Lionheart School To Expand SEND Places For Children With High Anxiety

Children with complex high anxiety mental health will be offered new places at an Isle of Wight school.

County Hall’s children’s services, education and skills committee approved a 50 per cent SEND expansion at the Lionheart School last Thursday (January 15).

Additional provision of 60 places will be available from September 2026 at the former Cowes Primary School site.

Local councils must organise suitable education for school age children who cannot attend school due to illness, exclusion or other reasons under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996.

Cllr Paul Fuller, Alliance representative for Cowes West and Gurnard, said he was “fully in support” of the move and highlighted the importance of ensuring the community is “embracing what the school is doing and understanding”.

Ashley Whittaker, director of children’s services at the Isle of Wight Council, said:

“The decision to expand Lionheart School was a result of the acknowledgement that the numbers of children who live on the Island who have needs that cannot be currently met within mainstream school has increased quite a lot over recent years.

“Some of those children have not been attending mainstream school and they haven’t been attending school at all, some of them.”

He was responding to Reform UK councillor for Central Rural ward Caroline Gladwin who asked why the decision was made to increase places at the Lionheart School as opposed to elsewhere.

Cllr Karl Love, the independent member for East Cowes, said:

“I want to congratulate people on the work they do in that school particularly – it’s one of the most difficult and complex jobs for any teacher to do to work in a Pupil Referral Unit and Special Education etc.”

Conservative chair of the children’s services, education and skills committee, Paul Brading, described the Lionheart School’s headteacher Andrew Hatherley as an “inspirational” figure working with other Island headteachers.

Consultation on the expansion took place between November 21 and December 19, with two comments received.

One questioned whether the former Cowes Primary School site was the most suitable location and if cost implications for transport had been considered.

In response, the council said the former school’s use would be an efficient use of its physical resources.

The local authority added that transport provision had been taken into account and will depend on the individual circumstances of those attending the school.

Another comment mentioned holding a meeting with residents to discuss the plans which did not take place during the consultation.

The council said there were other options for residents to discuss the proposal with council officers.