Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education seeking a determination on the proposal to establish SEND Resourced Provision.

The following appendix was attached to the report:

Appendix A - PublicNotices and Proposal for the Establishing SEND Resource Bases.

Decision Made:

That the proposal as detailed in the statutory notice to establish a SEND Resourced Provision with effect from 1 September 2024, be approved.

Reasons for the Decision:

The local authority had the power to consider all options including expanding a school following the statutory process detailed in the report.

The proposal would build on the good standards for teaching and learning already in place at the schools. The development would provide places for children and young people with SEND within the Resourced Provision. Waterloo Primary School had been judged by Ofsted to be providing good quality education.

This development would not have any negative impact on other schools, academies, and educational institutions in the area.

The proposed resource base would not replace existing provision but would supplement and improve provision across the borough.

The addition of the Specialist Resource Base to the school would not have a direct impact on admissions or provision at other schools within the area.

Long-term value for money would be achieved by pupils having their needs met within appropriate mainstream provision with specialist support rather than in special school provision. This would free special school places for pupils with the highest level of needs and provide the opportunity to place high need pupils within the borough, rather than in out-of-borough provision.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Failure to provide sufficient places for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) in the borough would result in additional costs for the Council through more expensive specialist placements.