STATUTORY PROPOSALS FOR PRESCRIBED ALTERATIONS TO A MAINTAINED SCHOOL 1. Proposal relating to: Gibside School Burnthouse Lane, Whickham NE16 5AT Proposer: Gateshead Council. Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead NE8 1HH 2. Description of Proposed Alteration The proposed alteration will : Provide an extension to the school building on the existing school site from 1st September 2015 The school will be expanded from 105 to 130 places (an increase of 25 places) The proposal will extend the age range from 3-11 years to 2 to 11 years The expansion will provide 3 additional classrooms and teaching provision would be supported by appropriate toilet facilities and storage. 3. Evidence of Demand for Places and Impact on Parental Choice There are currently six special schools in Gateshead. Gateshead Council works closely with schools, academies and partners to co-ordinate, commission and provide a wide range of specialist services to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) and their families. There is a rising number of children across Gateshead Borough with complex needs for whom curriculum access at a special school is necessary, including Learning difficulties and those within the Autism spectrum. There was an increase in the number of statements issued for the first time during the calendar year 2012 at 140 new statements from 92 in 2011, 96 in 2010 and 94 in 2009. The number of placements made in out of authority independent and non-maintained special schools has also been rising over recent years from 33 in 2009 to 47 in 2012. The increasing number of children with an Autistic Spectrum Condition has led to increased numbers of children with Statements for ASC within all Gateshead schools. Gateshead currently has children awaiting placement in Gibside School as this is considered to be more appropriate to meet their needs. The expansion of the school would be instrumental in alleviating this pressure and creating more places that are best suited to meet the specific needs of those children with the most complex needs and in particular those with an Autistic Spectrum Condition. In early years, Autism and Complex Social Communication (CSC) represents the second greatest need after speech, language and communication in Gateshead. In schools in the early years, Autism and Complex, Social Communication is the third highest disability in Gateshead and a higher percentage than schools nationally. Gibside School currently admits children from 3 to 11 years of age. The proposal will also extend the age range from 2 to 11 Years, enabling provision of early education and intervention in response to government initiatives from September 2014 to offer more 2 year olds free education if they meet certain criteria. This will include having a current statement of special educational needs (SEN) or an education, health and care plan. 4. Objectives of the Proposal and Educational Standards The overall objective of the proposal is to provide additional school places for children who need them. Gibside School requires expansion by 25 places from 105 to 130 places to address the increasing demand for specialist SEN provision and in extending the age range from 3-11 years to 2- 11 years; this will enable the school to provide early education for 2 year olds who meet Government criteria. The proposal has considerable benefits for the children and staff at the school in terms of learning and development. It is also required to respond to the Government’s 2 year old early education programme, the rising numbers of children with complex needs, and in particular those children with Autism Spectrum Condition. It will also provide the school communities with state of the art facilities, and enhance the opportunity for the pupils to gain an outstanding education. The Council is committed to further developing inclusive education for all pupils in Gateshead. The proposal will contribute to Gateshead’s overarching SEND strategy and ensure that there are sufficient places in outstanding special schools in Gateshead with modern fit for purpose facilities securing local places for pupils who require them. 5. Effect on other Education Establishments in the Area We do not envisage any negative effects on other local schools. Some children will need special educational help that cannot be provided in mainstream primary schools. There are currently six special schools in Gateshead. Gateshead Council works closely with schools, academies and partners to co-ordinate, commission and provide a wide range of specialist services to support the specific needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) and their families. Gibside School is a “special school”, which meets the needs of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties. It also meets the needs of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with severe learning difficulties, as well as those with other complex communication and medical needs. 6. Project costs and Value for Money The project costs will be approximately £718K and will be met from Gateshead Council and Targeted Basic Need funding, which is to provide school places in areas where they are most needed. The Council believes that to provide long-term value for money it is right to expand schools with good quality permanent accommodation wherever possible, even though this can mean considerable capital investment. Permanent expansion enables the provision of new facilities and gives parents a much greater degree of reassurance that their children’s needs will be met locally and the most favourable educational outcomes for children will be achieved. The Council has also considered how the further needs of the expanding school can be addressed, such as fitness-for-purpose and the condition of the school. Where possible and reasonable, these have been incorporated into proposals for the school to provide an effective solution which will last for many years. For Gibside School, the project will provide a new build extension to accommodate the additional pupil places, providing a modern, efficient space which will improve the environment for pupils and staff at the school. The proposal meets the requirement of the SEN Improvement Test. 7. Implementation and any proposed stages for implementation The full proposals are planned to be implemented with effect from 1 September 2015. 8. Procedure for Responding to this Proposal Within four weeks from the date of publication of this proposal, i.e. by Friday 23rd May 2014, any person wishing to submit any comments either in support of, or objecting to the proposal may do so by sending them to: Mike Barker Solicitor to the Council Legal and Corporate Services Civic Centre Regent Street Gateshead NE8 1HH Copies of this proposal can be obtained from: Margaret Whellans, Strategic Director Learning and Children, Gateshead Council, Civic Centre, Regent Street, Gateshead, NE8 1HH, or it can be downloaded from: www.gateshead.gov.uk/consultations Applicable legislation: The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 Appendices Appendix 1 Consultation report on views of persons consulted 1(a) Consultation Report on views of persons consulted Appendix 2 Consultation documents of 26 February 2014 to 26 March 2014 2(a) Consultation document 2(b) Response form 2(c) Poster Appendix 3 Funding Programme 4(a) Targeted Basic Need Programme (list of successful local authorities) APPENDIX 1 (a) Gibside School Consultation Why we consulted On 28th January 2014, the revised School Organisation (Prescribed Alteration to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 came into force. Although this no longer includes a prescribed pre-publication consultation period when proposing to expand a school, there is an expectation on local authorities to consult interested parties in developing proposals prior to the publication of a statutory proposal. This stage of the consultation represents an informal process which will be followed by a statutory process. The aim of this consultation has been to ensure that a wide range of stakeholders have been given an opportunity to feedback on the proposed expansion of Gibside School, to take effect from 1st September 2015. When we consulted 26 February 2014 to 26 March 2014 How we consulted A consultation document and supporting information, including a response form were made available on the Council’s online consultation portal and via paper versions of the documents which were circulated to a variety of stakeholders. Stakeholders who were invited to respond included: parents/carers of children at Gibside School, staff and governors, parents/carers, staff and chairs of governors from neighbouring schools and other special schools in Gateshead, diocesan representatives from the Catholic Church and Church of England, ward councillors, local MPs, voluntary organisations via GVOC, Gateshead Council staff, early years providers, trade unions and other interested parties. Posters were circulated to local community centres and libraries. Feedback A total of 34 responses were received, which included: 18 parents/carers 12 staff members 1 school governor/governing bodies 1 voluntary sector representative 1 “other category” (student teacher) A small number of respondents listed their status in more than one category and 4 respondents did not state which category they represented (which explains why the categories when added together do not