Agenda item

Report from the Executive Director of Children & Young Peoples Service.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Note the achievements in the CYPS School Capital Programme for 2025/2026

2. Approve the CYPS School Capital Programme for 2026/2027.

Consideration was given to the report which provided an update on key achievements across the Children, Young People’s and Families Service (CYPS) School Capital Programme for 2025/2026. The report also requested approval of the CYPS School Capital Programme for 2026/2027 following the confirmation of the Department for Education (DfE) capital funding allocation.

The update on key achievements for 2025/26 was split across the three aims of the programme:

Condition works maintained schools - the 2025/2026 programme was supported by a grant of £719,080 by the DfE. This supported condition works across the 16 Local Authority Maintained Primary schools, 3 Nursery Schools and the Aspire Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). Schemes were identified following the completion of condition reports by Property and Facilities Services, with regular support provided by each school’s Building Officer. Schemes were completed on a rolling cycle based on priority and the resources available. Paragraph 1.4.3 provided a breakdown of the works completed.

Sufficiency of places in mainstream schools - As approved by Cabinet in December 2023 and in line with the continued increase of dwellings on the Waverley estate, there was a requirement to increase the Pupil Admission Number (PAN) at Waverley Junior Academy to provide 210 additional places. As the requirements were related to an increase in new build homes within the school catchment, the scheme was funded by private sector contributions from the developer through a Section 106 agreement. The additional classroom space was completed and opened in September 2025 in line with the 2025/2026 academic year.

Send Sufficiency - 2025/2026 was the last year of the Safety Valve Agreement. This included a further round of accessibility small grants which were available through an application, short-listing, and award process. 36 schools had been successful in receiving a grant across the Safety Valve period. The Accessibility small grants programme enabled schools to make capital adaptations and improve access to the curriculum for SEND learners, ensuring more pupils were able to be educated in local mainstream schools. Further, the capital completion of a number of new resource provisions on mainstream sites was finalised in year with Thurcroft Junior Academy, Winterhill and Maltby Manor Academy provisions opening successfully.

Investment in Special Schools to increase capacity continued in 2025/2026, including a capital grant to install modular classrooms at Kelford School and the development of a second site of Elements Academy. In total this resulted in an increase of 54 special school places.  As previously agreed at Cabinet, a programme of improving works had commenced across the three sites occupied by the Aspire Pupil Referral Unit. This had included works to improve accessibility, and the curriculum offer at Catcliffe and Hutton Park. Further works were planned in 2026/2027 at the main Rawmarsh site.

The proposed School Capital Programme for 2026/27 was detailed in section 2 of the report. Paragraph 2.2.3 outlined the priority schemes for Condition Works in Local Authority Maintained Schools. There were no current plans for mainstream schools expansion in 2026/27 due to their being no immediate concerns in discharging the Statutory Duty to offer a mainstream school place to every child that required one.

In relation to SEND Sufficiency, it was noted that the new SEND Sufficiency Strategy was approved by Cabinet in February 2026. The Strategy showed the anticipated demand for SEND provision across both mainstream and special schools until 2030. Further, from 2026/2027, capital planning would be aligned to the SEND Reforms as detailed in the DfE’s White Paper ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’. The Local Authority was required to submit a SEND Reform Plan which showed how capital funding would be used to support mainstream inclusion including the development of Inclusion Bases. A future Cabinet report would detail the local arrangements for the implementation of the SEND Reforms. The SEND Sufficiency priorities for 2026/27 were set out in paragraph 2.4.3.

As outlined to Cabinet in March 2026 following a request from the DfE, the Council had become the grant recipient of Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget (SSICB) funding. This was following the decision of the DfE to re-broker the existing Multi Academy Trust arrangements at Newman and bring in another Trust to run the school. The capital works would provide a new build block on the main Whiston site and a refurbishment of the school’s listed corridor. A contractor had been secured for the works which were scheduled across 2026/2027 and early 2027/2028. 

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the achievements in the CYPS School Capital Programme for 2025/2026.

2.    Approve the CYPS School Capital Programme for 2026/2027.