A report to consider school place planning for Children with Special Educations Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and to consult on proposals for a special school provision.

The Committee received a report providing information on school place planning for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The report explained that the School Place Planning Strategy 2022-2027 that had been considered by the Committee in March 2024 (Minute 36 refers), set out how Brighter Futures for Children on behalf of Reading Borough Council delivered sufficient school places in the context of the Council’s statutory duties, ensuring that school place delivery supported the achievement of the best outcomes for children in Reading.

The Strategy confirmed that there were more than sufficient primary school places, and with the delivery of the new secondary academy, River Academy from September 2024, sufficient secondary places, for the duration of the Strategy. The Strategy had been updated with the latest capacity and census data and was appended to the report.

The Strategy identified two key challenges for Reading:

·       Addressing the budget and surplus place challenges in community primary schools. An increasing number of primary schools were facing challenges in balancing their budgets, and with no projected increase in primary age pupils, the spare capacity in the system created further potential budget risks for schools; and

·       Meeting the rising challenge of sufficiency of specialist provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision and the pressures on the Dedicated Schools Grant High Needs Block. The strategy set out in some detail the needs analysis and population projections which confirmed the need for a 180 place all through (primary and secondary) special school to meet current lack of sufficiency in special school provision in Reading.

The report explained that following a detailed options appraisal, which had included considerations of whether school closures were required, a preferred option of expansion and split site relocation of Holy Brook school to the site of Whitley Park School and Ridgeway Primary School was recommended, in order to:

i)               address the immediate risks and pressures associated with the insufficiency of Special Educational school places in Reading, whilst also;

ii)              minimising disruption to school staff and pupils; and

iii)            improving the range and number of school places available in suitable provision for Reading’s children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

There would be extensive informal pre-statutory consultation and formal statutory consultation taken for any significant change to school organisation.  Dedicated engagement sessions would be held with, the parents of current pupils impacted by any proposed change, Reading Families Forum and Special United, Reading’s forum for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability.

Officers thanked the ACE Task and Finish Group for their input on the options being considered for the development of a new special school.

Resolved –

(1)           That the options appraisal process undertaken and the proposal to develop split site special school provision as the preferred option for a new 180 – place special school provision as presented to the ACE Committee Task and Finish Group be noted.

(2)           That public consultation on two proposals set out in the associated report as the first stages of the plan to develop split site special school provision be agreed:

a.    To consult on the Federation of Holybrook Primary School and Whitley Park Primary School

b.    To consult on the location of Holybrook Primary School, to expand from the current site to also include areas of Whitley Park School site and Ridgeway Primary school site.