Agenda item

Report of the Director of Children and Adults Services.

The Leader introduced the report of the Director of Children and Adults Services (previously circulated) seeking approval for the Education Village Academy Trust (EVAT) to take over the site of the Haughton Children’s Centre, subject to a lease under the Academies Act 2010 to provide Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) placements at Beaumont Hill Academy (BHA).

The submitted report stated that the use of the site would support Darlington’s strategic aim to educate more pupils with SEND in the Borough; Darlington had faced an increasing demand for specialist placements for pupils with SEND; Darlington’s Local Area SEND Strategy aimed to retain more pupils in the Borough rather than at high cost out of the area specialist placements; an opportunity had arisen to use the Haughton Children’s Centre site to increase capacity at Beaumont Hill Academy; and that the lease of the building to EVAT would involve a £400,000 risk of financial clawback, from the Department for Education.

Discussion ensued on the potential ‘clawback’ by the Department for Education and whether there were any other ‘clawbacks’ that would require, to be paid.

RESOLVED - (a)  That the take-over of the site of Haughton Children’s Centre, by the Education Village Academy Trust (EVAT) be approved, on standard lease terms under the Academies Act 2010, as set out in the submitted report.

(b)  That £400,000 be earmarked from General Fund Reserves in case the Department for Education clawback is enacted.

(c)  That the Assistant Director Law and Governance be authorised to complete legal documents accordingly.

REASON - (a)  It supports the aims of Darlington’s Local Area SEND strategy to building capacity in mainstream and specialist settings to support children and young people to be educated in their local community and to reduce reliance on out of area placements 0-25 by providing additional capacity to BHA.

(b)  It reduces the need for high cost out of area placements for pupils with SEND.