Archived decisions
PRESCRIBED INFORMATION
REORGANISATION OF SPECIAL SCHOOLS
1. School Names The Meadow School, Bordon Whitedown School, Alton
2. DfES numbers 7034 7027
3. Local Education Authority Hampshire
4. Proposals published by Hampshire County Council
5. Date Proposals published 17 January 2003
6. Proposed implementation date 1 April 2006
Note: Not all the required information can be provided on the face of this pro forma; copies of consultation documents, list of schools, a map of the location of schools etc will also be required, as detailed within.
This information is to be regarded as in the public domain and may be shown to interested parties without further notification.
PLEASE PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION (typewritten):
1. What are the objectives of the proposal?
The reorganisation of two special schools for children with learning difficulties, involving the amalgamation of The Meadow and Whitedown Schools into a new school on the site of The Meadow School, to cater for children with a range of learning difficulties including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).
Where appropriate, the inclusion of children with learning difficulties in mainstream schools by making resourced provision.
2. Please provide a statement indicating how the proposals would contribute to enhancing the quality of education and how they support the Authority's policy for provision for children with special educational needs as set out the Educational Development Plan.
The proposals will result in improved resources and specialist facilities, a wider range of staff expertise, opportunities for more children to be included in mainstream schools, and minimisation of inappropriate placement of some borderline children.
3. Please give details of what consultation has taken place and provide copies of:
a. consultation documents, and
b. the views and responses of the persons consulted
Full details are given in the report considered by the Education Policy Review Committee on 20 November 2001. Since that report consultation with mainstream schools has continued, with a view to further proposals being brought forward for the establishment of resourced provision.
4. Please provide a statement which indicates the consequences for the education of pupils with special educational needs in the area if the proposals were rejected.
The opportunity for improving provision for children in the area will be lost. In particular, low numbers at Whitedown School are of concern, as is the condition and suitability of the school buildings.
5. Please provide a map showing the location of the existing and new schools.
Maps are attached showing the locations of Whitedown and The Meadow Schools, and the relationship between Alton and Bordon.
6. Please provide a list of all special schools and other schools maintained by the Local Education Authority where there is recognised provision for pupils with special educational needs.
Please see attached extract from the School Organisation Plan.
7. Please provide the following information relating to pupils for whom provision is made at the schools for the current year and the preceding four school years:
a) the number of pupils at the school
b) the number of pupils of each age group and sex
c) the number of pupils with each type of SEN for whom the school makes provision.
Please see attached table.
8. Please provide details of schools where pupils, who will be displaced if the proposals are agreed, will be sent, including details of any interim arrangements.
Places will be available for all displaced pupils at the new school on the site of The Meadow School, or at units / resourced provision at mainstream schools, depending on the needs of individual pupils.
9. Please give details of the proposed arrangements for transport of pupils to other schools.
Transport will be provided in accordance with the LEA's policy.
10. Please provide information relating to the distance and travelling times from the school to the schools where it is proposed that pupils will transfer.
This will depend on the home addresses of individual pupils. Some will have further to travel and some a shorter distance. However, none of the journeys are outside what is considered to be reasonable travelling distance or time.
11. Please provide details of the curriculum at each of the schools to which it is proposed pupils will transfer.
This will accord with each pupil's individual education plan (IEP) which will include those elements of the national curriculum appropriate to individual needs.
12. Please provide details of any transitional arrangements which will be made in connection with the transfer of pupils to other schools.
Places will be available in the "new" school, or in resourced provision in mainstream schools, for all pupils attending the existing schools at the time the reorganisation tales place. Individual placements will be discussed with parents nearer to the time of transfer. This will also include consideration of requests for transfer to other schools or colleges.
13. Please provide details of any other measures the Authority intends to take to increase the number of school places available if the proposals are agreed.
The new school and units / resourced provision at mainstream schools will provide sufficient places to meet the long term needs of pupils living in the area.
14. Please provide information as to:
a) the number of pupils at each school listed above.
b) the number of pupils at each school for whom there is recognised provision for children with SEN, in the current school year together with a forecast of that number for each of the subsequent five school years.
Please see attached table.
15. Please provide details of the number of pupils with special educational needs of each type for whom the Local Education Authority maintains a statement of SEN in the current school year, together with a forecast of such numbers for each of the subsequent five school years.
This is given in the enclosed extract from the School Organisation Plan. It is not expected that there will be significant overall variations from these numbers over the next five years.
16. Please provide details of any arrangements for the transfer of staff employed at the closing schools to transfer to other schools.
It is expected that the majority of staff will be offered posts in the new school or in resourced provision. Any remaining staff will be assisted to find new posts in accordance with the LEA's redeployment policies.
17. In relation to the proposed new school:
a. Please provide a forecast of the projected numbers of pupils at the proposed school by sex, age and, where appropriate, type of SEN for which provision is to be made, for the four years following the current school year.
Please see attached table.
b. Please give details of the proposed arrangements for transport and how these will differ from existing arrangements.
The current policy will continue to apply.
c. Please provide details of the proposed curriculum and whether it will be modified to meet the special educational needs of the pupils at the school.
See question 11, above.
d. Please provide details of the proposed staffing and when the head teacher is expected to be appointed.
The staff structure will be finalised when the head teacher and governing body have been appointed. The number of staff will relate to the agreed Hampshire funding formula, which is in line with DfES recommendations. It is anticipated that this will include a deputy and at least one other senior post, as heads of primary and secondary departments. Class sizes will vary but are likely to be 8 - 10 with a teacher and 2 or 3 learning support assistants.
18. Please provide the following information relating to the proposed accommodation (including temporary accommodation)
a. the location of the accommodation
Mill Chase Road, Bordon
b. a site plan of the accommodation
Attached
c. whether the proposed school will occupy a single or split site
Single site
d. how accessible the accommodation will be
The new school will be designed to be fully accessible.
e. details of the general and specialist accommodation (both teaching and non teaching)
The school will be provided with 12 general teaching bases, 2 PMLD resource bases, group rooms and specialist facilities for social/life skills, food technology, science, art/clay work, music, and ICT, together with a hall, library and therapy rooms, staff offices and work rooms.
19. Please provide details of the capital costs of the establishment of the proposed new school together with details of how it is intended to fund the implementation of the proposals.
The total cost of the project is estimated as £7.654 million. A bid submitted to the DfES Targeted Capital Fund for £5 million was successful. The balance of funding will be found from the County Council's own resources in terms of capital receipts as well as contribution from formulaic grants and allocations from the DfES under NDS Modernisation and Condition AMP.
20. Please provide details of any costs or savings in expenditure made as a result of implementing the proposals and provide a statement as to whether any premises will be sold and, if so, the estimated proceeds of the sale.
As the majority of revenue funding is formula based, there will be no specific revenue costs or savings. The Whitedown site will be sold, with an estimated receipt in the order of £500,000. This will be used to meet part of the cost of the new school buildings.
21. Where the establishment of the new school involves development for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning Act, a statement as to whether planning permission has been obtained and, if such permission has not been obtained, details of the reasons, if known, why it has not been obtained.
A planning application will be submitted for once the detailed design has been completed. No difficulties are anticipated as this is the building of replacement accommodation on an existing school site.