Decision details

The County Council has a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children who need a place.

Increasing provision for children and young people with SEND through the creation of additional places in Special Support Centres (SSCs) will assist with the aim of enabling children to attend school locally. As a consequence this will reduce the number of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) moving from maintained schools and academies into costly education provision in the Independent and Non-Maintained Special School sector, often at schools not situated in West Sussex. 

It is proposed to redesignate and create 4 additional places at the SSC at West Park Primary School in Worthing.  The school currently caters for 840 children aged between 4 and 11 with an existing SSC that is currently designated and resourced to provide 10 places for children with Additional Learning Needs

Approval is required for the allocation of funding from the Capital Programme to provide the necessary accommodation at West Park for the redesignation of the SSC from Additional Learning Needs to Social Communication Needs and to increase the current planned places from 10 to 14 children aged 4 to 11 from September 2023. In addition the budget will fund all associated fees, ICT and furniture and equipment.

The Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills has approved:

(1) The allocation of £0.935m to fund the necessary accommodation and external play area as set out in paragraph 2.1 of the report. This will enable the redesignation of the Special Support Centre (SSC) from Additional Learning Needs to Social Communication Needs and an increase from 10 to 14 planned places at the SSC at West Park CE Primary School in Worthing from September 2023;

(2) The authorisation to commence a procurement process and delegation to the Director of Property and Assets to appoint contractors to complete the design and cost the new accommodation;

(3)The delegation of authority to the Director of Property and Assets to submit the necessary planning application, to obtain any statutory consents and enter into a construction contract with the successful tenderer.

None