Council proposals to ensure the availability of school places were among the items addressed in the county’s School Sufficiency Strategy, agreed at Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet.
The Warwickshire Education Sufficiency Strategy covers the period 2024 to 2029 and outlines the council’s statutory duty to provide sufficient education provision across Early Years, primary and secondary education, Post-16, and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The strategy’s four key priorities are Strategic Planning/Right Places at Right Time; Effective Commissioning; Partnership and Collaboration and Managing and Supporting Change.
The comprehensive plan will respond to an increase in numbers of school age children as a result of housing developments (10,000 new permanent school places at 11 new schools have been found over the last decade) as well as an increased demand for specialist education provision year on year (the number of children with EHCPs increasing annually by 9% over the past five years).
Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Education, highlighted the importance of the strategy. She stated: "Ensuring that every child in Warwickshire has access to high-quality education is a priority for us. The Warwickshire Education Sufficiency Strategy 2024-2029 sets a clear roadmap for meeting the growing educational needs of our communities.
“We have endorsed a strategy that, through working closely with school leaders, headteachers, governors, academy trusts, and various education providers, supports our commitment to delivering school places in the right locations to ensure the brightest possible futures for our children and young people."
EnvIronmental sustainability is at the heart of the strategy with new school builds adhering to the revised Building Regulations 2021 which emphasise energy efficiency, ventilation, and electric vehicle charging.
The full Cabinet report can be found here: https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/s37251/WarwickshireEducationSufficiencyStrategyReport.pdf
More information about education In Warwickshire can be found here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/education-learning