The planned £1.5million expansion of an Isle of Wight special school to meet rising demand for SEND provision will go out for consultation.
County Hall’s children’s services, education and skills committee last week (Thursday) unanimously approved the publishing of public notices for an increase in places at Medina House School in Newport from 168 to 204.
Extra provision is proposed at the site of the former Old Barton Primary School and a 5-week consultation is due to begin on 8th May.
Ashley Whittaker, strategic director of children’s services at the Isle of Wight Council, said:
“Medina House School is our primary special school. We know that, based on the needs of children, we need to expand the amount of primary aged special school places we have on the Island.
“Even though we believe that through improving quality of mainstream education we will be able to have more children’s needs met in that environment, there will always be some children who need a special school place.”
Despite the Island’s declining birth rate, there has been a significant growth in the need for SEND provision with 6.5% of its school population needing an education health care plan (EHCP), according to a committee report.
EHCPs are for children and young people aged up to 25 who need extra assistance than is available through special educational needs support.
They determine educational, health and social needs and present the additional support to meet them.
The report stated the council has a statutory duty to provide enough specialist educational places for children and young people with SEND on the Isle of Wight. It said the place expansion requires capital funding, with works costing £1.5m. This would be budgeted through the high needs capital allocation – a form of government investment.
Day-to-day revenue spending would also be needed and has been costed at £1,064,844 for 36 extra places when they are full – equivalent to £29,579 per child.
A report on the outcome of the consultation will be brought to a later committee meeting.
