A new Special School for those with special educational needs and disabilities will be built on the Isle of Wight, the Government has confirmed this afternoon (Wednesday).
A multimillion-pound bid to the Department for Education for a new free school on land next to Carisbrooke College in Newport has been successful, meaning the availability of much-needed special provision places on the Island will be increased.
In the future, there will be 3 special schools on the Island with this newest school offering specialist support and education for 75 pupils aged between 4 and 16 with special education needs and disabilities (SEND), such as autism or social-emotional and mental health conditions.
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 – St George’s and Medina House – and both are now full.
The new free school, 1 of 60 specialist schools being created across the country, will function like an academy insofar as it will be funded directly by the Department for Education rather than through the local authority.
Welcoming the news, Bob Seely MP has today said:
“This is important news for the Island’s education and I am delighted that Conservative ministers responded so positively to the case that the Isle of Wight Council and I made. Ministers have written to me today to confirm that our excellent bid was successful.
“I thank all those education and Council officers involved. I’d also like to thank Minster Claire Coutinho. In my conversations with her, I made clear how important this was to the Island and I am delighted that she agreed.
Article continues below this advertisement “Five years ago I promised that, working with the IW Council and others, we would get a better deal for the Island. A new SEN school is part of that better deal.”
Welcoming the news, Councillor Debbie Andre, Cabinet member for education and lifelong skills, said the new school would significantly increase the availability of much-needed specialist provision places on the Island. She said:
“I’d like to thank all those involved in putting together this application and the government for recognising our need.
“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.
“A brand new, centrally located special school will enable them to go to school close to their homes and with their friends, supporting their social and emotional wellbeing.
“In many cases, it will reduce travelling time and, therefore, the time spent away from home, which, in turn, will also give them more opportunity to socialise outside of the school environment to feel a valued part of their community.”
The Government will now, working closely with the local authority, be inviting applications from proposer groups to open and run the new free school. An announcement is due in the Autumn.
My word, how Mr Seely does enjoy a good spin! This is part of the Island Deal? Nah.
You obviously no nothing about special educational needs, I find your comment absolutely disgusting!
And I suppose you would build some gas chambers as well to take care of the problem.
You Nazi.
You obviously no nothing about special needs children & I find your comment offensive, I fully support a SEN school
Money for education should in hard times be prioritised to students who have the greatest chance of attainment in their lives, not spent on those who in almost all cases will just be a drain on society forever.
These children already cost us all a fortune as their parents are overly paid, given extra help have care workers to take them out, are provided with mobility cars, and extra funding.
They, the parents should teach their basic needs at home.
It is wrong to the extreme that the more useless and the more of a burden you are, the more you are given.
Spend it on those children’s education whose taxes will be paying for these beings from cradle to grave.
Cut backs should apply to ALL especially those who will only take
Judging by the standard of education on the island, why don’t they just make all the existing schools sen schools?
Why when several of the secondary schools have plenty of room to build a SEN unit is beyond me, a waste of money and besides are we going to take children from the mainland fr the revenue
It’s not about space it’s about specialist classrooms, and purpose built areas.
And 1:1 ratio.
Waste of money – won’t get the teachers
Watch the old schools being ripped down to make way for…..
Housing
Good old Bob Me me me .. the only trumpet player in the band .. Bob it is not Will but WHEN ..will it happen ?? and will the islanders be expected the REPAY the costs, like the new school in Freshwater ….as the council have spent everything if you had forgotten.
Welcome news for pupils and parents , sad for all the children that should have had this facility years ago and have missed out because of a not fit for purpose SEND dept. Good luck pupils and parents .,
so, equality for disabled didn’t work and they are going back to what did work.
separate schools for kids that are not considered normal.
They never went away from special schools. It’s just that the island has for many years been under provided for in this respect as in many others.
OMG what a bunch of miserable, hard hearted, pessimistic, lefty comments, never ever a good word to say about anything positive that happens on the island, if you hate it that much, which you obviously do, then why don’t you just get on any ferry and move to the mainland, where you will find thousands of subjects to complain about, so you will be in your utopia.
Totally agree with you, some of the comments are terrible, they no nothing of special educational needs!
I totally agree with you
Lefty?
Wighter and Barnie will be overjoyed to be called lefties.
Those two are as right wing as they come.
Anyone left of Hitler is too left
Who is behind the bid? I didn’t know a free school could be a special school. Not sure about this!