PROPOSAL TO MAKE A PRESCRIBED ALTERATION TO RAVENSTONE (COMMUNITY PRIMARY) SCHOOL

School and Local Authority Details

Ravenstone School

Ravenstone Street

London

SW12 9SS

Wandsworth Local Authority

Special Services Planning

THE4, Wandsworth Town Hall

Wandsworth High Street

London

SW18 2PU

Description of alteration

Wandsworth Council is proposing to open a resource base for up to 20 pupils aged 3 to 11 with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at Ravenstone Community Primary School from 1st April 2018. Informal consultation with the Headteacher, governors, staff and parents indicates that they are supportive of the proposal.

Wandsworth Local Authority will be the admissions authority. Admission to the base will be made on the basis of a child’s educational needs as identified in their Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and Ravenstone School’s normal admission criteria will not apply. Places in the base will be included in the School’s overall admission number. The pupils in the base will be on the roll of Ravenstone School and the School will be responsible for their educational provision and the management of the base.

A feasibility study at Ravenstone School has identified potential base accommodation without the need for additional build. The proposed base accommodation will comprise of 2 classrooms, a sensory room, a break out space, a therapy room/office, toilet and a secure and quiet outside play space.

Evidence of demand

Wandsworth Council is experiencing a significant increase in children and young people aged 0 to 19 with a diagnosis of ASD. Numbers have increased from 161 in 2001 to 860 in 2016 and incidence levels are 1 in 50 children at Key Stages 2-4. Wandsworth children and young people with ASD are currently placed in a wide range of educational provision. The Council has considered a number of development proposals to extend the range of provision available to children with an ASDto meet the increased demand. This proposal is aimed at meeting the needs of children who would benefit from a mainstream curriculum and environment, but who need additional specialist support over and above that found in a mainstream primary school.

Objectives

  • To assist Wandsworth Council in fulfilling its statutory responsibility and provide sufficient school places for the growing number of children and young people with an ASD.
  • To enable more families to benefit from the excellent educational experience offered by Ravenstone, which is judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted and is where ‘pupils who have Special Educational Needs or disability do well because their specific needs are identified quickly and there is a clear structure in place to ensure that they get the extra help they need’.
  • To enable children to have access to interventions, specialist staff, facilities and activities that will address their developmental needs, improve educational outcomes and maximise opportunities to progress.
  • To enable children to be educated locally and so avoid long travelling times to out of borough provisions.
  • To ensure that Wandsworth schools are able to continue offering high quality accommodation and resources.

This proposal is in line with the Council’s objective, as set out in its SEN, Inclusion and Disability Strategy, of all children within the borough ‘having access to services of a consistently high quality, which promote their social and educational development, their independence and enable them to achieve their aspirations in the future’.

The effect on other schools, academies and education institutions within the area

There is currently a shortage of places for children needing a Wandsworth primary resource base, which is putting additional pressure on other specialist provision within the borough. This proposal for a new base will relieve some of this pressure.

Project costs and indication of how these will be met, including how long term value for money will be achieved

A feasibility study has been carried out which indicates that the base can be accommodated within the main school building. The Council has agreed funding for a building programme for the base at a cost of up to £188,000. These costswill be met from the Department of Education’s capital funding programme. Revenue funding for the pupils placed in the base will be provided by place funding and individual pupil top-ups from theHigh Needs Block within the Dedicated Schools Grant.

The proposals in relation to Ravenstone School provide long term value for money. If the Council was unable to establish the base at Ravenstone School to secure the additional places needed, it would have to try to source sufficient places in out of borough provision, involving pupils travelling greater distances. However, as all Local Authorities are experiencing a similar increase in demand on their specialist provision, finding sufficient places in either other authorities’ provision or the independent sector would be a challenge. Even if the places could be secured, the additional cost to the Council would be significant.

Implementation and any proposed stages for implementation

The teacher-in-charge of the resource base will be appointed from September 2017. Four places in Reception and Year 1 will be made available in the first year and the teacher-in-charge will work with pupils in their existing provision and phase their transition into the new base, as well as preparing the base, and undertaking staff training and pupil awareness-raising at Ravenstone School. Following transition the pupils will be admitted from November 2017. Future increases in places will be phased incrementally so that Ravenstone School can manage the expansion effectively.

A statement explaining the procedure for responses: support; objections and comments

Wandsworth Council is undertaking a statutory consultation for the opening of a resource base for up to 20 pupils aged 3 to 11 with an ASD. A public notice will be published in a local newspaper on 14th September 2017 and this, together with information about the proposed base is available on the Council’s website:

Any person may object or make comments on the proposal by 12th October 2017. These should be in writing and addressed to the Director of Children’s Services, Special Services Planning, THE4, Wandsworth Town Hall, SW18 2PU, or they can be emailed to: .

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