A new 60 place special school for Stroud
Gloucestershire County Council has a responsibility to ensure there are sufficient school places available for children and young people who live in Gloucestershire and that these are of the right type and are available at the right time.
Gloucestershire County Council has identified the need to establish a new 60 place special school for children aged 4-11 years with Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties for the academic year 2023/24 in the school building formerly occupied by Severn View Primary Academy in Stroud. This is based on an analysis of the projected demand for special school places. We have increased the capacity of other special schools in the county where we can and a new special school for children and young people aged 11 – 16 years is opening in September 2022. However, we anticipate that there will continue to be a shortfall in the number of special school places required in coming years.
We wish to understand your views as well as enable you to comment and offer an opinion on other options that could be considered. This opportunity is extended to parents and carers, head teachers of schools in Gloucestershire, members of the public and especially, those who live close to the proposed location for the new school. Gloucestershire County Council will consider all views put forward during the engagement period.
Background
The demand for special school paces is increasing. When we do not have enough special school places in state funded special schools within the county for children and young people who need them we sometimes need to place children out of area or in independent special schools. This can be at significantly greater cost and involve long journey times for pupils. We want to create additional special school places so that children and young people can have their special education needs met closer to home and in a way that represents more efficient use of public funds. We have high quality state funded special schools in Gloucestershire, with eight of the nine schools that have been inspected receiving an Ofsted rating of good or outstanding.
Developing and expanding local specialist provision is a key element of Gloucestershire’s High Needs Strategy. In 2018 Gloucestershire County Council consulted extensively on the development of its high needs strategy and there was strong endorsement for our proposal that where children have very high levels of need we should create support packages closer to home rather than rely on schools outside of Gloucestershire (96% of those that responded agreed).
The need to increase the number of special school places within the county is set out in Gloucestershire’s SEND Commissioning Strategy 2019-2024. Consultation on this document (with schools, parent carer forums, partner agencies as well as the wider public) took place in 2019. We believe that there continues to be support for further developing local provision as an alternative to making placements out of area and in the independent non-maintained sector.
The total number of children and young people in Gloucestershire with significant special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and who have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) has continued to increase. There is a similar picture across the country. In Gloucestershire the number has increased from 3,922 in January 2020 to 4,332 in January 2021 (an increase of 10.5%) to 4,854 in January 2022 (an increase of 12% from January 2021),
Since the SEN reforms came into effect in September 2014 the number of children and young people with an EHCP in Gloucestershire has more than doubled (2,425 children and young people had a statement or an EHCP in January 2015 and there are currently 4,906 children and young people with an EHCP as at 1st March 2022.
Is there an opportunity to meet council officers face to face to ask questions?
Two informal drop in events are planned in April 2022 for interested parties to meet council officers to ask questions about the proposals. These will take place at the Top of Town Community Hub, Bisley Old Road, Stroud, GL5 1NL (the former Parliament Children’s Centre building within the school grounds) on Tuesday 12 April 12.30 – 1.30pm and on Wednesday 13 April 5.00 – 7.00pm. All are welcome
What happens next?
This engagement period starts on 22 March 2022 and ends on 20 April 2022 at 12 noon. This is the opportunity for anyone to give their views on these proposals to the County Council.
Following the engagement period, and subject to the necessary approvals, Gloucestershire County Council will initiate a free school presumption competition to select an academy trust.
Once the trust is appointed and towards the end of 2022 there is a further consultation period, led by the academy trust, for key stakeholders to learn more about the work of the school and the trust who will run it. People living locally to the former Severn View Primary Academy will be especially involved in this.
How do I give you my views?
You can give us your comments by completing the attached questionnaire which should be returned to us by 12.00 noon on 20 April 2022. It can be sent to:
New Special School Proposals
Universal Commissioning Team
FREEPOST NAT10062
Shire Hall
Gloucester, GL1 2BR
You can also give us your comments through the dedicated e-mail address:
universalcommissioning@gloucestershire.gov.uk or by contacting:
Nathan Roe, Education Planning Manager, Gloucestershire County Council):
01452 427262 or Nathan.Roe@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Your views and comments must reach us by 12.00noon on 20 April 2022 to be considered.
