School expansion would benefit Dorset’s children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND)

Plans to expand Beaucroft School and increase provision for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities will be taken to Dorset Council’s cabinet meeting on 27 July.

Councillors are being asked to approve the initial proposals for the former Wimborne First School site to be used to increase the capacity of Beaucroft School, with the aim of creating additional specialist provision for Dorset children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).

If Councillors approve the initial proposals, the expansion of the Beaucroft Foundation School could result in up to 80 additional places for Dorset children and young people, with a particular focus on those in post-16 education, whilst also benefitting multiple year groups.

Increasing specialist provision in post-16 will help reduce the Council’s need for independent placements. Independent provision costs around £60,000 a year per child, compared to around £22,000 for high quality provision at one of Dorset’s own special schools. It is proposed that in some cases, education could be better provided with an increase in local provision that allows young people to be educated closer to home, and in their local communities.

The paper being presented, outlines the proposed project to create an ambitious learning environment for our children and young people and seeks agreement to use the premises for this purpose. It also asks Councillors to approve the budget allocation to allow the project to proceed to the next phase.

If the recommendations get the go-ahead, then a four-week formal consultation period will take place, and then a report will be brought back to Dorset Council’s Cabinet for a final decision.

These proposals support the delivery of the SEND Capital Strategy 2020-2025, which was approved by Dorset Council’s cabinet in December 2020.

Dorset Council has developed these ambitious plans because the need for more special educational provision continues to grow – there were 1,500 children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans in Dorset in 2015, but by 2020 it had almost doubled to nearly 3,000.

Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Children, Education and Early Help, said: “The proposed expansion of Beaucroft school will go towards improving the lives of Dorset’s children and young people with Special Educational Need & Disability (SEND), by enabling more of our children to be educated locally in their communities.

“At present, some children and young people must travel for educational provision, sometimes far from home, because with continued growth in demand, there currently is not enough provision in Dorset to meet their needs. I believe the plans outlined are a great opportunity to expand on one of Dorset’s existing special schools so that more of our children can receive their education closer to home.”

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  1. Staff parking on street and traffic generated at the start and end of the school day cause chaos on Wimborne Road. Any proposal to expand the school should make provision for staff parking and pupil drop off and pick up on site.
    I strongly support the provision of additional places at this school.

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