Major changes to school plans for children with special needs

Feb 27 2009 by Nicola Juncar, The Journal

MAJOR changes have been made to proposals to transform teaching for children with special educational needs in South Tyneside.

Education bosses are carrying out a review of special schools across the borough to ensure pupils with disabilities or learning difficulties are fully catered for.

After lengthy consultations with parents, teachers, governors and ward councillors, South Tyneside Council cabinet members have scrapped two of their original ideas.

Initially, they proposed to build a new 135-place secondary special school in Hebburn and open a new 120-place primary special school at the existing Bamburgh School in South Shields. However, these plans have been thrown out and replaced with alternative proposals, which the council said are a direct result of the consultation process.

Now proposed are a new school for Epinay School on a site at Hebburn Comprehensive, Bedewell or Lukes Lane, and a new 130-place special school for three to 19-year-olds on the existing Bamburgh School site.

The new Epinay School would serve five to 16-year-olds with moderate learning difficulties, vulnerable children and those with physical or medical needs who require a special school place.

It would also provide for pupils currently in Margaret Sutton and Bamburgh Schools.

The new 130-place special school in South Shields would cater for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.

Cabinet members are to consider the alternative proposals when they meet on Wednesday.

The recommendations are also in line with the conclusions of the cross-party Scrutiny Commission, which was set up to review SEN provision in the borough independently from the authority.

If cabinet agrees to the new proposals there will be further public consultation with parents, governors, staff and trades unions until May 1.

The outcome of this consultation will be reported back to cabinet in the summer.

Coun Jim Foreman, lead member lifelong learning and leisure, said: “We have spoken to hundreds of people involved with SEN and we have listened very carefully to all their suggestions as we promised we would.

“This consultation has been extremely helpful, it has clarified issues and it is clear that most parents are against the kind of changes originally proposed. However it is accepted that educational provision for our children and young people with special needs has to change.

“Although much of our existing provision is excellent and we have many brilliant and committed staff and managers, we simply have too many special schools for a borough of this size and the numbers are continuing to fall.

“Senior officers have carried out a lengthy analysis of the consultation results and have identified an alternative way forward which I believe may be more acceptable to pupils, their parents and carers and everyone involved with our special schools. By building a new school for Epinay and creating a new school on the existing Bamburgh School site we will satisfy many parents and carers who called for all-age schools.

“It will also mean that the most vulnerable secondary pupils with profound and severe learning needs will not be on site with other secondary pupils, which I know was a great concern to many parents.”

He added: “If the cabinet agrees these recommendations we will hold a further eight weeks of public consultation to allow for the proposals to be discussed and refined before any final decision is made.”

The full cabinet report can be viewed online at www.southtyneside.info/senreport or printed copies are available from South Shields Town Hall.

It is accepted that educational provision for our young people with special needs has to change