Panel queries and DfE replies: June 2025

18. KEVICC Panel Updated Note (inc Panel queries) June 2025 (redacted)
King Edward VI Community College (“KEVICC”) – Education South 
West 
UPDATE NOTE FOR SCHOOL PLAYING FIELDS PANEL WITH RESPONSE 
TO PANEL FURTHER QUERIES 
Purpose of this note
Officials are providing this note in response to some queries raised by 
Panel members following the Update Note provided for the Panel on 19 
June 2025. The Update Note has been attached below at Appendix 1 for 
ease of reference.
Officials do not feel that a further application is required as in this case the 
playing field land being disposed of remains the same. The passage of time 
since the application was submitted and the date of the initial decision 
(which now needs varying) has meant that the priorities with regard to the 
use of any proceeds has changed.
Queries raised by Panel following Update Note (with DfE response in 
red) 
1. What total area of land WILL be disposed of (since Area C is to be
added back into the mix) - specifically playing field of course -
and is it all currently held under freehold by the Academy trust ?The playing field land which will be disposed is still 32,215 m². 
The overall amount to be disposed of is now 54,015 m². Area C
(16,400 m²) will not be included in the disposal land. Area C is not 
classed as playing field land.
The land to be disposed of is held freehold by the academy trust. 
2. What is the current expected capital receipt for this total area 
and is Devon County Council due any share of this?
The trust’s land agent has advised that the total land to be 
disposed of is valued between £6.6 million and £9.25 million.
Although this is not a formal valuation, it is not felt cost effective 
to commission a valuation at this time since the trust estimates 
the sale to take at least 5 years to come to fruition, owing to the 
likely hurdles which will be faced with obtaining planning 
permission. A formal valuation prior to disposal will be required 
as part of the condition of any consent granted. 
NB when the Panel originally considered the matter the expected 
receipt, backed up by a valuation was £3.265 million.
Devon County Council is not entitled to the proceeds of the sale 
unless this is directed by the SoS under its powers. Officials are 
not proposing to recommend a direction in these terms. 
3. Has the Department checked that the priorities that our Panel 
agreed upon originally have been completed or are on track to be 
completed or confirm why they are no longer needed?The Panel did not express specific projects were required to be 
prioritised. However, the report to the Panel in June 2022 detailed 
the intended reinvestments as follows:
• New Changing Facility to service new All-Weather Pitch
• New All-Weather Pitch, including fencing, run-off areas and 
lighting
• Informal viewing area and access to All Weather-Pitch
• New landscaped external space with high quality spaces for 
students. Granite paving or the like. 
• Steps to provide change in heights. 
• Raised landscaping areas.
• External lighting. Street furniture. Demolition of mobile 
buildings.
• Enhancing passive drainage of existing playing field.
• Tree screen clear stemmed and thinned to aid passive 
surveillance of top field.
• Provision of 2 Nr bus/coach drop-off areas, including 
pavements. Works to existing pedestrian paths. Possible 
provision of cycle ways. Roundabout in improve traffic flow, 
including crossing points.
• Arial Suite reconfigured to provide 6th Form entrance 
(515m2) , 
• Alterations and refurbishment of adjacent block 
(500m2) . External works to provide semi-private 
courtyard and landscaped approach
• Refurbished surfacing to existing car park, including white 
lining. Landscaping including hedging. Safeguarding fencing 
with maglock controls.
• Auditorium style seating.
• Additional refurbishment to incorporate high quality 
spaces.
Officials have not conducted a site visit as to the extent to which 
these works have been done, but have received the comments on 
the proposed works as detailed in Annex 3. In summary, owing to 
the passage of time and the changes in leadership at the school (the school is now run by the trust, but the original proposals 
were formulated by the foundation trust), priorities have changed 
and some projects are not required. See Annex 3 of the Update 
Note for details. 
4. Is the Academy Trust allowed to spend the receipt at any of their 
schools outside the County of Devon?
Yes, in theory it could. Officials would always expect the school 
disposing of the land to be prioritised for spend, followed by 
other schools within the trust. Note that this Multi Academy Trust 
currently has 14 schools and they are all based in Devon – one in 
Exeter, with the rest in the Dartmouth, Newton Abbott, Totnes and 
Kingsbridge areas.
5. Have there been any significant changes to Community use of 
these areas since the original application?
The academy trust has not told officials about changes to 
community use at the site though it does remain of great interest 
as the department frequently receives correspondence from 
members of the local community and councillors. APPENDIX 1 UPDATE NOTE FOR PANEL PROVIDED 19 JUNE 
2025.
Timeline of events
November 2021 – KEVICC foundation trust submits application to dispose of some of 
its playing field land to rationalise its sprawling site in face of falling numbers.
June 2022 - The Panel recommends approval to dispose of all of the playing field land 
included in the application to disposal at the Panel meeting held on 15 June 2022. Panel 
letter is annexed at Annex 1. 
September 2022 – KEVICC converts and becomes part of Education South West 
Academy Trust (who wish to continue with the application to dispose).
