School Development Officer

at  Wiltshire Council

Specific duties and responsibilities include: To ensure that all education and early years infrastructure requirements arising from housing development planning applications and new development proposals are assessed in order to determine their impact on the need for school places and then to provide a detailed and comprehensive assessment of education need arising from individual developments in order to respond to planning applications and to inform negotiations with developers. To provide robust evidence and support senior officers in order to secure the land and financial contributions necessary to deliver sufficient school places in an area arising from new housing development. To review and assess the impact of individual housing planning applications on school provision and places in its locality in line with the councils policy and methodology. This will require a detailed understanding of the way in which analysis of demographics and school pupil population data is undertaken in order to be able to respond in a timely way to the many, varied and often complex questions that developers and their agents can ask.
To carry out detailed review and analysis of school provision and future pupil number projections in areas where major and minor housing development proposals come forward. This requires regular monitoring and understanding of housing planning applications and whether they are Pre-App, Reserved Matters, Outline or Full Planning applications in order to provide the appropriate level of response. To assess the need for additional school sites (land) arising from major housing developments and determine the size (hectares) of land required. This requires a detailed understanding and analysis of the Department for Education (DfE) Schools Area Guidelines.
In making an assessment of often complex data and information, with different scenarios for consideration, to make recommendations as to the level of financial contributions (either through a Planning S106 financial contribution agreement or to be met from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), required to deliver new school infrastructure in an area. To respond to all consultations on Pre-App, Outline and Full Planning applications as they impact on school places in an area. To liaise with developers and their agents in relation to planning applications and to provide written and verbal responses to concerns raised. This can involve difficult conversations when developers are challenging the information presented by the council.
To support the negotiation with developers on land and financial contributions towards educational infrastructure. This can involve attendance at meetings with developers or the provision of support and information at public inquiry. To prepare and write detailed planning appeal cases in accordance with legislative requirements, as they relate to education infrastructure need, in order to make the case for land and/or funding on behalf of the council. To liaise closely with colleagues involved in school place planning and the commissioning of the schools capital programme of work.
To liaise closely with colleagues in Planning and Legal in relation to the drawing up of S106 agreements and legislation relating to CIL. To maintain and monitor a database of S106/CIL information and S106 financial contributions as it relates to educational infrastructure need in Wiltshire. This information is used on a daily basis in order to inform planning application assessments. To monitor the progress of planning applications and house building to ensure that developer financial contributions are pursued and paid as housing triggers are met.
This involves regular communication with officers in different departments to ensure the council secures what it is owed through agreement, in a timely way. To alert senior officers regarding timescales for spending S106 financial contributions to ensure secured contributions are used effectively to deliver school places. It is important to provide information on deadlines and to understand the implications of not spending contributions in a timely way to ensure that the council is able to make efficient and effective use of its resources. To provide up to date advice and support to senior officers and members on strategic education infrastructure requirements arising from development

Please refer the Job description for details