Agenda item

Report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Community and Children’s Services on the proposal to expand Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School to a two-form entry (2FE) school and to update Members on the 2017/18 admissions.

A risk was identified in 2013 of the City of London not being able to fulfil its statutory

duty to ensure sufficient primary school places for City residents. This prompted

work to be undertaken to assess the projected needs for school places in the City of

London. Despite some early indications that there was an increase in need for

places, this has not materialised. The position is that all children resident in the City

of London have secured school places this year and in recent years, albeit not all in

the school of their first choice.

Ongoing discussions between the governing body of the school, the Sir John Cass’s

Foundation and the City of London via a series of tripartite meetings continued to

pursue possible options for expansion. Having identified that there wasn’t a need for

further school places, a review of the financial viability of the school as a 1FE

concluded that this was not a risk at this time. At the tripartite meeting on 12 June

2017, given the Foundation had not been convinced of the need to expand the

school, and the governing body no longer wishing to consider expansion at this time, it was decided not to pursue this further. Members expressed their disappointment over the decision and thanked Officers for their work with the matter.

RESOLVED – that the report be noted.