Brixington Primary Academy School: Proposal to establish a Resource Base – Consultation extended to 27 November 2023

Update January 2024

The proposal to establish a Resource Base for up to ten learners with social, emotional and mental health needs from September 2024 has been approved by the Department for Education’s Regional Director for the South West.

Background information

If you need this document in a different format or language, please contact Devon County Council’s School Consultation team on 01392 382057 or via email: schoolconsultations@devon.gov.uk

Proposal

First Federation Trust is proposing to establish a Resource Base at Brixington Primary Academy for up to 10 learners with social, emotional and mental health needs from September 2024.

Background

Increasing Resource Base provision is part of a county-wide strategy by Devon County Council in response to the demand for increased special educational needs provision and to enhance the inclusive capacity of mainstream schools.

A Resource Base supports learners whose needs can be met in a mainstream setting but who require a specialist environment and support within the school. Pupils are supported within this environment with an Education Health and Care Plan, small class sizes and high staffing ratios. Their plan will also support their involvement in larger classes within the school according to the needs and progress of the pupil. Our aim is to enable pupils to fulfil their potential to successfully access part or all of the curriculum within the mainstream school.

Evidence of need

Devon has one of the lowest percentages of learners accessing Resourced Provision in comparison to its statistical neighbours and is lower than the national average. Alongside this Devon has seen a significant increase in the number of children and young people with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCP) in recent years.

This proposal will ensure a better offer for children and young people that is local and suitable to their needs. The proposal will support more children with special educational needs to be educated and thrive in their local school and community, facilitating better access to the curriculum and avoiding the need for children to travel to an appropriate school further away from their local community.

Brixington Primary Academy Proposal

The proposed Resource Base at Brixington Primary Academy would support children with a primary need of Social, Emotional and Mental Health with an EHCP. Children with social, emotional and mental health needs can struggle to engage with learning and to cope in a classroom without additional strategies and interventions. It is proposed that the Base would open from September 2024 for up to ten learners.

Existing suitable space at the school has been identified for the Resource Base. The Published Admission Number of the school will remain the same and will not be impacted by this proposal.

Costs and Expenditure

Capital costs are to be funded from Devon County Council.
Revenue funding from Devon County Council is in place to support this proposal.

Admission to the Resource Base

To be considered for a place in a Resource Base the child or young person must have an EHCP. Should the creation of the Resource Base be agreed, it is the Local Authority 0-25 SEN team who will allocate places in the base, in consultation with the Trust.

Consultation and decision-making process

This consultation will take place from Monday 30th October 2023 to Friday 27th November 2023.
Following this consultation, the Academy Trust will make an application, through the submission of a business case, to the Department for Education’s (DfE) South West Region’s Group. The business case application will include the outcome of the consultation.

It is the Regional Directors of the DfE’s South West Region’s Group who will consider the application and outcome of the consultation and decide whether to approve the establishment of the Resource Base.

Responding to the consultation

Comments can be made to Brixington Primary Academy either by:
Email: admin@brixington.devon.sch.uk – please title the email Resource Base Consultation
By post to: Resource Base Consultation, Brixington Primary Academy, Brixington Lane, Exmouth. EX8 4JQ

Please note that all responses must be received by 27th November 2023.

All responses to the consultation will be considered and will be shared with the school’s leadership team, Board of Directors and Trustees. Responses will also be shared with Devon County Council and the Regional Director’s Office at the DfE, but we will not send individual responses to any specific points made.

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