OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from Nick Binfield on behalf of Save Brading School. Ed
Following the decision by the Isle of Wight Council to halt plans to repurpose the buildings of Oakfield and Arreton Schools for their own purposes as specialist provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, we ask that the school closure process with specific reference to Brading is stopped immediately.
This School Place Planning Process was initially launched to great fanfare as an Island wide approach to reducing school places on the island and budget deficits and at the same time providing much needed additional SEND capacity. In our opinion now the use of the buildings at Oakfield and Arreton has publicly been stopped, this has led to significant concerns about a reduction in mainstream school places and limited additional support for pupils with SEND.
Facing a double disadvantage
We believe that pupils with SEND and the wider community now face double disadvantage. Pupils will have to be taught in larger classes, not just mainstream pupils but those with complex SEND needs, the very pupils who need smaller classes.
The closure of Brading school must be stopped to reconsider the needs of children on the Island.
There is of course an obvious solution. It would mean our politicians and unelected officers having to re-visit their thinking.
Save Brading School
The obvious answer is to Save Brading School – a school with immense expertise in supporting pupils with complex needs.
Brading School already has large numbers of complex SEND pupils- many have Education and Health Care Plans and some of whom would have been placed in the new provision.
Deep concern about the potential trauma and exhaustion
In the absence of the new provision these pupils will be placed into temporary schools before the new provision is ready. These children will then be transferred into new schools, the second move in a short time.
Many parents are deeply concerned about the potential trauma and exhaustion their children with SEND may face from multiple school moves. Many of the pupils at Brading have already had traumatic placement breakdown and in many cases multiple moves before becoming successful and happy pupils at Brading.
Highly regarded school
Brading school is highly regarded in both the educational and parental communities on the Isle of Wight. The school has time and time taken on pupils with complex needs when no other school would admit them or if admitted they were unable to meet their needs.
Moreover, Brading School has been highly successful in integrating these children into a mainstream setting. Brading has the capacity and expertise to absorb additional pupils successfully and educate all children whether with special needs or not in an inclusive and caring environment.
Lack of transparency
Some in the community of Brading have raised concerns about a lack of transparency in the school closure process, including the handling of Place Planning Areas and adherence to due process.
There is a fear among many in Brading that the local authority may re-present these proposals repeatedly, despite community concerns, in an effort to achieve their goals. With reference to Brading School, the very school that could support additional pupils with complex SEND needs we must stop this now.
