Norfolk County Council has confirmed that it will press ahead with plans to build two new special schools in the county.
The council has written to the Government to say it wants to move forward with the two new schools, at Downham Market and Great Yarmouth, rather than accept an alternative option to fund places at existing schools.
Cllr Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, has today signed the decision agreeing to the proposal.
She said: “I am so pleased that we can now proceed with these schools. There’s been a lot of hard work to get to this place, particularly from our officers, and I know that children and families will really welcome these extra specialist places in their communities.
“I am grateful to everyone that has given their views as part of this process and has supported our efforts to get the funding released by the Government. The schools mean that more children with special educational needs will be able to learn near to their homes and that is at the heart of our strategy to improve learning for children with additional needs.
“We know that most children can flourish in mainstream schools, with the right support, but for those with more complex needs there is still a need for specialist places like these.”
The council successfully made the case for the schools more than two years ago, but a change of Government meant that funding had been put on hold, pending a review.
Members and officers had been pushing for the release of the funding and heard in December that the schools could go ahead, but with an alternative option on the table.
The Department for Education wrote to the council saying it could instead pay the council £13,685,500 to develop extra places in existing schools.
With two new schools costing an estimated £40m, the council wanted reassurance that if it went ahead with the original plans the Government would cover the full cost. This was confirmed last month, with Cllr Carpenter saying she was now “minded to approve” the schools, pending the completion of the correct democratic process.
A report has since been to the council’s Children, Families and Community Select Committee where there was unanimous support for the schools. Feedback from the public, via social media and email, has also shown overwhelming support for the schools and the Schools Forum and the two schools’ academy trusts are keen to press ahead.
The schools will be led by Unity Trust, in Great Yarmouth, and Eastern Learning Alliance, in Downham Market. The Great Yarmouth school will support 170 children with learning disabilities, whilst the Downham Market School school will cater for 100 children with complex communication and interaction difficulties.
The council received more than 750 emails in support of the Downham Market school via an online campaign. However, it was unable to respond to them individually as they came from a no reply email address. All of these views were considered in reaching a decision.
Cllr Tony White, County Councillor for Downham Market, said: “It is excellent news that we are on our way to getting these schools built. The council has pushed hard for this to happen, and parents and children have been waiting and hoping for positive news.”
The two new schools are part of Norfolk County Council’s Local First Inclusion programme, which aims to ensure more children with special educational needs and disabilities can learn in their local area.
The programme is focused on mainstream inclusion and is wrapping support around mainstream schools so that they can meet the needs of more children with SEND. At the same time, it is increasing specialist places, via bases in mainstream schools and special schools, to ensure there is the right support for those with the greatest needs.
