Minutes:
The Portfolio Holder gave an update to Members on work being undertaken across the Education Portfolio.
The demand for primary-level pupil places across the Borough continued to be high, and it had been identified that a significant increase in secondary provision would be required across the Borough in future years. A second planning application for Harris Primary Academy Beckenham had been considered at Plans Sub-Committee No.4 on 8th January 2015, and had been deferred. The initial planning application for Harris Primary Academy Beckenham was the subject of an appeal and would be considered by the Planning Inspector in February 2015. An open day had recently been held at Harris Academy Beckenham to showcase plans for a redevelopment of the site which would offer a new learning environment for secondary pupils and proposed to establish a two form of entry primary school.
A report on the future delivery of the museum service would be considered at the meeting of Renewal and Recreation PDS Committee on 29th January 2015. A Member underlined the value of the museum service to pupils at Bromley schools and requested that the Portfolio Holder for Education contribute to the review with a view to ensuring that Bromley pupils were not disadvantaged by any changes to the museum service.
The Portfolio Holder for Education would be meeting with the Secretary of State for Education in February 2015 to discuss the potential for more flexible use of the Dedicated Schools Grant in certain identified areas including funding for early years provision.
A significant issue had been identified with the Adult Education service which was currently showing a predicted overspend of £264k for 2014/15 and, despite work taken to reduce this, was unlikely to drop below an overspend of £220k. The market testing process for the future delivery of the Adult Education service was underway, but this process would not be completed until Autumn 2015, and it was felt that more immediate action might be needed to reduce the impact of the overspend on the Local Authority. In response, two options had been developed to prevent or minimise the potential overspend for the Adult Education service and reduce the financial risk to the Local Authority. Option One had proposed a radical restructure and reduction of the Adult Education service under which the Local Authority would cease delivery of all provision funded under the Adult Skills grant at the end of the 2014/15 academic year and Option Two had proposed the withdrawal of the Local Authority from all involvement in the delivery of adult education, with the Skills Funding Agency responsible for reallocating grants to an alternate provider under both options.
The Portfolio Holder for Education noted that no decision on these options would be made at this time as the report on the ‘Reorganisation of Bromley Adult Education College’, due to be considered at the meeting of Education PDS Committee on 27th January 2015, had been withdrawn with Members’ agreement.
In considering the current position of the Adult Education service, Members were advised that the market testing process was being conducted in two stages. During the first stage, providers had been invited to submit Expressions of Interest and a pre-qualification questionnaire, which was a confidential process due to reasons of commercial sensitivity and to avoid collaboration between providers. The evaluation against the criteria would be completed in mid-February 2015. Those providers which met the set criteria would progress to the second stage of the market testing process where providers would be invited to participate in a competitive dialogue process to develop bids which was expected to be completed in Autumn 2015. The Assistant Director: Commissioning clarified that to progress to the second stage of the market testing process, there was usually a need for at least three providers to meet the set criteria. If there were fewer than three providers, agreement from the Council’s Executive would normally be sought before these providers could progress to the second stage of the market testing process. The Portfolio Holder for Education confirmed that it was also possible for Bromley Adult Education service staff to submit their own proposals to deliver services but the Assistant Director: Education advised Members that they had not done so.
In discussion, Members were concerned at the lack of consultation with the Bromley Adult Education College Governing Body or other stakeholders including staff and service users on the potential redesign of the existing service, although it was noted that the Adult Education service had been invited to put staff forward to reference groups to support the evaluation of the bids. Members highlighted the impact any major change to the Adult Education service might have on the on-going market testing process, and another Member was concerned that residents in Orpington and the North West of the Borough would be disadvantaged in accessing provision if there was any redesign of the existing service which resulted in the closure of the Poverest and Kentwood Centres.
It was requested that the documents which related to the first stage of the market testing process which had been advertised on the London Tenders Portal be provided to Members following the meeting.
RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder update be noted.