- Council considers new games area for young people in Ham
- ‘Drop in’ and find out more about your Village Plan
- Online one-stop-shop for Council services launched
- Keep busy this summer
- Take part in your own road race
- Be inspired by the Olympics
- Children’s centres open for summer
- Be a part of Orleans House Gallery’s Big 40
- Richmond Youth Council wants you
- Carers offered a well deserved break
- Mayor gets into the Olympic spirit
- Richmond overwhelmed by 120 Olympics volunteering applications
- Plans approved to consider integrated health and social care services
- Richmond outlines new priorities for community safety
- Council confirms £400,000 extra cash for new Community Road and Pavement Fund
- Stay Safe During The Games
- Residents asked about proposed changes to Council Tax benefit
- Cabinet agrees funding for Sixth Forms
- First Volunteering Richmond Roadshows
- School opens for summer
- Richmond's registration services go online
- Business start-ups offered ‘pop up’ shop in Richmond
- Council service delivery during the Olympics
- Crane Park scoops Green Flag Award
- Playbeach back for the summer
- Richmond in Bloom winners dazzle judges
- Over 500 primary school places approved for the borough
- Heathrow expansion no more viable today than in 2010
- Olympics museum display wins Civic Pride funding
- Youngsters capture spirit of Paralympics in poetry
- Deadline is looming to nominate for dignity in care locally
- Hampton carer to carry Olympic flame
- Last call for Olympic Volunteers
- It’s Showtime
- Summer events announced for new-look Twickenham Riverside
- Scholarship boost for aspiring students
- Community spirit at Heatham House
- Be a good neighbour during the Olympics
- Richmond Children’s Services Director gets new post
- Major plans to revitalise Twickenham take a step closer
- New facilities for children with SEN
- Complaints against parking services at an all time low
- Parking during the Olympic Games
- Hampton North set for regeneration boost
- Community spirit gets funding
- Take part in Summer Reading Challenge
- Team Richmond celebrate Games triumph
- All in One Village Plans to launch this week
Release Date: 06/07/2012
New facilities for children with SEN
Parents of children and young people with Special Educational Needs could have new purpose built facilities based on the site of three mainstream schools in the borough.
The Council is carrying out a consultation regarding plans to improve the quality of special school facilities available locally, for pupils with severe and complex learning needs. The ambitious plans propose a reprovisioning of the services currently available at the Strathmore School in Ham and create purpose-built facilities on the sites of Russell Primary School and Grey Court Secondary. This move would offer a wider curriculum, with genuine opportunities for inclusive learning. In addition, the consultation presents proposals for a new SEN school to be based on the Clifden Site in Twickenham.
The facilities would include improved sensory equipment, enhanced therapeutic spaces, a bespoke hydrotherapy pool and facilities for increasing independent living skills. Pupils would also be able to benefit from the wider facilities available at the host schools, such as larger hall spaces, improved sports and changing facilities, and specialist teaching rooms.
Cllr Christine Percival, Richmond Council Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Children’s Services, said:
“We currently have two special schools for children and young people with Special Educational Needs. In recent Ofsted inspections both have been judged as ‘good’. As with our commitment to all schools in the borough, we want to strive to ensure that they are ‘excellent’. To do this we need to make significant improvements to the buildings and the facilities available. The Strathmore site isn’t able to accommodate these improvements.
“By developing the special school provision alongside our mainstream schools, we can increase the extent to which children with disabilities and learning difficulties can access the whole curriculum and extended school activities. At the same time they will have a specially designed facility with remodelled, high quality buildings to ensure that their needs are addressed.
“We are asking all parents of children what they think of these proposals in an informal consultation. Should parents be in favour of the plans we will investigate this further and a formal consultation will be launched before a decision is made by Cabinet later in the year.”
Ivan Pryce, Headteacher of the Strathmore School, said:
“Our pupils deserve a school built to meet their special needs. This is an innovative proposal that will create a 21st Century school and community facility accessible to all. I am very excited at the opportunities this will create for children of all ages to learn together whilst Strathmore pupils continue to receive the highest quality specialist teaching and resources that they need.”
To see the proposals and have your say online, go to the SEN Consultation page.
View the full press release