Decision – Capital Investment for Children’s Services

That the total
allocation of £197,000 from the Local Authority’s
Higher Needs Provision Capital Allocation be approved for the
installation of Heat Source Pumps at the Chestnut Centre,
Brixham.

The Education Act 1996 sets out
a statutory duty on LAs to secure sufficient school places, which
they must do with regard to securing special educational provision
for children and young people with special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND).

Children and Families Act 2014
also places important statutory responsibilities on LAs for
supporting children and young people with SEND, including keeping
the sufficiency of educational provision for them under
review.

The HNPCA funding has been
delegated to the LA to meet the capital costs associated with the
provision of new places or improvement of existing provision
for:

o  
Children and
young people with complex needs, who have Education, Health and
Care plans (EHCPs), and where appropriate other children and young
people with SEND who do not have an EHCP.

o  
Pupils who
require alternative provision (including children in AP settings
without an EHCP).

If the funding is not spent it
will be clawed back by the department.

Ongoing costs and the needs of
children and young people with EHCPs, SEND is mitigated and costly
out of area placements avoided.

Not
proceeding – the LA has a statutory duty as the responsible
body to secure sufficient school places, which they must do
with regard to securing special
educational provision for children and young people with special
educational needs.

There
is not an option to spend this funding on any other Council
priorities; the funding is ring fenced specially for developing
SEND provision.  If the funding is not
utilised by the LA or is spent in a manner that does not meet the
terms and conditions of the allocation, it would be clawed back by
central government.

September 2025 – September 2026.

Approval is sought to allocate £197,000 in HNPCA to
support the repurposing and adaptation of the Chestnut Centre in
Brixham.  This investment will enable
the installation of green energy infrastructure, specifically Heat
Source Pumps, to improve the building’s energy efficiency and
long-term viability.

The
Chestnut Centre is undergoing a strategic expansion to increase its
specialist provision by 8 additional places. In addition, the sixth
day provision will be relocated to this site, consolidating
services and enhancing the centre’s capacity to meet local
needs.

The
installation of Heat Source Pumps aligns with sustainability goals
and will ensure the building remains fit for purpose as service
demand grows.

This
proposal is aligned with the Department for Education’s
objectives for Local Authorities to build upon existing good
practices in adapting and improving the suitability of the built
environment in schools.  It supports the
strategic aim of ensuring that local provision is readily available
and accessible for children and young people with special
educational needs.

HNPCA
is allocated to Local Authorities (LAs) proportionally, based on
the estimated share of future growth in the children and young
people in each LA who may require High Needs provision as a
percentage of the national total.