Decision details

To agree that Charlton House, Keynsham can be re-purposed into a small residential and day school for young people aged 11-17 with complex special education needs and fully approves £6.1m High Needs Provision Capital Allocation (HNPCA) Grant funding to carry out the remodelling to accommodate the young people at the new special school.

The rationale for opening this new provision is to provide for one of B&NES most vulnerable cohorts of young people. The provision will cater for the needs of young people aged 11-17 whose needs cannot be met within any existing local provision. All will have an Education, Health and Care Plan and a high level of need that has meant they have been placed in specialist provision around the country. These young people have been supported mainly in residential schools or children’s homes with education attached, all of which are out of county provisions as there are currently no residential provisions in B&NES. This means that the young people are not given the chance to be part of their local community, accessing education, social interactions, employment opportunities etc. Life outcomes for these young people will be much improved with an offer of local education with a residential element for those in care.

By opening our own provision and commissioning a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) to run it there will be the opportunity to keep placement costs at a much lower rate than currently being charged by the independent sector and therefore bringing in savings for the DfE Safety Valve Programme.

In the complex pathway review family feedback was that families report feeling anxious about their child’s future (particularly around residential college/supported living options).

There will be a reduction in transport costs as journeys will be much shorter and shared within minibuses.

Charlton House is attached to Hawthorn Court in Keynsham. Hawthorn Court is an adult care home providing extra care housing for older people. Charlton House is no longer used as a care home and is currently empty. Hawthorn Court will continue to provide housing for older people.

The required remodelling, adaptations and refurbishment of Charlton House to enable the building to be repurposed and used as a residential and day special school has been investigated and a feasibility study carried out. The feasibility study indicates that the building could be converted with costs estimated at £6.1m. The project would use BB104 Government Area Guidelines for SEND and Alternative Provision, ensuring the creation of appropriate categories of space for both indoor and outdoor areas.

The capital project will include works to ensure that Charlton House and Hawthorn Court have separate access, security and landscaping to outside areas.

Other options would be to look for an alternative site, this would:

·  Delay the opening of the school – implications for the Safety Valve savings.

·  May have project cost implications.

·  Would mean that Charlton House will stand empty.