Issue - decisions

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet: 

1)    In coming to a decision, has regard to the 292 responses and 2 petitions from the consultation in response to the proposed closure;

2)    Agrees the closure of the Specialist Resourced Provision for children with Physical Disabilities at Coteford Infant School.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education introduced the report, asking the Cabinet to consider the proposals to close the physical Disability special resource provision (SRP) at Coteford Infant School. This proposal was put forward due to the falling demand for places at the school, which had itself requested a reduction. It was noted that children with physical disabilities fully attended the mainstream school with individual access arrangements as per their EHCPs. Furthermore, that it was expected that all schools would be fully inclusive of children with physical disabilities, complying with DDA standards.

The Cabinet Member noted that the pupils at Coteford Infant School, who had physical disabilities, attended mainstream classes 100% of the time and only left class for specific therapies embedded in their individual EHCP plans. Unlike other schools, Coteford did not have a separate physical space for SRP; all pupils were fully integrated into the classrooms.

The Cabinet Member outlined how the Council had been focusing on SEND education for several years, conducting a sufficiency review and formulating plans for new schools and units. Discussions with Coteford Infants had begun in February 2024, revealing that SRP pupils were already fully integrated with their mainstream peers. The consultation on the proposal started on September 25th and ended on October 25th, garnering significant interest from stakeholders, including two signed petitions and questions at full Council in November.

The proposal had been presented to the Children's, Families and Education Select Committee, whose comments were included in the Cabinet agenda. At that meeting, officers had assured that any proposed closure of the SRP would not impact the support provided to children with EHCPs and that the school would continue to receive the same level of funding for these pupils. The Cabinet Member emphasised that funding followed the child, determined by their EHCP, rather than the school.

The Cabinet Member praised Coteford Infant School as a shining example of successful integration of children with special educational needs into a mainstream setting. The Leader of the Council also acknowledged residents' concerns but emphasised that the vision in the Hillingdon local area SEND and alternative provision strategy aimed to spread Coteford's best practice to other schools, ensuring all schools were inclusive and children attending could form local connections.

Following all due consideration of the consultation and the petitions received, the Cabinet agreed to the closure of the Special Resource Provision at Coteford Infants School at the end of the academic year 2024/25.

Alternative options considered and rejected

Cabinet could have decided to keep the SRP open, but considered this not suitable due to lack of demand and the expectation that mainstream schools should meet the needs of children with Physical Disabilities. Cabinet could have also decided to change the type of SRP, but noted that the school declined the offer due to lack of space and preference against alternate specialist provision on site.