Archived decisions
AT A MEETING of the EASTLEIGH/WINCHESTER SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS - MEMBERS PANEL held at The Castle, Winchester on Wednesday 3 October 2001.
PRESENT:
Councillors: M.F. Cartwright (Chairman); B.D. Dash; Jo Kelly; Mrs P.G. Peskett; Mrs E.M.F. Randall.
Also in attendance: Councillors Felicity Hindson and Mrs P.G.E. Holden-Brown.
1. EASTLEIGH AND WINCHESTER LEARNING DIFFICULTIES REORGANISATION
The Panel considered a report of the County Education Officer (Item 1 in the Minute Book) updating Members on progress with the reorganisation as far as the Education Department was concerned.
The County Education Officer reported that the implementation of the reorganisation was subject to a delay of two terms. This had been caused by a delay in securing planning permission for the Lankhills site development and by the need to apply to Central Government for a licence to remove bats from the residential block (to be demolished) and to provide suitable alternative habitats elsewhere on the campus.
It was noted that Greenacres and Tankerville would now close at the end of the Spring term 2003 with Lankhills and Shepherds Down opening as "new schools" at the beginning of the summer term. At the date of the meeting it was hoped that the Early Years Centres for Winchester and Eastleigh would open in the autumn of 2003. It was however pointed out that there were significant issues still to be resolved. The Learning Difficulties Unit at Shakespeare School would open in September 2002, as planned.
The County Education Officer also reported on the workings of the SEN Forum which met termly to be brought up to date with developments concerning the reorganisation. The next meeting would take place on Tuesday 11 December 2001 at 7.00 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. at Lankhills School. The notes of the SEN Forum held on 24 July 2001 would be forwarded to Panel Members in due course.
The County Education Officer also updated the Panel on the current staffing situation. Teachers had been given "letters of intent" which would be converted into contracts once budgets for the financial year 2002/03 had been confirmed. It was also noted that the County Council was currently consulting with headteacher representatives and UNISON on a grading structure for Learning Support Assistants which would apply to all schools. The implications of the grading structure for posts at Lankhills and Shepherds Down would need to be considered along with salary protection arrangements for support staff appointed to lower graded posts at Lankhills and Shepherds Down as well as the scope for centrally funding such costs.
It was reported that work was continuing on the amalgamation of Medecroft Opportunity Centre and the St. Bede Nursery. There were two options as far as a location for the new Winchester Early Years Centre was concerned. The first was the redevelopment of the Greenacres building and site following that school's closure. However, this would be an expensive option and there was no further County Council funding to enable the work to be carried out. A second option was therefore currently being pursued relating to building a new Early Years Centre on a County Council owned site in Winchester funded in part by disposal of the Greenacres site. Various site options were being considered and it was confirmed that feasibility studies on these options would be brought to a future meeting of the Panel. The Head of the Estates Practice also confirmed in response to queries about the lease arrangements at Medecroft Opportunity Centre that the County Council had a lease from King Alfred's College with 74 years to run.
RESOLVED:
(i) That the Panel welcome the initiatives under way as part of the Eastleigh and Winchester Learning Difficulties reorganisation.
(ii) That feasibility studies on options for the Early Years Centre in Winchester be submitted to a future meeting of the Panel.
2. EASTLEIGH AND WINCHESTER SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) REORGANISATION
The Panel considered a report of the Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services (Item 2 in the Minute Book) updating Members on the progress of the building developments at Lankhills and Shepherds Down Schools.
The Panel welcomed the fact that the Lankhills and Shepherds Down projects had been awarded to one contractor in order that they could run in parallel and be managed as one overall project. This would give economies of scale in terms of the procurement of materials and staff resources required for both contractor and design teams. At the date of the meeting it was anticipated that further enabling work would commence at both sites before Christmas 2001. The contracts would run in parallel and were due for completion during the Spring of 2003.
The Director of Property, Business and Regulatory Services confirmed that a significant proportion of the funding for the project would come from the future sale of land at Lankhills, Tankerville in Eastleigh and the former South Downs School in Otterbourne. It was confirmed that when a firm tender was received a final review would be undertaken of the likely outturn of future income from the receipts in order to maximise the funding available.
RESOLVED:
That the report be welcomed and progress on the second stage contractor negotiations be noted.
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