Agenda item

Members of the public are invited to put questions to the Chair and Cabinet Members on any matters within the powers and duties of the Cabinet, subject to the exclusions set out in the Code of Practice.  (Questions must be submitted no later than 30 minutes prior to the commencement of the meeting on the card provided.  These are available at the meeting. You can also submit via the Council’s website at www.stockport.gov.uk/publicquestions)

Three public questions were submitted.

The first public question had been submitted by a member of the public who was not present at the meeting. The Chair advised that, in accordance with the Code of Practice, a written response would be provided to the questioner.

Two other public questions were submitted as follows:-

• Requesting whether the Council was complying with Article 24 of the United Nations Convention of Human Rights for People with Disabilities which required local authorities to provide appropriate support in order that disabled children and young people, and children and young people with learning difficulties, including people with autism, attend mainstream schools (with staff who have the capacity to meet the needs of all children) and therefore be a part of the local community.
• Whether the proposed new special school in Stockport would be a local authority maintained special school, a ‘free’ special school or a special school that had academy status.

The Cabinet Member for Education (Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick) responded to these public questions as follows:-

Under Articles 7 and 24 of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the U.K. Government was committed to inclusive education of disabled children and young people and the progressive removal of barriers to learning and participation in mainstream education. The Children and Families Act 2014 secured the general presumption in law of mainstream education. Placements in special schools would depend on the needs of the children and young people and would require the agreement of parents and the young people.

In Stockport there were approximately 7,000 children and young people, aged 0-25 years, who had identified Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Of these 2127 (January 2018 return) had their needs, outcome and provision described through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC). The vast majority of children and young people accessed mainstream nurseries, schools or colleges and needs were met through enhanced resources from the local authority or health services and/or through schools funding. At the January 2018 count 674 (January 2018) children or young people attended a designated special school. Of the 674 in special settings 103 were in non-maintained, independent special schools of which only eight attended as residential placements due to special educational needs. A range of services in Stockport were key to ensuring the continued development of mainstream settings and schools to support children and young people with SEND.

For all pupils who attended a special school the needs, outcomes and provision required to meet need had been agreed with parents and the child/ young person (where possible) following a detailed needs assessment process. For those pupils who required a special school place this had been defined in the EHC plan and should an appropriate place not be available in Stockport then a placement would be identified at a non-maintained, independent or out of borough special school. All maintained special schools in Stockport were Ofsted registered as at least ‘Good’ and the majority being described as ‘Outstanding’. Temporary solutions to increasing demand for all these schools had been created but a more permanent solution had been sought through this proposal to build.

The new school would cater for the same population as the current school, i.e. primary age with severe and complex special educational needs. All these pupils had significant learning difficulties which may be combined with other difficulties, including social and communication, physical needs, sensory needs or medical difficulties. All these children required high levels of adult support, a personalised curriculum, specialist teaching, equipment and resources and high levels of input from health services. These specialist schools provided a wide range of opportunities for children as well as providing additional support for parents.

This proposal aimed to ensure sufficient local provision for the most vulnerable children so that they could access high quality education within the Stockport community. It was proposed that Lisburne School, which was a local authority maintained special school, would be re-built as a local authority maintained school and expanded on an alternative site. The proposal would be subject to consultation due to the size of the proposed increase to the school.