Archived decisions

To:

Annexe 8

The Executive Lead Member for Children's Services

From:

The HAT for Hart and Rushmoor

Date:

22nd January 2006

Issue:

Review of resourced provision for deaf/ hard of hearing children

Decision:

This Statement will feed into the Decision to be made by the Executive Member for Children's Services on the 15th February 2006

Abstention:

Cllr Leversha would like to abstain from this HAT statement.

The HAT met to discuss the above issue on the 11th of January 2006. Eric Smith (Education officer SEN) was present to give HAT members a full briefing and answer questions.

All HAT members are unanimously opposed to the closure of resourced provision for deaf/hard of hearing children in Farnborough.

Both Manor and Cove schools have made full representations through the consultation process and would ask the Executive Member to consider these when taking her decision.

In addition to these the HAT members would like the Executive Member to consider the following points:

    1)    Any Military Garrison families with children with hearing impairments who are posted to the area are able to attend the resourced provision at Manor School. This means that at times a higher number of children with hearing impairments could be living in the area than expected when compared to national statistics. (Nationally 1 in 1,000 children are expected to have some form of hearing impairment).

    2)     A sum of £465,000 is currently being spent on improvements at Manor Junior much of this expenditure is specifically designed to benefit the resourced provision. HAT members believe that as an investment of this size is currently being made by the County Council to improve the provision it would seem illogical and embarrassing to close it.

    3)     As the HAT area borders on to both Surrey and Berkshire Counties it is important to look at cross-borders issues. Manor school already provides school places for 3 children with hearing impairments from Surrey. The HAT recommends that Hampshire needs to liaise more with Surrey and Berkshire County Councils and Berkshire Unitary Authorities to find out what resourced provision they have in place and their plans for future provision. This would seem very sensible in light of the aim to increase the numbers within peer groups for hearing impaired children particularly those who use signing as a mode of communication.

    4) HAT members do not agree that a provision in Basingstoke will serve the whole of the north of Hampshire as Hart and Rushmoor covers a large geographical area of 100 square miles (84 in Hart, 16 in Rushmoor), parts of which are very rural and out on a limb.

    5) The report does not include accurate statistics on the population growth of the areas affected. Hart and Rushmoor could have one of the largest housing and population growth in the County over the next 10 years. Plans for the Aldershot Urban Extension are well advanced, when completed this will add 4,600 units with 40% social housing. Without including large schemes like this Rushmoor and Hart add approximately 1200 new homes a year to the area's Housing stock. This population growth in and around the Blackwater valley is fuelled by an annual economic growth rate of approx 3.7%, the highest in the South East. This area in time could have the highest numbers of children with hearing impairment in the County.

    HAT members would like to recommend that the current resource provision is consolidated into four pyramids all providing dual modes of communication, one in the South, one in the West and two in the North of the County. If there is a decision to only keep 3 pyramids then the HAT would recommend the provision in Farnborough should remain open in the north of the County for the reasons stated above.