Councillor Bob Standley, Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability, was scheduled to attend a remote meeting on 6 October 2025. The agenda included a discussion on a proposed specialist facility at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School, and a review of the decisions made at the previous meeting.

Proposed Specialist Facility at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School

The Lead Member was asked to consider a report by the Director of Children's Services regarding a proposal to establish a new specialist facility at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School.

The report noted that the number of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), particularly those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), has been rising steeply in recent years. The council has been implementing a strategy to provide more Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) school places in the county, including the development of more specialist facilities in mainstream schools.

The proposal is to establish a facility with a designation of ASD at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School, which would accommodate up to 12 pupils with autism and associated needs. The school and the council have identified the former dining room building on the school playground as suitable to accommodate the new facility. Some adaptation work would be required, which the council would fund from its approved capital programme.

A consultation on the proposal took place between 25 April and 23 May 2025, with 89% of respondents supporting the proposal. A statutory proposal was published on 25 July 2025, and no comments or objections were received by the close of the representation period on 21 August 2025.

An Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) was undertaken to identify any equality implications of the proposal. The EqIA concluded that the proposed specialist facility would have a positive impact on primary school age children and their families in the surrounding area, as there would be more places available in mainstream primary schools for pupils with a primary need of ASD.

The report stated that the Lead Member should consider several factors before reaching a decision on the proposal, including:

• Whether the proposal is related to other published proposals
• Whether conditional approval is being sought for the proposal
• Whether a statutory consultation was carried out prior to the publication of notices
• Whether the published notice complied with statutory requirements
• How the proposal will affect education standards and diversity of provision
• How the proposal will affect the proposed admission arrangements for the school
• Whether due regard under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) has been given to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations
• Whether the proposal will have an impact on community cohesion
• Whether the proposal will have an impact on travel and accessibility
• Whether capital funding has been identified and secured to enable the proposals to be implemented
• Whether any particular issues or objections have been raised during the representation period which could directly affect the proposal

The Director of Children's Services recommended that the Lead Member approve the establishment of a new specialist facility for up to 12 pupils at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School with effect from 1 January 2026.

Decisions Made by the Lead Cabinet Member on 7 July 2025

The Lead Member was asked to review the decisions made at the previous meeting on 7 July 2025. These included:

• Approval of the minutes of the meeting held on 2 June 2025.
• Approval to publish a statutory proposal to establish a specialist facility for up to 12 pupils at Chailey St Peter's CE Primary School, and delegation of authority to the Director of Children's Services to amend the proposal prior to its publication if required.
• Noting that the East Sussex Fair Access Protocol 2025 was to be adopted from 1 September 2025 following agreement and endorsement from the majority of East Sussex schools. The Fair Access Protocol (FAP) represents a key commitment by East Sussex County Council and schools to uphold the right to education for all children, fostering an inclusive community, where every student can thrive.