Up to 75 pupils with additional needs could benefit from a proposed new special school on the Island.
The Isle of Wight Council yesterday (Thursday) submitted a multimillion-pound bid in partnership with Hampshire County Council to the Department for Education for a new free school on land next to Carisbrooke College in Newport.
The school would offer specialist support and education for pupils aged between 4 and 16 with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) such as autism or social-emotional and mental health conditions.
If the funding is granted, the new school would significantly increase the availability of much-needed specialist provision places on the Island.
Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for children’s service, education and lifelong skills, said:
“The council is committed to ensuring all children can access high-quality education as near to their family and local communities as possible.
“We feel that this has many benefits both in terms of the health and wellbeing of our Island children, especially those with Special Educational Needs, and also in the reduction of carbon emissions which supports our Island’s UNESCO Biosphere status.
“At present, some children and young people from the Island have to travel significant distances to access their special schools. This only adds to the stress both for them and their parents and means that they don’t always arrive at school ready for learning.
Article continues below this advertisement “A brand new, centrally located special school would enable them to go to school close to their homes and with their friends, which would support their social and emotional wellbeing.
The Island has the 5th highest number of pupils with Educational Health Care Plans (EHCP) across England at 1,450. And it is a figure that is expected to grow by 2027. The Island only has 2 maintained special schools and both are now full.
Supporting the bid, the Island’s MP Bob Seely said:
“Ensuring we have sufficient specialist placements on the Island to meet need is vitally important. I am therefore writing to the Minister asking them to prioritise this bid.
“Placing children locally on the Island in high-quality local provision will help children and young people achieve better whilst also keeping families and communities together.”
The Department for Education (DfE) has set aside £2.6billion of capital investment to deliver up to 60 new specialist free schools across the UK before the next government spending review (the date for which has not been confirmed).
A free school functions like an academy, insofar as they are funded directly by the DfE rather than through the local authority. The government is expected to make an announcement on the successful bids by the end of the year to early 2023.
so, going back to the way it used to be.
regular kids went to regular schools – the rest went to watergate
they had to fix what wasn’t broken and now have to put things back the way they were.
The way it used to be didn’t do any harm, we should also go back to the “3 ‘R’s” at least the kids today would learn how to spell, write and speak properly and correctly. Saying that some of the TV soaps do not help in that area at all.
IMO almost a total waste of money. As these unfortunate children will in all likely-hood be fully funded the state from cradle to grave, then their needs will be catered for by the tax payer fully for their lives whatever school they attend.
Odd how those who even through no fault of their own cost the most yet will contribute the least are getting more and more, yet everyone else has to cut back or go without.
Seems our priorities are so wrong in the UK now.
IF we were a rich nation then fine but we are growing more third world every day and being nice and kind is very costly when furnished on those who can only ever take.
Reece problem is now, many parents take drugs or are alcoholics or both, and so many more children are born messed up in the head or physically damaged.
So an ever increasing amount of dependants on the long suffering normal working people to fund the ever more cushy lifestyle of them and their parents.
So, I suggest that these children are given the most basic cheap education and the money is better spent on those who can fund not only themselves when later in life in good positions but also pay in enough taxes to support the growing amount nere do wells too.
This will never happen, the SEN function on the island has been not fit for purpose .. for a long time .. this is just a vote winning throw away comment, IWC and education are two words that should never be put together .
“IWC and education are two words that should never be put together”. Well, IWC doesn’t run education, it’s been outsourced to Hampshire County Council. But don’t let facts get in the way, eh?
Isla Do Have you ever had to deal with SEN ?? Whether Hampshire or LEA … it’s still a shambles
These comments are disgusting. You are talking about human beings.
This sounds great. Support for our most in need. This is critical to support all children on the island including “regular” children as you so eloquently described them. Bravo;
well – stating facts – there are regular children and those that aren’t – no idea why they call them “special” – they aren’t.
perhaps it is time for reality – they are not special, as this implies them being better than the regular kids.
Being IW Council have a lack of brains, hopefully they will be attending.
“At present, some children and young people from the Island have to travel significant distances to access their special schools. This only adds to the stress both for them and their parents and means that they don’t always arrive at school ready for learning.”
Confused so saying that Newport’s kids have special needs but no where else on Island?. We have good schools already in Newport – St George’s, Medina House.
How does building at Carisbrooke make it anymore accessable – especially for Ryde/Sandown/Ventnor/Freshwater etc. These children should be in mainstream, support given there (but council took that away ) wonder if this is to scue next education results?.We need to all educate/work together , not separate /discriminate.
These are kids not just with learning difficulties but in many cases behavioural problems i.e. they simply don’t know or have never been taught what is acceptable behaviour. In fact, the majority are disruptive pupils rather than those with actual learning difficulties.
Years ago when I was at school there would be maybe 1 or 2 disruptive pupils in the school but these days some schools on the Island have whole classrooms set aside for unruly children and there are some who cannot be left alone with other kids and have to be constantly supervised even at breaktimes.
It’s an unfortunate fact that, before even seeing the kids, you can take a good guess at which ones will be disruptive by speaking to the parents for a few minutes.
They would be better off building a new and better hospital… need to walk before one can run…
Housing associations and the council should prioritize properties for rent, to those hogging hospital beds…
To avoid false hope and to avoid disappointment I wish all these “Bids” from the Council would cease until we actually have a functional Government – nothing will happen until that is sorted. We have already been warned by Mr Hunt that cuts will be “drastic” in his October Budget.
Great news. There is a huge need for more specialist provision for children who can’t cope in mainstream classes. With the right provision, they can learn and succeed.