Purpose

There is a need to increase
provision for children and young people with Special Educational
Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through the creation of additional
places in Specialist Support Centres that are attached to
mainstream schools and academies. This will assist with the aim of
enabling children to attend school locally.
 
In December 2019 Cabinet
approved the proposal to develop Phase two of the project for
opening additional Special Support Centres in accordance with
capital governance processes (decision
reference CAB03(19/20). In October 2020 the Cabinet Member for
Education and Skills approved the allocation of design fees to
progress 6 of the Special Support Centres (SSC) including expanding
the SSC at Warden Park Academy to create additional places
(Decision
reference ES09 (20/21).
 
In November 2020 the Cabinet
Member for Education and Skills approved the allocation of Section
106 funding for education infrastructure capital projects,
including education infrastructure at Warden Park Secondary Academy
(decision ES10 (20/21)
refers).
 
Since that approval further
design work has been undertaken and costed in relation to expanding
the SSC at Warden Park Academy. This indicates that additional
funding will be required over and above the S106 allocation to
deliver the works required.
 
The Cabinet Member for Learning
and Skills will be asked to approve the allocation of additional
capital funding from the Capital Programme to enable the project to
create additional places at the Special Support Centre at Warden
Park Academy to proceed.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Children and Young
People, Learning and Skills has approved;
 
(1)  
the allocation of £2.268m (of which £1.795m is Section
106 and £0.473m is SEND capital) 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 from Additional
Learning Needs to Social Communication Needs and the expansion from
24 to 28 places at Warden Park Secondary Academy from September
2024;
 
(2)  
the passporting of £2.268m to Warden Park Secondary Academy
in accordance with the relevant Section 106 Agreements and SEND
capital grant to fund the work outlined in Section 2.1; and
 
(3)  
the negotiation and completion of the Development and Funding
agreement between the County Council and the Academy Trust as a
pre-condition for the transfer of the funds.