Primary Capital Programme

 

“Strategy for Change”

A Guide for Governors

  

The NGA London Region Meeting on Thursday 1^st May, focused on the Primary Capital Programme with a Presentation and discussion lead by Mike Richardson, Chair of NGA London Region and John Cochrane, Head of Asset Management and Planning, LB Newham. Members asked for a Guide for Governors outlining the details.

 

Lesley Stout London Regional Director NGA

 

Primary Capital Programme – Strategy for Change Overview

 

The ‘Strategy for Change’ will cover a 15 year programme, which is expected to result in the rebuild, refurbishment or remodelling of about half of primary schools and is targeted to address deprivation and attainment nationally and in every local authority. All primary schools are eligible for funding, including Voluntary Aided, Foundation and Trust schools and primary-age special schools (Funding for VA schools at the usual 90% rate.)  

 

The intention is that this programme will enable a step-change from patch and mend and disjointed investment, to strategic, service-wide planning and redesign. The planning is expected to be undertaken alongside other national and local priorities and initiatives, particularly Sure Start Children’s Centres.

 

 

Funding available

 

 

Nationally, the funding is as follows:

 

·           2008/09 £150 million shared equally among 23 pathfinders (Barnet, Birmingham, Bradford, Cornwall, Darlington, Ealing, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Knowsley, Manchester, Newham, North Tyneside, Nottingham City, Rotherham, Sheffield, Solihull, Somerset, Swindon, Torbay, Waltham Forest, Wigan.) 

·           2009/10 £650 million shared by formula between all local authorities

 

 

·         2010/11 £1,100 million shared by formula between all local authorities

 

·         Baselines to remain at £500 million a year for the duration of the programme, subject to future government spending decisions

 

·         Allocation by formula based on the number of primary pupils and deprivation, with a floor to protect smaller authorities 

 

·         Added impact by joining up with existing DCSF funding streams

 

·         Greater added impact by joining up with eligible capital from other government departments and local resources

 

 

Strategic Approach

 

National objectives translated into local strategic infrastructure plans, which will have to be approved by DCSF, to release funding Strategic capital investment.

The Strategy For Change should:

 

 

·         support national and local priorities;

 

·         deliver the Children’s Plan;

 

·         drive up standards;

 

·         enable parents to choose between a diverse range of effective primary schools;

 

·         and cement the role of the primary school at the heart of the community it serves.

 

Given this importance, it will be mandatory for each local authority to prepare a Primary Strategy for Change and agree it with the Department.    This approach has proved effective in Building Schools for the Future.

Primary Strategy for Change must consider the needs of all eligible schools across the whole primary school estate including primary age special schools, voluntary aided, foundation and trust schools.

LAs  must demonstrate how the views of local stakeholders have been taken into account.  As a minimum consultation should include schools (including the pupils), potential promoters of new primary schools, Sure Start Children’s Centres, parents, dioceses, trusts and other promoters, primary care trusts and community health care providers, and local childcare providers

The LA may wish to consider new models for reorganisation, including more collaborative working through federations, amalgamation and rationalisation … to maximise the availability of good school places.

The Primary Strategy for Change should comprise five core elements:

·         the local perspective

 

should provide a succinct overview of the authority’s aims and objectives for primary education in the 21^st century and briefly describe the area, its people and its primary schools

 

·         baseline analysis

 

should outline the authority’s starting point – both in terms of what is good about primary education now and what needs to improve.  It should be based on a thorough analysis of school-level data on educational performance, deprivation, places, building condition and suitability, links with early years providers, extended services and co-location of primary schools, Sure Start Children’s Centres and wider children’s services.

 

·         long-term aims

 

Based on the analysis of what needs to change in primary education, this section should set out the authority’s long term aims for the programme.  It will show the investment priorities for the next 14 years to transform education through better facilities and the pattern and type of school.  It should show how investment will support national policy objectives and local priorities as set out in the Children and Young Peoples’ Plan and other strategic plans.

 

·         approach to change

 

should show how your authority will run the Primary Capital Programme to ensure that primary education changes from the baseline position to the achievement of the long-term aims.  It will cover issues such as: governance, staffing and resources, criteria for choosing projects, consultation and capacity building, design, sustainability, ICT, procurement and value for money.  It will include a risk assessment of the delivery of the Primary Strategy for Change.   

