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A message from Patrick Leeson:

2 February 2017 weekly update

2 February 2017

This week, Patrick summarises the recently approved Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2017-2021.

Dear colleagues

Education Commissioning Plan 2017-2021

The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2017-2021 (PDF, 1.5 MB) has been approved by Cabinet and is now available on the kent.gov website. This is a five year rolling plan which is updated annually. It sets out how Kent discharges its statutory responsibility, as the Strategic Commissioner of Education Provision, to provide sufficient Early Years, SEND, Primary and Secondary school places and to ensure that there are appropriate learning pathways for pupils at Post 16.

It is our responsibility to ensure that we have enough school places in the right locations, to meet the demands of increased pupil numbers and parental preferences. There continues to be significant increases in the birth rate, birth numbers and inward migration as well as other demographic changes which require substantial increases in the provision of school places in the coming years.

The Plan sets out the principles by which we determine proposals, and it forecasts the need for future provision. It also sets out plans to meet the commissioning needs which arise in each District in Kent, in more detail for the next two to three years.

The number of Primary age pupils is expected to continue rising significantly from 119,943 in 2015-16, to 127,859 in 2020-21, with almost 8,000 extra pupils over the next five years.

The number of Secondary age pupils (Years 7-11) in Kent schools is expected to rise significantly from 78,007 in 2015-16 to over 93,749 in 2022-23.

This Commissioning Plan, therefore, identifies the need for additional permanent and temporary school places each year as follows:

by 2017-18
by 2018-19
by 2019-20
between
2020-21

and 2022-23

Primary
9.5FE* permanent
150 Year R places
30 Year 2 places
30 Year 3 places

Secondary
10FE permanent

Primary
12FE* permanent
30 Year R places

Secondary
26FE permanent

Primary
13FE* permanent

Secondary
17FE permanent
60 Year 7 places

Primary
49FE* permanent

Secondary
26FE permanent
210 Year 7 places

Much of the additional provision will be achieved by expanding existing schools. While in many cases the need for new and expanded schools is dependent on future housing development, the increase in demand for education places continues to be significant.

For new schools we are increasingly dependent on the EFA to deliver Free Schools in the right places where demand exists and to deliver these projects on time. Several of their projects have been delayed by over a year which is a concern. We are also concerned to see more sponsors come forward for new schools that we can support, and are encouraging more Kent academies and trusts to sponsor new schools.

For the school year 2015-16 we expanded 25 Primary schools, adding an additional 14 forms of entry. A further 6 forms of entry were added in Secondary schools. 447 temporary places were created to address short term demand.

In the last six years we have expanded 128 schools in total, including 89 Primary schools and 39 Secondary schools. In addition we have developed 15 new Primary schools and 3 new Secondary schools.

This is a very significant increase in school places in Kent, equivalent to 11,500 additional places between 2011 and 2016.

For September 2017 we will be adding a further 9.5 forms of entry in Primary schools and 10 forms of entry in Secondary schools, together with 210 temporary places.

With the help of schools we have been able to keep pace with the significant growth in pupil numbers and it is clear from the latest Commissioning Plan that this growth will continue for the next several years. In the period 2017-23 we will need to create a further 85 forms of entry in Primary schools and 79 forms of entry in Secondary schools, to accommodate a further 23,000 pupils.

The additional places and the increase in the number of good and outstanding schools in Kent have helped to increase parental preferences, so that for last September 87% of parents secured their first preference Primary school and 82% of parents secured their first preference Secondary school. These are good outcomes.

The Plan will be reviewed, updated and published annually. In the meantime I would like to say a big thank you to all the schools that have agreed to expand to help deliver the increased provision.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of the Plan or you wish to consider expansion in the future in the areas of need, please contact your Area Education Officer.

For further information please contact Keith.Abbott@kent.gov.uk, Director of Education Planning and Access.

Patrick Leeson, Corporate Director Education and Young People’s Services