The Deputy Executive Member for Education and Skills introduced a report that outlined proposals for capital expenditure on projects to provide special provision for hearing impaired pupils at Parkfields Middle and St George Church of England School, Toddington and special provision for social, emotional and mental health provision at Oak Bank School, Leighton Buzzard.  An interim feasibility study had been undertaken and the cost had been met by an underspend in the capital budget.

In light of the presentation and detailed discussion, Members queried:-

Whether the same schools would have been allocated capital expenditure if the Council had been able to start planning from a clean sheet. The Deputy Executive Member advised other specialist schools and provisions existed in Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard and Dunstable for children with other types of need. The schools identified for capital investment are the established providers for the types of need that require expansion of places and improvement in facilities.

The Deputy Executive Member advised that significant work had been undertaken on the forecasting of SEND places and this had confirmed the need for all three projects outlined in the report. Members of the Committee would receive a paper on the Council’s new Special Educational Needs and Disability Vision at their meeting in December and that this would inform a capital strategy specifically for SEND provision

In addition it was reported that all future reports on projects include a time line on the delivery of the projects.

RECOMMENDED

1.    That the Committee support the recommendation set out the report to provide specialist provision at Parkfields Middle and St George Church of England School, Toddington and Oak Bank School, Leighton Buzzard.

2.    That the Committee expressed interest in the Council’s Vision for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities that was being developed with stakeholders and would be submitted to the Committee in December 2015.