£1.5 Million To Be Spent On SEND Provision Expansion For Isle of Wight

Around £1.5 million in capital funding will be spent on a 36-place Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) expansion on the Isle of Wight.

The children’s services, education and skills committee yesterday (Thursday, July 2) approved an increase in places at Medina House School in Newport from 168 to 204.

Councillors also agreed to the creation of a new eight place resourced provision at The Bay CE School’s secondary site in Sandown.

Due to be provided at the former site of Barton Primary School, the 36 Medina House places are planned for September 2027.

The new provision at The Bay CE School will be from September this year.

These proposals will help manage greater numbers of children with an education and health care plan (EHCP) and who need a specialist education placement for their needs to be met, according to a committee report.

EHCPs are for children and young people aged up to 25 who need extra assistance than is available through special educational needs support.

The report said: “The proposed expansions were reviewed in further detail and after carefully considering the outcome of the consultation period, alongside the urgent need for specialist places it was concluded that both proposals should be implemented.”

Council officer Jade Kennett said no objections were received during the consultations which included several events with staff and parents.

Capital funding will be needed to support the Medina House expansion, with work costs estimated at £1,500,000.

The extra revenue cost when the additional 36 places are filled is £1,064,844, equivalent to £29,579 per child.

Estimated capital investment for The Bay CE School provision amounts to £15,000.

One-off revenue funding of £2,535 will be required to purchase necessary specialist resources and equipment to support pupils and the annual cost per child is £18,606.

The council says capital funding for the projects will be drawn from the High Needs Capital Funding allocation from Whitehall’s Department for Education.

Revenue funding will come from the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant – also from the government.