A senior county councillor is set to make a final decision on plans to open a special education facility at a school in Chailey.
Next Monday (October 6), Cllr Bob Standley, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for education, is set to decide whether the authority will move ahead with plans to create a special education facility at Chailey St Peter’s CE Primary School.
Cllr Standley had agreed to begin the statutory process of establishing such a facility at a previous meeting held in July. The statutory process included a four-week representation period, during which no comments were submitted by any interested parties.
This statutory representation period had followed on from a consultation exercise run by the council earlier in the year. At the July meeting, officers said this saw ‘overwhelming support’ for the proposals, with 41 out of 46 respondents (89 per cent) indicating they were in favour of the facility’s creation.
If approved by Cllr Standley, the facility would be expected to cater for up to 12 pupils with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), specifically children with autism.
It would be the latest in a series of such facilities established by the county council, which has been seeking to increase SEND places in light of a rise in children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
The facility would be based within a former dining room building within the school’s playground. Officers have previously said “some adaptation work” will be required to make the building fit for purpose, which the council plans to fund from its capital programme.
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