A new school providing specialist education could be built in Calderdale, as the Council’s Cabinet consider options to increase places for those with special education needs.
The shortage of specialist school placements is a national issue and one which is reflected locally. Calderdale currently has a significant shortfall in provision for pupils with special needs and is increasingly required to allocate specialist places in the private sector, or outside of Calderdale. As well as having a significant impact on children’s experiences, this is a costly solution.
Calderdale Council is committed to supporting those with complex needs and has been working to expand and increase the number of specialist placements within the borough. In March this year, Cabinet members approved recommended options to develop additional capacity for specialist provision in Calderdale.
As part of a report being presented to Cabinet, it’s recommended that the most appropriate option to increase both primary and secondary special school places in Calderdale is the building of a new through school on the site of the former Threeways Community Centre in Ovenden.
The Council would work in partnership with the Department for Education to develop the site as a Free School. The new site would accommodate children ages 5 to 16 with special educational and complex needs and would be designed to allow for further expansion in future.
If the recommendation is approved by Cabinet, further work would take place to determine the costings of this option. Although the building of a new school is a high-cost option, it is seen as an ‘invest to save’ measure, due to the subsequent reduction in the ongoing costs of external provision. It would also support local families and improve children’s experiences by reducing travel time and providing a school closer to home.
Cabinet will also consider recommendations to approve funding to allow for the expansion of one of the borough’s current specialist sites, Ravenscliffe at Springhall. This would support the removal of the temporary units and replace with permanent provision.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services, Cllr Adam Wilkinson, said:
“We’re committed to reducing inequalities across the borough and want all children in Calderdale to achieve their best, receiving a good quality education which meets their needs.
“We continue to see increasing demand for specialist places and increasing costs to meet this demand. We also understand how important it is for families to be able to access high quality provision closer to home.
“These proposals may be ambitious, but we want to continue to do all we can to ensure that provision and support are in place to meet the needs of our young people and support their families.”
The report ‘Expansion of Special School Provision within Calderdale’ will be considered at the meeting on Calderdale Council’s Cabinet on Monday 7 October. The meeting can be watched online at https://calderdale.public-i.tv/core/portal/home(external link)ENDS