Decision details

A paper was taken to Executive on 12 September 2024 to inform them about the approach for determining allocations of the capital and revenue grants to create and expand places for the delivery of the childcare reforms. At the meeting Executive members approved;
• The revenue spend to create the new wraparound places to deliver this ambitious programme.
• The use of the DfE 2023-24 Childcare Capital Expansion grant allocation and relevant Section 106 Developer contributions to increase the capacity of early years and wraparound provisions in York and use the DfE Wraparound Programme revenue grant allocation to support the delivery of additional wraparound places for primary school children.
• The delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Children and Education, the Director of Governance and the Director of Finance to develop the grant allocation process, procure and award and enter into the resulting grant agreements.
A grant allocation process for the provision of early years places has now been completed and resulted in the following successful applicant:
• Section 106 developer contributions (Chocolate Works Development):
- Knavesmire Primary School (Excel Learning Trust) - £132,000
The funding will support the school to create a provision specifically for 2 year olds to meet the rising demand for places from the development. The school will undertake refurbishment to a space which is currently unused.
The environment will be designed and resourced specifically to ensure the needs of 2 year olds can be met. The additional capacity will be for children aged 2 years, however there will be close links into the current provision for 3 & 4 year olds to ensure good transitions. The refurbishment will create approx. 16 places. To support the increase in demand for places it is anticipated that this project would be complete by late Summer 2026, with children accessing the provision from September 2026 (Autumn term). The project will be overseen by the schools Director of Estates & IT Infrastructure.
The school site sits within close proximity to the Chocolate Works Development and families can walk to this provision supporting the Local Authority’s ambitions for a greener city and accessible childcare. The school is within the 1.5km permitted distance as set out within the T & C’s of the funding agreement.

Comments/Observations:
The application was evaluated on both quality and price, with applicants invited to answer questions to explore how they would best achieve the funding outcomes. Additional clarification questions were subsequently submitted by the school to support their application.
The expenditure will be funded from section 106 developer contributions grant allocated to support the expansion of early years places due to the rising demand from the Chocolate Works development. Total budget allocation was: £193,963
Total remaining after this project: £0

Decision: To approve the award of grant to the provider identified through the grant application process.

• Option 1 - To approve the award of a grant to the provider identified through the grant application process (recommended).
• Option 2 – decline to approve the award of a grant at this time and reopen the grant application process
• Option 3 – decline to approve the award of a grant at this time and do not reopen the grant application process

• Option 2 – decline to approve the award of a grant at this time and reopen the grant application process
• Option 3 – decline to approve the award of a grant at this time and do not reopen the grant application process