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RESOLVED: that
Cabinet:
a)   
Approved the creation of 55 new Hunsbury Park SEND
places, for children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) of
which 45 places will operate from an annex site at Chiltern primary
school, Northampton and a further 10 will be created on the
Hunsbury Park site.
b)   
Noted the responses received during the 4-week
consultation period on the proposal
 
REASONS RESOLVED:
·        
The objective of this proposal is to ensure that the
Council is able to fulfil its statutory obligation of providing a
sufficiency of SEND places in West Northamptonshire.
·        
The proposal will provide an increased number of
SEND places and will help ensure that children with ASC are able to
access education in a provision that is best placed to meet their
individual needs.
·        
The proposal can be considered to benefit all West
Northamptonshire primary schools as it will reduce the need for
mainstream school settings to provide places to children with
additional needs, where that provision is not best placed to meet a
child’s additional needs.
·        
The recommended course of action will reduce
pressure on the High Needs Block (HNB) element of the Dedicated
Schools Grant (DSG) via a reduction in the number of children being
required to be placed in more expensive out of county and
independent provisions to meet their individual needs.
 
ALTERNATIVE ACTIONS:
As set out in the earlier
report, if this proposal is not approved, this will result in WNC
failing to fulfil its statutory obligation of providing sufficiency
of SEND places in West Northamptonshire. The Council would need to
work fast to secure places in the independent sector for children
that required places. This would be difficult to achieve and be
more expensive and further strain the High Needs Budget (HNB) and
Delegated School Grant (DSG).
 
The additional 30 places
initially, and increasing to 45 places in subsequent years, will be
achieved via the refurbishment of existing classrooms to provide a
modern and fit for purpose teaching and learning environment for
pupil with primarily ASC. The scheme will also provide further
bespoke outdoor learning facilities and dedicated specialist areas
such as new hygiene rooms.