Agenda item

The report of Judith Westcott (Acting Head of Children’s Commissioning) updates School’s Forum on the proposals going forward for special schools in Wiltshire.

Judith Westcott (Acting Head of Children’s Commissioning) referred to the report that was circulated with the Agenda that sought to update Schools Forum on the proposals going forward for Special Schools in Wiltshire.  Judith highlighted the following:

·         A successful application was made in the last free school bidding round for special schools and this will mean that a new school for 150 children/young people with ASD/SEMH would be created in the South of the county.  It was hoped that the new school will be ready for pupils at latest in 2023, but potentially as early as 2021;

·         Further special school provision is needed and Cabinet at their meeting on 22 May 2019 agreed the vision for the future of special education in Wiltshire.   Cabined agreed that Wiltshire Council should make plans to establish a new maintained special school, (to be renamed) with a single leadership team as soon as possible.  This would involve closing St Nicholas, Rowdeford and Larkrise schools and opening them as one new school on three sites;

·         All new special school places would be created at the Rowdeford site and consultation would be carried out on which other buildings and campuses may be used in the future;

·         There is a technical process to follow to achieve this which includes applying to the Secretary of State for Education to have a new maintained school rather than an academy.  It takes on average 6 weeks to make a decision but if we were to hear with a decision by 26 June 2019 that permission is granted, we would issue a statutory notice and run a four-week consultation to ensure everyone understands and can ask questions about the new proposal for one school on three sites.  If we do not hear by the end of June the consultation period would run from September 2019 after the summer holidays;

·         Subject to the conclusions from the consultation, the Council, following a Cabinet decision in either September or October would need to present the proposal to the School’s Adjudicator to open a new maintained special school;

·         The building works at the Rowdeford site will start as soon as possible but be phased so that children could potentially be in the school buildings when each stage is built e.g. by school key stages.  Once the new buildings are ready, the Council will consult on whether to keep all three sites open or whether only the Rowdeford site will be needed; and

·         Consultation is currently underway to look to expand the capacity at Downlands School in Devizes from 68 to 90 places from September 2019.

A slide showing the proposed plans and timeline for decision was shown at the meeting and this would be shared with all parents/carers with children at the special schools involved when the consultation is launched in September. 

A Forum Member asked about the proposed new school in the South.  Judith Westcott confirmed that initial meetings have begun with the DfE and academies can submit expressions of interests to run this new school.  A possible site has been identified next to Pembroke Park Primary School in Salisbury, although other sites would be considered. 

Resolved:

That Schools Forum note the commitments made in the proposals being taken forward by Wiltshire Council.