Mythbusters on school place planning

Section 106 funding – Funds received from section 106 are paid by developers to mitigate the impact on local infrastructure by their development.

In terms of education this means there has to be a robust case to justify that any proposed development will have an adverse impact on the existing education infrastructure before any funds can be requested. If there is existing and/or forecast capacity at schools in the area surrounding a development the local authority cannot request developer contributions towards education provision.

There is no guarantee that funds requested will be received and all funds received must be used towards providing additional school spaces through the specific project or at the specific school named in the signed S106 agreement. Regulations exist to ensure contributions are only requested where necessary.

All agreements usually have a specified time frame for the funds to be spent and any unused funds or funds not used for the agreed purpose are likely to be requested back by developers.

Pupil Number Forecasts – Pupil forecasts are produced to highlight areas where there is expected to be future pressure on school places, these form the basis of our basic need allocation from the DfE.  Forecast pupil numbers are also used when planning the most effective time to open school expansions and new schools, ensuring need is met in a timely manner. However forecasts at individual school level only act as a guide to future pupil numbers and must always be viewed in the context of that schools’ planning area.

School Expansions – All school expansions, including taking over number or increasing PAN, will be reviewed in the context of the wider planning area and beyond if necessary. This is to ensure expansion of any school is not to the detriment of others in the area, to effectively plan for future sufficiency of school places we need to ensure all schools remain viable.

Opening of New Schools – All new schools are required to open as free schools. The expansion of existing provision is always considered before exploring the need to open a new school. Across Warwickshire there is the possibility to open new schools across the county over the next 15 plus years, with the need for both new primary and new secondary schools expected