Agenda item

To hear the Call-In of any decisions made at the Cabinet meeting prior to this meeting or made by Cabinet Members, other Council Committees or a delegated officer and published within five working days of this meeting.

Members should bring their Cabinet agenda to the meeting.

Members should consider any other decisions published in the five working days before this meeting.

The purpose of this meeting is to decide whether to refer back any decision to the decision maker.

Members gave consideration to the Cabinet reports of 27 May 2010 and after careful consideration Members decided not to call-in any decision made by the Cabinet at their meeting.

However Members sought clarification on the following items:

Agenda Item 8 – Requirements for Additional Primary School Places.

The large increases in the capacity of schools suggests that there will be considerable stress on the management structures of these schools. What measures are in place to support these

Schools in this process?

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“It is recognised that implementing an expansion and managing a larger school will present challenges. The aim will be to ensure that the design of new and/or remodelled accommodation will provide improved learning and environments and other facilities (e.g. increased kitchen capacity) to support expansion. Building work will be managed to keep disruption to the school to a minimum. Schools that expand will receive an in-year budget adjustment ("expanding schools" funding). Support would also be available through the School Improvement Service or other appropriate ECS service.”]

What is the priority order for this programme of expansion of school primary school places?

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“It is expected that work on site will be programmed so that additional accommodation for the Early Years will be completed first. However, the position will vary from site to site, depending upon the accommodation that schools have already and upon site constraints The timing of building work would be discussed with each school.”

Agenda Item 9 - Review of the Local List of Buildings of Architectural or Historical Importance

Members asked that the Wards of the buildings on the list be re-checked as the first four buildings contained in the Hayes list on page 99 of the agenda are in Botwell and not Townfield.

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

“Members comments have been noted and the list has been updated accordingly.”]

Agenda Item 12  -  Contract for the supply of a double base class unit at each of the following schools: Brookside, Rabbsfarm and William Byrd Primary Schools

Members asked whether this contract was related to the report on the requirement for additional primary school places and if so, how could this contract go ahead before the consultation period for key stakeholders had ended?       

[Subsequent to the meeting, officers provided the following response:

The class rooms at Rabbsfarm are needed to accommodate the school's existing admission number (i.e. no expansion is involved). Historically, the school has not been full in all year groups and has not needed accommodation for 2 forms of entry throughout the school. As numbers are growing, the school now needs 2fe accommodation for all year groups. 

In relation to Brookside and William Byrd, the proposed statutory consultation relates to permanent expansions of these schools. In September 2010, both schools are admitting over their existing admission number (i.e. a temporary expansion) and a statutory process is not required. The need for additional places in September is due to exceptional demand which, if not met, would mean that children who are due to start school in September could not be offered places.]

Resolved -    

1.      That the decisions made by Cabinet at their meeting on 27 May 2010 be endorsed and noted and no call-in be made of any decision. 

      2.   That officers be asked to provide responses to the issues outlined above.