Decision - Proposal for the Development of a New Secondary School in Brighton &Hove

That the Committee notes the information in this report and resolves to inform the University of Brighton of its in principle support for the university’s proposal to submit an application to develop a secondary free school in the city.

There is a need for new secondary school places in the city and currently any new school must be developed through the academy or free school routes.  The lead time for developing a new secondary school is rarely less than three years.  The University of Brighton has a strong track record of developing academies and would be well placed to transfer this expertise to the development of a free school, which in legal terms is an academy.  It is therefore recommended that the Committee welcomes the university’s proposal to submit a secondary free school application and declares its in principle support for it. 

The Council could seek proposals from other potential sponsors or promoters for an academy or free school.  Reasons for not pursuing this route include the additional time required to advertise the requirement for a new school and the fact that the University of Brighton is an established Academy Trust with a track record of developing schools and a good understanding of the city’s values and the improvement challenges that exist.

Alternatively, there could be further expansions of existing schools.  This is part of the three strand strategy described in paragraph 3.3 and is likely still be part of the mix of additional capacity to be provided.  However, many of the existing schools are large and have little or no spare capacity for further development,  Achieving a significant increase in the places available in this way before the new places are needed will be difficult.