Decision details

That the recommendations of the School Places Working Group be endorsed as set out below:

·  The review be accepted as the basis for secondary place planning;

·  The higher Greater London Authority (GLA) alternate roll projection methodology be adopted as the basis of forecasting for 2014/15 and beyond;

·  A margin of 5% be considered above projection to provide for parental choice in order to improve the rate of first choice allocations;

·  A new Catholic secondary school provision in the Borough be supported in principle; and,

·  Further reviews of existing secondary capacity be carried out using the Department for Education’s revised space standards to validate options for growth at existing schools as the basis for capital bid applications.

That the additional £42,302,064 of Basic Need Capital Grant allocated to Bromley by the Department for Education to fund additional school places in 2015-16 and 2016-17 be noted.

The need to ensure sufficient pupil places and the efficiency of school organisation is a priority within the Education Portfolio Plan, which focuses on seven key activities to support delivery of the Education Covenant and Commitments.  These include to promote educational opportunity in the borough ensuring all families have a choice of good and outstanding schools and early years providers, to work with governing bodies, the Department for Education and others to expand popular and successful schools, and to use the academy and free school programme to promote and develop further that choice.