New Grimsby SEND school plans approved by councillors
The council are sticking with the free school plan
North East Lincolnshire Council is to stick to plans for a social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs free school on the site of former high-rise flats in Grimsby. The council’s cabinet decided at a meeting on Wednesday, February 11 to pursue the school, which will have capacity for 150 pupils, at derelict land off Albion Street.
The Department for Education (DfE) offered the council the option instead to have £7m cash to spend on special needs provision in existing schools in the borough. Since then, council officers have had extensive discussions with partners and considered the options available.
This included investing further in resource specialist provisions similar to those unveiled recently at schools in Healing, Scartho and Waltham. The council’s cabinet voted unanimously to follows officers’ recommendation to stick to the new free school plan.
By sticking with the free school, the council’s cabinet did so in the knowledge the local authority is expected to have to provide an additional £2.2-2.3m funding to address Environment Agency flood risk concerns with the Albion Street site. It has previously committed £1m capital spend to the school scheme.
“We know how many families in our area and across the country struggle to find appropriate education settings to support their children, and our research has highlighted a need in this area in particular,” said Cllr Margaret Cracknell (Conservative – Haverstoe), portfolio holder for children and education. She described in the meeting the £7m DfE spend offer as “quite a tempting offer, one might think initially”.
“It has taken some thought and some discussion, but we know we desperately need these places,” she later said. Currently, a large number of children with special needs are placed in educational settings outside of the borough. The free school would help address this and also in turn make savings for the council by removing the need for so many out of area placements.
Ann-Marie Matson, director of children services, stated at the meeting: “This decision has taken a lot of hours, days and weeks into really thinking through what’s the best outcome for our children and young people locally.”
Council leader Cllr Philip Jackson (Conservative – Waltham), said: “That particular site near Freeman Street in Grimsby, has been empty for some time, and so this is not just an opportunity to support a group of children who will benefit from a new school, but also offers the possibility of prompting wider regeneration.”
“A development like this one creates skilled jobs, and increases the number of people in that part of town thereby supporting local businesses. I’m pleased that my cabinet colleagues agreed to support the proposals.”
The council will look to proceed with plans for the school, which will be a DfE-led project. The cabinet also approved a recommendation from the children and lifelong learning scrutiny panel that safeguards be explored around exposure to risk of increasing costs, and the panel retains oversight.
Ward councillor welcomes school decision
East Marsh Ward Cllr Steve Beasant (Liberal Democrat) said he had a Grimsby Telegraph clipping from ten years ago where he predicted the Albion Street site would be empty for a decade when the high-rise flats went. However, he praised the cabinet decision to proceed with the school.
“It’s the right decision. This is about kids with special educational needs, it’s the parents as well who get very uptight when their kids are placed outside the borough, it’s keeping it at home.”
“As a corporate parent and chair of the corporate parenting board, this is an amazing decision. We can look after our children a lot better.”