Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet Member for Education considered a report of the Executive Director of Place that sought to establish a primary Broad Spectrum Special School as part of the City Council’s wider Inclusion and Special Education Needs (SEN) Strategy approved in July 2005, by making prescribed alterations to Tiverton School, which currently catered for children aged three to eleven who had severe learning difficulties or profound and multiple learning difficulties. This would compliment two existing broad spectrum special schools, Castlewood and Riverbank.

The creation of the school would require a formal statutory proposal to be brought forward by the Council in line with the requirements of the School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013. This includes a requirement to consult with key stakeholders. Authority was therefore sought to undertake specific consultation to make prescribed alterations to Tiverton School which currently catered for children with severe learning difficulties, to the category of broad spectrum.

It was further proposed to co-locate the school with Whitley Abbey Primary School who until recently shared with Alice Stevens School which has now been co-located as a secondary broad spectrum school with Ernesford Grange Secondary School.

The Cabinet Member noted that a proposal to include Early Years provision at the school was not referred to in the report. It was clarified that there was no formal statutory requirement to consult on extending the age range of the school to include Early Years provision. It was confirmed however that the consultation process would seek stakeholders views on this particular aspect of the proposal.

Jane Bicknell, the Chair of Governors at Tiverton School, attended the meeting to offer the other School Governors and the Head Teacher’s support for the proposals and the Cabinet Member thanked Jane for her attendance.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet Member for Education:

1)  Approves pre-statutory consultation during the 2016 spring term in relation to proposals to make prescribed alterations to Tiverton School to create a broad-spectrum special school co-located with Whitley Abbey Primary School.

2)  Agrees that a report be submitted to Cabinet in February 2016 on the outcome of the consultation.