Have your say on important site

Dorset Council is asking local people and community groups for their views on the future of the former St Mary’s school site near Shaftesbury, which the council purchased last month.

We are asking everyone to complete a short survey online or please call 01305 225088 if you need a paper copy. Please respond before the closing date, which is midnight on 18 March 2021.

Dorset Council wants to work with local people and groups to make sure this important site benefits our community for generations to come. All views will be carefully considered before a final decision is made.

Dorset Council’s preferred option is to use the site as a school to provide high quality education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). There is a growing need for this education provision. Currently around 3,000 pupils with SEND are supported by an Education, Health and Care Plan, but in 2015 it was less than 1,500. Whilst the majority of children with SEND can be supported in mainstream schools, such as local primary and secondary schools, there are some children and young people who need more specialist support and provision.

The cost of SEND education provision to Dorset Council is also growing. Independent provision for these pupils is expensive, costs vary, but it is often around £60,000 a year, per place. This compares to about £22,000 for similar provision at one of Dorset’s excellent special schools. Costs have grown by around £6.7 million a year since 2015 and this year independent SEND provision is likely to cost more than £14million.

Cllr Spencer Flower, Leader of Dorset Council, said: “We are very ambitious for this site and for our children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). St Mary’s has amazing facilities and we believe it could be used to provide excellent educational opportunities closer to home.

“Pupils with SEND often have to travel far outside Dorset, as we do not currently have enough provision for them. This costs around £14 million a year, as buying independent, external provision is far more expensive. We believe creating a school with high quality facilities closer to home would be better for our children and young people and could also save money in the future.

“It is worth noting that opportunities to secure sites like this for Dorset are very rare. It would cost a great deal more, and take several years, to build such a wonderful facility like this from scratch. This is a clear example of investing to save. St Mary’s has been well maintained and has lots of amazing modern facilities.

“We now want to work with local people and groups to create a great facility that will be a community, and perhaps an educational resource, for Dorset. It is a fantastic place set in substantial grounds of about 55 acres. It offers exciting potential for many other community uses too. Please complete the short survey today and share your views, thank you.”

St Mary’s is currently a large, well-equipped school, which was run as a private school until last summer. It is set within large grounds and has extensive educational facilities. The buildings date from the early 20^th century to the 21^st century, however despite appearances, it is not a historic building.

There is a main school building, assembly hall, large canteen refectory, many classrooms and small study rooms, as well as science laboratories, an art block and studios. There is a music block built in 2003 with an auditorium, a language block built in 1990s, conference facilities, a junior school built in 2000, a medical centre and a library. There is a drama studio which was converted in 1995, a gymnasium and purpose-built sports hall developed in 1992 with changing rooms and an indoor swimming pool complex built in 2006. There is also extensive living accommodation (former boarding houses) built from 1990s and extended in 2011, staff houses, a chapel and more. Outside facilities include playing fields, sports pitches and woodlands.

The funding for the purchase of the St Mary’s site has come from Dorset Council’s capital budget, and the use of the site is expected to offset revenue expenditure that would otherwise be incurred elsewhere by the council. The purchase is part of the council’s five year £145million capital programme which is financed through a combination of Government grants and money from the sale of assets.

Although the creation of a school for children and young people with SEND is the council’s preferred option, we are also open to considering alternative uses for the site. The council has considered other uses. These include a respite care centre, a training and conferencing suite and an innovation centre for a start-up businesses.

Please complete the survey here before 18 March. 

Please keep in touch by signing-up our ‘St Mary’s Update’ free enewsletter here: www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/e-news

If you would like an easyread version of the survey or have any questions please email: stmarys@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Read more information including frequently asked questions.

This is how Dorset Council will deal with responses to the consultation:

Assessment criteria – how will we consider responses?

When weighing up responses to these options, before deciding which represents the most appropriate use of the site, we will take into account, but not be limited to the following:

• supports the delivery of council services to whom the council owes a statutory duty (for example, education provision) having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness
• The efficient use of financial resources, in particular value for money
• Analysis of comparative need and demand in Dorset
• The public sector equality duty
• The extent to which any option will be consistent with adopted Dorset Council policy