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 (SSC) that are attached to
mainstream schools and academies. This will assist with the aim of
enabling children to attend school locally.
 
Additional places are proposed
to be created at the SSC at Warden Park Secondary Academy in
Cuckfield and in October 2023 the Cabinet Member for Children and
Young People, Learning and Skills approved the allocation of SEND
capital funding for the expansion project (decision
CYPLS02 (23/24) refers).
 
The project has now been
tendered and additional funding to that allocated in decision
CYPLS02 (23/24) is required to progress the project.
 
The Cabinet Member for Children
and Young People, Learning and Skills will be asked to approve the
allocation of additional capital funding 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 £0.551m from the SEND capital budget to
fund the necessary accommodation and external play area as set out
in paragraph 2.1 of the report. This is in addition to the previous
approved budget of £2.268m. This will provide sufficient and
suitable accommodation for the expansion and redesignation to 28
places for 11-16 year olds with Social
Communication Needs;
 
(2)  
the passporting of the revised total of £2.819m (minus funds
retained for WSCC Technical Adviser services outlined in paragraph
1.6) to Warden Park Secondary Academy (subject to recommendation 3
below) 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 staged transfer of the revised total of
£2.819 to the Academy Trust.