AGENDA ITEM 11

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CABINET

17 JULY 2007

THE DELIVERY PLAN FOR THE FIRST THREE SCHOOLS IN THE SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE XL PROJECT:REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR (CHILDREN’S SERVICES)

1. PURPOSE

1.1  To seek Member approval of the Delivery Plan proposed for the first three schools within the Schools for the Future XL project

2. DECISIONS REQUIRED

2.1  That the Cabinet note the contents of the Delivery Plan as set out in paragraph 4 below and contained in Appendices A – H of the report.

2.2  That the Cabinet approve the governance arrangements and approval processes as detailed in Appendices E and F.

2.3  That the Cabinet approve completion of a Memorandum of Understanding with the schools named in paragraph 4.1 on the Heads of Terms detailed in Appendix G. The detailed terms to be as agreed between the Governing Bodies and the Strategic Director (Children’s Services).

3. BACKGROUND/INFORMATION

3.1  Children’s Services Overview Group, on 9 January 2007, agreed to publish the statutory notices required to enable change to individual schools to be considered by the School Organisation Committee to enable implementation of changing the age of transfer for Year 7 pupils from the primary setting to secondary phase.

3.2  On 26 April the School Organisation Committee agreed all the proposals put forward. The only exception to this process is the Corfe Hills pyramid. Proposals for this pyramid will be bought forward as soon as funding has been identified.

3.3  Following the School Organisation Committee the DfES was advised that Poole would be changing the age of transfer in September 2013 subject to the necessary planning permissions and any further approvals required under the Building Schools for the Future Programme (Wave 6) being successful.

4.0 DELIVERY PROPOSALS

4.1 The first project to deliver the change in age of transfer is to provide the additional buildings required at Poole Grammar, Parkstone Grammar and Poole High Schools. This work is to be funded from the Targeted Capital Bid funding (TCF) from the DfES topped up by Borough capital resources and schools contribution. The total build cost for these three schools is £18.7M.

4.2 The following documents have been compiled as part of the delivery plan for the design phase of the three targeted funded schools of Poole Grammar, Parkstone Grammar and Poole High Schools.

A Risk Register has been set up for the first phase of the project, details of which are set out in Appendix A. This risk register is a sub-set of the overarching risk register which deals with the whole of the Schools for the Future Project. These risks are monitored and managed throughout the project. The Risk Register is reviewed on a regular basis and any emerging issues that pose a serious risk to the project will be reported to the Project Board and Programme Board set up to deal with the implementation of the XL Project.

An Outline Business Case (OBC) for the whole Schools for the Future Project has been made and presented to both the Management Team within the Authority and the Project Board for their approval. This document is a ‘high level’ document which lays out the outcomes for the project and the broad principles associated with the change required within the education system within Poole. Details of the OBC are set out in Appendix B.

A Project Plan has been compiled both for the whole of the Schools for the Future Project and the first phase for the three TCF schools detailed in Appendix C. These project plans will be monitored throughout the project and refined at key milestones such as the commencement of the design phase and the construction phase.

In accordance with the Capital Strategy documentation prepared by Financial Services an Options Appraisal has been compiled which considers the procurement routes to be adopted for the first three schools. Details of this appraisal are set out in Appendix D. Outputs from this appraisal have been incorporated within the Project Definition Reports, signed off by the schools and adopted as part of the procurement process for the first three schemes.

Details of the TCF Management Structure for the first three TCF schools are contained in Appendix E. The terms of reference for each group are included in the Memorandum of Understanding compiled for each school.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been drafted by Legal Services for each school in order to identify and agree a number of issues, prior to commencement of the project. This documents aims to set out the role and responsibilities of each party, their obligations and liabilities and to define accurately the scope of work and the financial plan, prior to entering into a contract with any design team. This clarity at the commencement of the project will assist both parties in understanding how the project will operate and what their role in the process will be. The MoUs will be kept under review and may be updated for the construction phase of each scheme. A typical table of contents for this document is set out in Appendix G.

An Issues Log has been written and an example of the June 07 version may be found in Appendix H. This document will also be monitored and updated at regular intervals with any emerging issues reported to the XL Project Board.

Project Definition Reports will also be compiled and attached to the Memorandums of Understanding. These documents are required to be signed-off by the Strategic Director, the Borough’s Management Team and the Programme Board, as part of the Borough’s Capital Strategy, to release funding for the projects. The project definition reports will be produced on a school by school basis for the design phase of the project, in the first instance, with a subsequent amendment / addition to cover the construction phase when the design phase is nearing completion.

Appendices Summary:

Appendix / Details
A / Risk Register
B / Outline Business Case
C / Outline Project Plan
D / Procurement Options Appraisal
E / TCF Management Structure
F / Approvals Table
G / Memorandum of Understanding - Contents
H / Issues Log – June 07

4.3 Approval is therefore sough to adopt this document structure which forms the framework for the delivery of the first phase of the Schools for the Future XL Project.

JOHN NASH

STRATEGIC DIRECTOR (CHILDREN’S SERVICES)

Contact Officers: Helen Rice 01202 633551

Email :

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