Council buildings in Worcestershire could be turned into SEND schools
The idea will be put forward at a council meeting on Thursday
Council buildings could be turned into special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools under plans put forward by the Liberal Democrats.
The idea will be put forward as an amendment at Worcestershire County Council’s annual budget setting meeting on Thursday (February 26).
It has long been acknowledged there is a lack of specialist SEND school places in Worcestershire.
Cabinet ruled out building a new secondary or SEND school on Worcester’s abandoned County Hall site last October, after a report found it wasn’t suitable.
But Lib Dems say there are other council-owned buildings that could be converted into schools and want a feasibility study to be carried out.
Their plan would involve all councillors contributing £4,000 from their divisional funds so the council can evaluate which buildings already under council ownership have the potential to be transformed.
“The buildings are there, let’s use them,” said county councillor Dan Boatright-Greene.
“Too many children are being let down by the system. They are waiting too long to have their needs identified but when that is established, we don’t have the schools and settings for them to learn.
“As a result, too many of our young people are being taxied out of county when they could learn right here in Worcestershire if we had the right schools.
“The new announcements from the government still fail to address the greatest pressures we have on our SEND provision.
“Not everyone can learn in a mainstream school and we can use the buildings we already own, to provide the spaces young people need to flourish.”
In April 2024 Worcestershire County Council was judged to have widespread and systematic failings in its approach to SEND by Ofsted.
Inspectors called for action after finding widespread failings in the services for children with special educational needs.
It was revealed in January that waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments had worsened since the original report.
The Vale of Evesham School is also proposing to close its residential provision due to “dwindling numbers”.
Evesham town councillor Matt Jones said: “We need a more proactive approach to SEND provision in Worcestershire.
“We cannot rely on private schools or academies to fill the gap without a plan. We need to find the sites and get on with the job. Too many young people are being left behind.”