Consultation:
Special School proposals under consultation: Pathfield School, Bidwell Brook School and plans for a new Special Free School
Devon County Council is consulting on changes to provision at the following schools, which are Foundation schools within the SENtient Co-operative Trust. The changes will meet demands for additional pupil places and are in line with our Educational Infrastructure Plan and the Strategic Review of Special Needs Places.
Bidwell Brook School
Proposal to increase capacity from 110 to 140 day places for boys and girls, aged 3-19 with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties with effect from September 2021.
Pathfield School
Proposal to increase capacity from 137 to 186 day places with effect from Mid December 2020 and change their designation to include profound and multiple learning difficulties for boys and girls, aged 3-19, with effect from Mid December 2020.
You can respond to both of the above consultations by emailing: schoolconsultations@devon.gov.uk by 5pm on 18 September 2020.
New Special Free School
Devon County Council is also running a pre-consultation on establishing a new SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) Special Free School, before the specification for the new school is published. In Devon the most common type of primary need is Social Emotional and Mental Health. A new Special Needs School is proposed to meet the growing demand for these places with provision for 80-100 pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health/autistic spectrum needs being proposed. The proposed location has yet to be identified but we are exploring sites located along the M5 corridor from Tiverton/Cullompton down towards Totnes. At the present time there is also potential focus on a site in Okehampton where there is a high demand for special needs provision.
We would welcome your views on shaping future proposals and investment.
A full specification will be available as the project progresses. If you have any views on this provision, the potential site, or are a proposer who would be interested in such provision, please email: schoolconsultations@devon.gov.uk or use the contact form below by 18 September 2020.