14.1 The Chairman welcomed everyone to the
meeting. Members and Officers
introduced themselves.
14.2 The Chairman noted the high level of public
attendance to discuss Woodlands Meed
and agreed to allow time at the start of the meeting for a
discussion.
14.3 The Chairman introduced Mr Jupp who had been
recently appointed as Cabinet Member for Education and
Skills. Mr Jupp confirmed that he was
aware of the current situation with Woodlands Meed and that he was due to attend the school and
college to see the daily operation in person. Mr Jupp explained that he was catching up on the
backlog of history with Woodlands Meed
and was reading all correspondence.
14.4 Mr Jupp explained that his role was to
understand educational requirements and needs across the whole
county. The Progress Statement outlined
the review that was due to take place for Woodlands Meed, with a decision expected in early
January.
14.5 The Chairman confirmed that Woodlands
Meed had been added to the 4 December
agenda of the Children and Young People's Services Select Committee
where external witnesses would be invited.
14.6 The Chairman invited questions from the
public.
- A pupil spoke about
the current arrangements at the school and how the teachers were
doing their best despite the issues with the building, such as the
lack of hot water. The Council were
asked to honour the promises that were previously made. – Mr Jupp thanked the pupil for
their comments and confirmed that he would be attending to school
to look at the facilities personally.
- A member of the
Complete Woodlands Meed group confirmed
that they would continue to fight for the school to ensure their
children would not be let down, as she felt that the school was
unable to meet its statutory duty.
Questions had been submitted in advance of the meeting concerning
the draft Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and
Inclusion Strategy, which did not refer to Woodlands Meed; provisions for post 16 SEND pupils; details
on cost, risks and challenges; and clarity on how the Council would
deliver on the promise made to the Department for Education on
provision and compliance with statutory obligations. A response had been received, but it was felt that
the questions had not been satisfactorily answered.
- Queried what had
happened to the funds from the sale of the Court Meadow
site. – Mr Jupp
confirmed that the site was up for sale, but had not been
sold. Mr Jupp resolved to investigate
what would happen with the funds on sale
completion.
- A parent applauded
the staff at the school for their work.
The parent expressed the specific challenges faced by parents of
special needs children and their need to be an
advocate. An example was given of
children using wheelchairs who were required to use specialist
frames to stand, which led to the child being stuck inside and at a
disadvantage compared to other students.
- A parent expressed
concerns with the site, and gave examples of situations where
hygiene was compromised. Teaching in
huts could raise issues with overheating which could cause issues
for vulnerable children. Children were
also required to leave the site to attend classes at other
facilities, which impacted their attendance in lessons.
- An attendee
highlighted the assurances previously given by Mr Burrett, former
Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, and queried why a review
was required and stressed the need to honour the assurances
given. – Mr Jupp
responded that he understood the upset in the room and explained
that the plans were a large project and that the initially
estimated costs could be inaccurate as the costs were likely to
increase. Mr Jupp confirmed that his
role was to ensure that all children in the County had their
Special Educational Needs (SEN) met.
- The Chair of
Governors confirmed that they had submitted questions in advance of
the meeting concerning the proposal to open a new SEN Free School
in place of Woodlands Meed and concerns
with the adherence to the Seven Principles of Public
Life. The Chair of Governors rejected
the received responses which she considered misleading. – The Chairman confirmed that
she had spoken with the Director of Education and Skills who had
denied the plans for the proposed free school. Mr Jupp resolved to look into the issue and noted
that The Chair of Governors was due to meet with the Director of
Education and Skills and resolved to try and attend the meeting if
possible.
- The Chair of
Governors gave examples of consultants’ opinions that the
required school could be built for £20m and felt that if this
was not the case the Council needed to be transparent with the
reasons why.
- The Chair of
Governors made it clear that the completion of Woodlands
Meed was not linked to school numbers,
it was linked to the unsuitable facilities and the failure to
comply with Ofsted statutory duties. A
list included 20 issues where buildings did not meet
requirements.
- Attendees in the room
raised concerns regarding the needs of children, maintaining
childrens’ dignity, the delay in
the new school, and the lack of trust with the County
Council. Attention was drawn to the
4000 signature petition for the school which had been voted down at
a full council meeting. The public felt
there was no excuse not to deliver the agreed plan and felt that
the proposed review was not required.
The public had avoided going to the media as they had no wish to
embarrass the Council. Mr Jupp was
asked to provide a press release on plans for the new
school.
- The Public noted the
upcoming Select Committee meeting and requested that the meeting be
held in Horsham to assist with their attendance. – Members resolved to ask the
Chairman of the Select Committee to move the meeting to
Horsham.
14.7 The Chairman confirmed that she would be
meeting with the Chair of Governors at the school and expressed the
importance of being well informed and working with Mr
Jupp. The Chairman noted the need for
urgency and supported the opinion that a review of the plans was
not necessary. The Chairman had been
present at two project board meetings since being appointed to the
board and felt there should have been more.
14.8 Members of the Committee spoke about the
plans and expressed personal disappointment and shame with the
delays and admitted they were embarrassed to represent the Council
on this issue. The delays were
unacceptable and the County Council’s priority to provide the
best start in life for children should be honoured. The children deserved adequate
facilities. Members confirmed they had
continued to ask questions at full council on the matter, and
acknowledged that the new Leader of the County Council had been
asked to respond on issues for the school. Money had been committed as part of the Capital
Programme, and any additional money that was required to complete
should be allocated.
14.9 Members gave personal accounts to emphasize
they understood the particular fighting that was required by
parents of SEN children. Assurances
were given to the attendees that Members had been continually
working to keep the Woodlands Meed
agenda on track and that they were angry with the lack of
progress. The members asked that Mr
Jupp note the seriousness of the concerns raised and that he
emphasized the priority to his Cabinet colleagues.
14.10 The Chairman thanked the
attendees for coming to the meeting and raising their
concerns.