As reported by News OnTheWight earlier today an Isle of Wight special school is looking to expand with plans to open a satellite site in East Cowes.
St George’s School in Newport is proposing to provide extra facilities at the former Studio School in Grange Road, East Cowes, as part of a major £200,000 investment by the Isle of Wight Council.
20 additional places at St George’s
The current capacity of St George’s is 188 pupils aged 11 to 19 years-old with complex learning difficulties. If the proposal is approved it will create 20 additional places from September 2024.
The school, in Watergate Road, has an excellent reputation across the south coast as a centre of excellence for young people with special educational needs.
New sixth-form centre
In 2022 St George’s opened a new sixth-form centre — The View — providing bespoke facilities including new classrooms, a hair and beauty studio and food technology room, for up to 50 students.
That development brought back into use the former Clatterford tuition site that had stood empty for more than six years.
The school’s latest expansion plans will bring another former educational site, the Isle of Wight Studio School which closed in 2019, back into use.
Gleeson: A very exciting development opportunity
Steff Gleeson, headteacher, said,
“This is a very exciting development opportunity for St George’s and for the young people on the Isle of Wight.”
Since 2015, the number of Island pupils with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has increased from 670 to more than 1,600 last year. This has resulted in a pressure for places and resourced provision.
Bacon: The council is committed to further developing successful provision
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for children’s services and education, said,
“The lack of sufficient provision in Island schools has resulted in the need for increased placements within the costlier independent non-maintained specialist sector.
“The council is committed to further developing successful provision to meet the growth in need within the special education needs and disability (SEND) sector and help children to have their needs met in their local community.
“This proposed additional SEND provision will manage some of the school place pressures generated by the increase in the number of EHCPs maintained by the local authority and allow placement of additional children for September 2024.”
A six-week consultation has been launched for people to have their say on the proposals and for more information visit the council’s website.
Greenmount Primary School, Ryde
A further consultation has been launched today to double — from six to 12 — the number of places for children with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) at Greenmount Primary School in Ryde.
For more information and to take part, please visit the council’s website.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
