running costs for maintaining the site and buildings. Whilst opportunities will be taken to minimise these costs, and seek additional resources from other sources, it is anticipated that additional funding will be required from the County Council.

9. Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

9.1. This report be noted.

9.2. A project group be established involving full stakeholder representation to develop plans for future community provision, reporting to the Deputy Director of Children's Services.

9.3. A further report be submitted to the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services (Education) when the strategy for BSF in the Rushmoor and Bordon area is confirmed detailing the proposal for educational and community use of the Oak Farm Community School site.

9.4. That Cabinet acknowledge the likely need for funding to maintain community use of the Oak Farm Community school site following closure pending implementation of the BSF strategy for the area.

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Other Significant Links

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

1.1. Equalities issues have been considered and no adverse impact identified

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

2.1. These proposals will have no impact on crime and disorder

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

· Opportunities will be assessed to reduce the impact in planning for the future use of the school site.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

· No specific measures have been identified.