Agenda item

To consider the report of the Corporate Director Education.

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director Education.

The Corporate Director Education advised that the purpose of the report was to request that the Executive Committee approved that the Authority formally consult in relation to the proposal to extend the capacity of Pen y Cwm Special School from 120 to 175 pupils which would accommodate the demand for places. The Corporate Director informed that Pen y Cwm catered for pupils between the ages of 3-19 years across a broad spectrum of complex special educational needs. The placements were available for both Blaenau Gwent pupils as well as pupils from other local authority areas. At present the School was over capacity and currently had 141 pupils on roll, which included a wide range of disabilities and difficulties.

The Corporate Director Education advised that the proposal to extend the capacity at Pen y Cwm Special School from 120 to 175 places from September 2021 was to facilitate the extended capacity. The Council would remodel the existing learning environment to create additional classroom spaces and associated facilities. In addition, the Council would work with the school to develop a long-term plan to support sustained growth and development.

The Corporate Director added that the proposal would be delivered in two parts, as follows:-

Part 1, to increase the capacity of Pen y Cwm Special School from 120 to 175 places in preparation for 2021/22 academic year, which would involve physical works to the existing building including:-

·        Re-location of the Post 16 base (including 3 classrooms, a

·        common room, life skills room, toilets and hygiene facilities)

·        Re-location of the current administrative area and office space

·        (including a staff room, PPA room, conference facility and a

small meeting room)

·        Creation of 2 additional primary classrooms

·        Creation of 1 additional secondary classroom and associated Facilities

·        Re-location of the soft-play area to the ground floor

·        Re-development of the Science and Technology room

Part 2, the development of a long-term plan to secure additional capacity to facilitate sustained growth and development.

The Corporate Director noted the benefits and advantages of the proposal and outlined the consultation requirements. The Corporate Director reported a correction to the date outlined which should read 6^th June, 2021 and not 6^th May, 2021 as noted. This consultation period was inclusive of 20 school days.

RESOLVED accordingly.

The Corporate Director further outlined the capital and revenue implications and noted that the capital costs would be funded through Welsh Government grants, however in terms of revenue it was reported that Pen y Cwm Special School was funded in accordance with Blaenau Gwent Council’s Fair Funding policy and would receive resources on the same basis as any other school within Blaenau Gwent, based upon pupil numbers and the area of the school building. In April 2020/21 pupil funding at Pen y Cwm Special School for Age Weighted Pupil Unit and Category funding was £2,277,494 this figure was based upon the 141 pupils on roll. It was noted that based on the average pupil cost of £16,925, the AWPU/ category funding costs for 175 pupils would be circa £2.9 million, which was an increase of £575,450, if all places were to be fully allocated.

The Corporate Director also noted that the Authority currently had
20 ALN pupils educated outside the Local Authority at a cost of £896,000. If Pen y Cwm Special School was able to increase capacity, there would be opportunities to consider making education provision for some of the 20 pupils back in Blaenau Gwent.

The Corporate Director referred to Appendix 2 which detailed the sensitivity analysis around the mix of pupils and outlined a range of funding options from the Individual School Budget. The report also detailed the risks if the proposal was not taken forward in terms of placements and financial risk of Out of County Places for the Authority.

The Executive Member for Education welcomed the report and felt that the proposal would benefit more children and young people by ensuring they had access to learning closer to home. The Leader concurred with the comments raised and felt that the report demonstrated Blaenau Gwent’s continued commitment to our learners.

RESOLVED that the report be accepted and Option 1; associated documents be accepted and the Executive Committee formally agreed to consult upon the proposal.