2022 – April 2023 - Land identified as possible use for a free school (issues with 
another free school in the area arose and so the KEVICC site was kept in reserve)
May 2023 – KEVICC land confirmed as not needed for free school, but another nearby 
school, River Dart Academy, had been suffering severe flooding issues and had been 
placed on the School Rebuilding Programme to be relocated and rebuilt on a suitable 
site. KEVICC land identified as potentially suitable.
2023/2024 – Various sites reviewed for relocation of River Dart Academy and KEVICC 
land still identified as feasible. Devon County Council confirms that only part of the 
KEVICC land would be needed.
February 2025 - Consent to dispose of part of the playing field and non playing field
land at KEVICC granted by the minister on 10 February 2025. Conditions on the use of 
the proceeds were included. It was proposed that the remaining part of the land which 
was the subject of the application (playing field and non playing field) would be directed to Devon County Council, who could then use the land as the relocation site 
for River Dart Academy. A copy of the decision letter is attached at Annex 2. 
March 2025 - Before the land was formally directed to Devon CC, local planning 
authority states it would not grant planning permission on the KEVICC land for the 
rebuild of River Dart Academy. The department took planning advice on this and 
decided that an appeal against a negative planning decision was unlikely to be 
successful. An alternative site for River Dart Academy will therefore have to be found by
Devon County Council, and the trust for KEVICC is therefore still seeking consent to 
dispose of this part of the land.
Variations to Decision required
• Decision now needs to include the land which was allocated for River Dart as it 
will not now be directed to Devon County Council.
• Trust confirms that it will not be disposing of land marked plot C (non playing 
field land) and will be retaining this land so decision needs to be varied to reflect 
this updated position.
• Owing to the passage of time since the original application, the trust has decided 
that the original proposals for the use of proceeds are, to some extent, no longer 
relevant for the school, since those projects had either been carried out using 
alternative funds, or did not represent value for money for the school. Details of 
the reasons for this are attached in Annex 1. Moreover, this site is particularly 
complex from a planning point of view, and the trust expects it to take a further 5-
6 years before proceeds to the school will actually be realised. As such, the trust 
is asking that the consent is varied to alter the conditions of the use of proceeds. 
Land Transactions Proposal
• Recommend disposal of land which was originally allocated to River Dart 
Academy.
• Recommend that decision is amended to remove Plot C from the land
• Recommend that conditions are varied as follows:
a) The sale price is no less than the estimated open market value of the 
land confirmed by an up-to-date red book valuation (within 6 months of 
the sale date); andb) The proceeds of sale are used for:
i) Either a capital replacement and refurbishment of the school’s 
estate in agreement with officials at the DfE with the following 
projects being prioritised (to the extent those projects are required 
at the time):
• New changing facilities;
• Improved drainage to existing playing fields to the school’s 
western site;
• Refurbishment of the existing gym/sports hall
ii) Or, in the event there are no suitable projects at the school, capital 
projects and improvements to recreational facilities at other 
schools within the trust in agreement with officials at the DfE. 
Essentially the land being disposed of is in fact less than that originally 
proposed, but the playing field land remains the same. It is not felt that a further 
Panel review is required since the playing field land has not changed from the 
original application but we would welcome any comment you have on this. 
The school will not be providing a new all weather pitch (see Annex 3) and so the 
mitigation for the loss of playing field land is slightly less than when the Panel 
reviewed the case (resulting in the school retaining 156% of the recommended 
playing field land against the school’s capacity). The school does not consider 
the all weather pitch is value for money and so officials do not consider the trust 
should be obliged to install it. The school is also much lower on numbers than 
its capacity suggests, so the school’s pupils in fact enjoy a higher level of playing 
field land in reality. Instead, by including a requirement for officials to agree the 
spend, the department can ensure that the proceeds are spent in line with 
policies at the time, and adequate consideration is given to the facilities required 
at the point the trust receives the sale proceeds.Annex 3
An update on the proposals from the trust is listed below:
• New additional all weather pitch on the school’s western site – The trust has
stated that this would not represent a value for money proposition. The school 
already has access to an AWP, which is regularly used by the school as part of 
the curriculum delivery as well as the provision of extra curricular provision. The 
trust states that a brand new AWP could absorb £1 million upward of precious 
funds to create a facility that is not needed.
• New changing facilities – The trust notes that there are adequate facilities in the 
main school and there are changing facilities at the AWP, which do need 
upgrading, though the likelihood is that those will have been upgraded by the 
time any proceeds are received.
• Improved drainage to existing playing fields on the school’s western site -
The trust has confirmed it would still seek this, but it may be that the 
improvement is required before the sale proceeds are received.
• Refurbishment of the existing gym/sports hall - The trust has confirmed it 
would still seek this, but again it may be that the improvement is required before 
the sale proceeds are received.
• Creation of a new sixth form block – The school has changed its strategy here 
and will not be proceeding with this as it does not see it as value for money and 
rising construction costs mean that the sale proceeds would not cover this 
anyway.
• Enhancements to the external environment of the school site – the trust 
confirms that aspects of this have already been concluded using alternative 
funds and the original plans around this are unlikely to materialise.