 

·         initial investment priorities.

 

should identify the specific priorities for investment during the first 4 years of the programme (5 years for pathfinders), showing how these contribute to the long-term aims

 National output assumptions: 

 

When developing the long-term aims and investment priorities, local authorities should have regard to the following:

·         5% of the worst condition schools to be rebuilt or taken out of commission; in some London Authorities this could be as high as 20%

 

·         at least 50% of primary schools overall to be rebuilt, refurbished or remodelled to bring them up to 21st century standards;

 

·         targeting deprivation to locally determined criteria

 

 

All remaining primary school needs to be met through devolved formula capital.

 

 

Rationalisation of school buildings to reduce surplus places and ensure children’s access to popular and successful schools

 Strategic Objectives

 

·         Secure the well-being and health of children and young people

 

·         Safeguard the young and vulnerable

 

·         Achieve world class standard in education 

 

·         Close the gap in educational achievement for children from disadvantaged families

 

·         Ensure young people are participating and achieving their potential

 

·         Keep children and young people on the road to success

Specific related national targets by 2008-10

 

·         A Sure Start Children's Centre in every community

 

 

·         50% of children reach a good level of development at the end of the foundation stage

 

·         Reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 20% most disadvantaged areas and the rest of England

 

·         Extended school provision in or through every school

 

·         Halt the rise in obesity amongst children under 11

 

·         At least 85% of children achieving level 4+ in English and mathematics

 

·         Narrow the gap in education achievement of looked after children

 

·         Improve school attendance so that absence is reduced by 8% compared to 2003

 

·         Percentage of children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on PE and sport to increase to 85%

Priorities for investment

 

Priorities will be both top-down, as set out in the Children and Young People’s Plan, the emerging Children’s Plan and other local strategic plans, and bottom-up, emerging from schools’ premises development plans and local consultation.   The DCSF will expect LAs to have taken the opportunity to think long-term and strategically about the transformation of teaching and learning in the primary sector.  

 

This is a unique chance to be bold, innovative and consider radical options, with the opportunity of careful implementation over up to 14 years.   Using nationally available data the DCSF will notify local authorities in advance where there are specific issues or concerns that it would expect to see being addressed in their strategies.

   

Governors

 

What is the right agenda for your borough?

 

What is the right agenda for your school, your community?

 

How to achieve variety of response …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governors should ensure that they become involved in their local consultation and understand the strategy for change, if they have not already done so it is not too late – this is a 15 year programme.

  

Local choices will not be simple or easy:

 

 • Decisions will have to be taken so that the investment helps the schools and children that need it most

 

• This may involve important resource decisions across services, or sensitive

 

questions of, for e.g. new models of organisation, rationalisation, amalgamation or federation

 

• As commissioners of schools, local authorities will be looking for strategic solutions, based on consultation with schools and local people, and on a rigorous assessment of local needs and priorities.

Although one of the national outputs above is defined in terms that “at least 50% of primary schools” should benefit, the Primary Strategy for Change should be inclusive and consider the needs of all primary schools. This of curse will be challenging but  the DCSF say that with joined up planning and funding, it should be possible for local authorities to exceed the 50% target.

 It is also important to recognise that even primary schools that do not receive major investment through the programme will continue to be eligible for devolved formula capital at the higher (unmodernised) rate.  Governors on Schools Forum may face some difficult decisions and it is therefore important that they are aware of the local criteria for priorities.

 Th NGA London Region would like to share examples of good practice and also some outstanding samples of transformation or plans of primary schools.  Contact Lesley Stout, NGA London region Director on lesley.stout@blueyonder.co.uk .

 

Resources:

 

 

Every Child Matters: Primary Capital Programme – Delivering the Primary Capital Programme (www.DCSF.gov.uk ) also available on  www.ngalondonregion.ikbt.com 

 

 

Other  Useful Links:

 

 www.primaryreview.org 

 

www.teachernet.gov.uk

 

www.bcse.uk.net

 

www.futurelab.org.uk

 

www.rethinkingschools.org