Investment in special needs and five schools to be expanded
Schools in Brentford and Chiswick will benefit from a decision by Hounslow Council to invest £26 million in expansion and special needs provision over the next few years.
St Paul’s CE Primary in the Brentford area and St Mary's Catholic Primary (Voluntary Aided) School, Isleworth, will be expanded from September 2015, while Strand on the Green Infants School & Strand on the Green Junior School in Chiswick will have a SEN Centre, as previously reported here.
Councillors have agreed plans to set up four special educational needs (SEN) centres, and expand five schools across the borough to meet demand for primary places.
In the last four years alone, the number of pupils with a statement of SEN has risen more than 10 per cent. Special schools in the borough are full and surrounding boroughs report similar pressure on their own special schools.
The plans have been developed to meet the demand for school places available in local schools in time for the start of term in September 2015, and add 86 new places in local schools for children with SEN.
Cllr Tom Bruce, cabinet member for education and HR at the council, said: “Demand for places at our schools is continuing to rise, and we are working hard to make sure we have enough space where we need it. We are proud that despite the increasing demand for places we have always manage to meet demand and ensure that enough schools places in the Reception year are available for local parents and carers.
“We are also seeing higher demand for SEN places, and these plans will increase the number of places available to help as many of our pupils as possible to be educated in the borough, in the most suitable setting.”
As well as these plans to provide an extra 150 places from September 2015, the council has already created an additional 300 permanent reception places for children starting school in September 2014, as well as five temporary ‘bulge classes’ to provide an additional 150 places across the borough.
The schools being expanded from September 2015 are:
• Beavers Primary School
• Hounslow Heath Infant School
• Hounslow Heath Junior School
• St Mary’s RC Primary
• St Paul’s CE Primary
The new SEN centres will be created at:
• Feltham Hill Infant School
• Hounslow Heath Infant School
• Hounslow Heath Junior School
• Strand on the Green Infants School & Strand on the Green Junior School
More information about the plans can be found in the cabinet report here.
April 2, 2014
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