Contact: Robin Thomas Tel. 01962 846426 email: [email protected]

Ian Lawson Tel: 01962 846350 email: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 Hawthorns School, Basingstoke, for pupils with Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD), was placed in special measures by OfSTED in November 2001. Since then, Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) have made a number of monitoring visits, the sixth and most recent, taking place in January 2004. In spite of considerable support, both before and since being placed in Special Measures, the school has made insufficient progress.

1.2 Following receipt of a report from the HMI sixth monitoring visit on 22 January 2004, and after consideration of a number of options, the County Education Officer (CEO), believes that consultations should be undertaken on the school's closure with effect from 31 August 2004 and the opening of a new school for secondary pupils with BESD on 1 September 2005.

1.3 Strategies designed to improve the provision for pupils at present on the roll of Hawthorns School are in place. If the decision is taken to close Hawthorns School, it will enable the LEA to establish measures to better meet the needs of all the pupils involved.

1.4 Officers are currently considering strategies to further improve behaviour support for pupils with BESD across Hampshire. These strategies will be considered by the Education Policy Review Committee on 23 March 2004.

1.5 The proposal to close Hawthorns School is consistent with Hampshire County Council's corporate aims in terms of:

· Aim 1 - maximising life opportunities

· Aim 4 - building strong and safe communities

· Aim 5 - improving services

2 Background

2.1 Hawthorns School, Basingstoke, is a secondary school for pupils with statements of BESD. There are 56 funded places at the school, but currently only 45 pupils on roll, of which just over half attend regularly. The provision serves the whole of the north of Hampshire. There is boarding provision at the school, which is currently not in use.

2.2 Hawthorns School was placed in special measures by OfSTED in November 2001. For some time, officers within Hampshire LEA had been concerned about the school and prior to the OFSTED inspection, intensive support had been provided at a local level, co-ordinated strategically by senior officers.

2.3 Subsequently, there have been a number of monitoring visits by HMI. Some progress has been identified, but not to a sufficient extent or within a satisfactory time-scale. The school has remained in special measures, in spite of increased and intensive LEA intervention.

2.4 The nature of the needs addressed by the school and the age range concerned, contribute to the levels of difficulty experienced. However, the highest quality of provision is essential for these vulnerable young people and even with the intensive support provided, the school has continued to be the cause of considerable concern and still fails to deliver the high quality of education expected of schools in Hampshire.

2.5 At the end of the Spring Term 2003 the headteacher left the school to take up another position and an acting headteacher was employed during the Summer Term 2003. A permanent headteacher took up appointment at the beginning of the Autumn Term 2003.

2.6 The fifth monitoring visit by HMI took place in November 2003. It concluded again that the school had made limited progress since the last monitoring inspection and only reasonable progress overall since being subject to Special Measures.

2.7 Standards as demonstrated in the 2003 results at Key Stage 3 and 4 are low and show little improvement on the previous year's results. In English, where there remains a vacancy for the head of department, there were no entries at GCSE.

3 Findings of Her Majesty's Inspector - November 2003

3.1 As indicated previously, the fifth HMI visit took place half a term after the arrival of the new headteacher, and inspectors commented positively on the permanent appointment of a headteacher with substantial experience. However, HMI stated that the headteacher was considerably disadvantaged by the continuing vacancy for a deputy headteacher at the school and the difficulties which remained due to other vacancies, including the post of Head of English. Both posts had been advertised on a number of occasions, but no appointments made. Subsequently, the governing body has been able to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified deputy headteacher on a temporary, 18 month fixed-term contract. He took up his post at the end of February 2004.

4 Longer-term plans for behaviour support in the north of the County

4.1 Strategies for addressing the issue of how best the needs of pupils with BESD should be met in the longer-term are currently under consideration as part of the County Council's review of Behaviour Support. A report will be submitted to the Education Policy Review Committee on 23 March 2004, and to the Executive Member for Education on 25 March 2004.

4.2 Future proposals for Hawthorns need to be planned and implemented in the context of these strategies.

5. Proposals for consultation

5.1 There is a continuing need for school places for secondary aged pupils with BESD statements in north Hampshire. There has, however, been no significant improvement at Hawthorns over a sustained period and limited prospects of further improvement in the immediate future. It is apparent that retaining the school is not serving the best interests of its pupils, or of the communities it serves. In this context, and in the light of the significant support offered to the school, both before and over the two and a half years since it was placed in special measures, the most appropriate way forward is to consult on the school's closure and the opening of a new school on the same site.

5.2 This approach would allow the appointment of a new governing body and staff, in the context of the evolving plans for behaviour support referred to in section 4 above. To ensure there is sufficient time to make these appointments, it is proposed that Hawthorns School should close on 31 August 2004 and that a new school should open on 1 September 2005. This proposal, appropriately supported by the LEA, would offer the opportunity for measures to be implemented to address fully the concerns summarised in section 2 of this report and to secure a lasting improvement in the standard of provision for secondary pupils with statements of BESD in north Hampshire.

5.3 DfES guidance to School Organisation Committees states that there is a presumption that they will approve both sets of proposals where a failing school is to close and a Fresh Start school is to open on the same site. Although the formal Fresh Start approach is not being proposed in this case, the principles and the planned outcome are the same.

6. Short-term actions to improve educational provision

6.1 Interim arrangements would need to be put in place to provide an appropriate education for pupils during the academic year 2004/2005. During the summer term 2004, each pupil who at present attends Hawthorns School, plus any prospective pupils who would attend from 1 September 2004, would be provided with an extended Individual Education Plan, identifying where educational provision will be made, what will be provided and who will be delivering it.

6.2 Officers have started initial discussions with other schools to make good arrangements for Hawthorns pupils during the interim period. These will be developed during the consultation period.

Recommendations

1. That approval is given for consultations to be carried out on:

(a) the closure of Hawthorns School, Basingstoke from 31 August 2004;

(b) the opening of a new special school for pupils of secondary age with statements of Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties in the premises of Hawthorns School, Basingstoke from 1 September 2005;

(c) interim arrangements to apply between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB The list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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