Decision details

To fund capital works which will enable BANES to open a Secondary School Resource Base to accommodate children and young people with SEND. The new SEND Resource Base will support up to 20 pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Resource Bases are for pupils with special educational needs and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who will attend mainstream school and receive additional specialist support at a resource base. This is in line with the Council's priorities as set out in the SEND Education Strategy and Action Plan 2021-2024.

To fully approve a £390,679.30 capital budget, funded by CIL, Basic Needs Grant and High Needs Provision Capital Allocation Grant (HNPCA).

MATS/Schools in BANES were approached to ascertain if they were interested in opening resource base provision for SEND children on the roll of mainstream schools both primary and secondary. The MATS/Schools had to submit a "vision" of the type of base, new build or adaptation and how the base would be run. The "visions" were then considered jointly between the LA, BPCF and the MATS/schools. The proposed resource bases needed to offer provision that fitted with the B&NEs requirement based on the data available at the time. The data clearly showed the need for secondary ASD facilities within B&NES.

Feasibility and Development has been carried out at Somervale linked to this provision as per the ODD previously published. Following a robust feasibility study and full funding approval, at very early stages of project delivery, where more detailed design and site surveys are carried out, it became clear that there were issues with the proposed location on the Somervale School site, following further site location options appraisals for the new RB it became clear that the project was undeliverable at Somervale School. The funding is therefore being realigned to St Mark's School via this decision as it is identified as being in the right area and has available space to open a resource base. St Mark's School already successfully run a resource base for children with MLD. St Mark's School is an area of need for this type of secondary SEND provision. The funding required to deliver the project at St Marks is less that Somervale and therefore the balance of the currently approved budget will be released to realign to future SEND RB provision in Secondary schools within the BANES area.