Agenda item

Background:

This report provided details of the proposal to develop a University Technical College (UTC) in Medway. University Technical Colleges (UTCs) were all-ability and mixed gender state funded schools, independent of Local Authorities.  They were new 14-19 Academies, typically with 500-800 pupils, specialising in subjects needing modern, technical, industry-standard equipment, such as engineering and construction.  These specialisms were taught alongside a broad, general education, including business skills, in a timetable that replicated that of the workplace.

The second round of applications for University Technical Colleges was announced by the Department for Education (DfE) on 16 November 2011, with a closing date of 17 January 2012.  The Council was working in partnership with the University of Greenwich and Mid Kent College on the application for a Medway UTC.  In this round the DfE was seeking applications offering an opening date during 2013.

The Cabinet agreed that the decisions set out below were urgent and should therefore not be subject to call-in. In line with rule 16.11 of Chapter 4, Part 5 of the Constitution, call-in could be waived where any delay likely to be caused by the call-in process would seriously prejudice the Council’s or the Public’s interests. It was considered that a call-in of the decisions set out below would weaken the proposal for a UTC, because the University of Greenwich, Mid Kent College and its partners would need to submit the application to the DfE without the explicit support of Medway Council. In addition, the application needed to be made to the DfE by 17 January 2012.

The Chairman of the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed that the decisions proposed were reasonable in all the circumstances and to them being treated as a matter of urgency and to waive call-in.

Additionally, and in line with Rule 16 (Special Urgency) of the Access to Information Rules (Part 2 of Chapter 4 in the Constitution), it was noted that the Chairman of the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee had agreed that the taking of these decisions could not be reasonably deferred.

Reasons:

The above actions are recommended in order to strengthen the application for a Medway UTC and to enable Medway Council to work with its partners in planning the establishment and running of the new school.