The aim is to reduce the number of children being taught in crumbling buildings by merging a number of primary schools and nurseries. The proposals would involve moving just over 2000 children in 13 primary schools and 12 nurseries into other accommodation.
As part of the strategy, the council would spend £5m on refurbishments at the receiving schools and nurseries. It is expected that in the first year, the amount invested in schools would be greater than any savings. There would be no compulsory redundancies.
The Council's Executive Committee agreed on Friday to refer the strategy to a special meeting of the full Council, where members will be asked to consider going to consultation on the proposals.
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Over the last 10 years, the council has spent £550m to radically improve the condition and quality of its school buildings. The council has built a total of 64 new schools and refurbished five others. They were built using Public Private Partnership (PPP) funding, prudential borrowing and receipts generated from the sale of surplus land and property.
The completion of the current phase of the modernisation programme will see even more children being educated in high-quality buildings.
However, a number of other schools and nurseries are no longer fit for use. Their condition has deteriorated to such an extent that there is an impact on educational standards. At the same time, school occupancy levels are significantly under capacity.
In the past, when the Council has closed schools it has built new ones, but in the current global financial climate it cannot afford to build new schools and nurseries and can no longer use PPP.
Education officials have now carried out a city-wide assessment of potential mergers based on criteria such as educational benefit, building capacity and occupancy, transport arrangements and the wider community impact.
The proposed consultation process, including a series of public meetings, would last for six weeks. There would also be a consultation on associated secondary school catchment area changes.
If the consultation were to go ahead, it is expected that a final decision on the proposals would be taken by the Council in April, with mergers taking effect from August 2009.
(GK/JM)
