Consultation 2 - Secondary Satellite

CONSULTATION ON PROPOSAL TO OPEN SATELLITE PROVISION FOR 12 SECONDARY-AGED SEND PUPILS BY STUBBIN WOOD SCHOOL

Proposal:

To establish a SEND satellite site for 12 secondary-aged students (Key Stage 3 and 4). To be co-located on the site of The Brunts Academy.

Responses to the proposal can be made by completing this short form. Please take the time to read the information below before making your response.

Background:

Stubbin Wood School & Nursery is a special school in Derbyshire on the border with Nottinghamshire, and is rated Good by Ofsted.  The school offers 185 places with provision of an additional 17 SEN units at the inclusive nursery of 60 students.  The Nursery is located 10 minutes drive from the main school site. A further satellite provision, opened in January 2023 and commissioned by Nottinghamshire County Council, caters for a further 24 primary-aged pupils as an integrated pathway, working closely with a co-located mainstream Primary.

The school is the largest special school in Derbyshire with a reputation for excellent, responsive care to support the needs of its students and there is a high demand for places.    

This proposal is to create a secondary SEND provision co-located on the site of The Brunts Academy, part of the Greenwood Academies Trust. Pupils attending the specialist satellite provision will likely be school-based refusers where there is a link to unmet mental health or high-functioning autism needs. The curriculum will align with the specialist provision of Stubbin Wood School. It is the intention of the provision that pupils will have the opportunity over time, to integrate into the mainstream curriculum of The Brunts Academy. The 12 places will be split into 2 key stage groups, and it is anticipated that pupils may transition to this provision from the primary satellite provision in Mansfield. Pupils attending the site will benefit from access to the facilities on the adjacent secondary school site, in addition to the facilities of Stubbin Wood School.

Stubbin Wood School does not anticipate any detrimental effect on those students already its main site, or existing satellite provisions.  Stubbin Wood School is currently at capacity and the creation of a new satellite facility, will serve a new group of pupils where there is high demand in Nottinghamshire for special needs provision.

The 12 places created by this proposal would be in addition to existing provision and would increase the net capacity of the school to 281 pupils across its main site, nursery and satellite provisions (excluding other pending consultations). There will be no changes to our existing main school, primary satellite or nursery sites. The satellite site will be a full part of Stubbin Wood. Pupils will be taught by Stubbin Wood staff and will be taught the Stubbin Wood curriculum.

Consultation Timeline:

The consultation will run until midnight on 24th December 2023, and we are keen to hear thoughts from all of those involved in the school, the wider local community and our local neighbours.

Consultation Events:

We are holding consultation events at both Stubbin Wood School and Caunton Dean Hole C of E Primary School on Tuesday 19th December at 16:00pm for parents, governors and external parties. If you are a parent or governor, you may join the event in-person by arriving at the advertised time. If, however, you would rather join the event via Microsoft Teams, please register for and a link to the meeting will be emailed out to you.

If you are an external organisation wishing to either join the event in person or via Microsoft Teams, please register for your invite/Teams link.

You can make your views on the proposal known here.

Consultation Responses

There were 14 responses, with no responders posing questions or requesting further clarity. Respondents included staff and governors who gave unwavering support for the proposal. Several responses recognised the need for further SEND places at secondary in the area, and one highlighted the benefit of linking to the Primary satellite for continuity. Overall, 100% of responders were supportive of the proposal.

Consultation with Schools and Providers: 1 education provider responded to the consultation, offering a positive response. The provider also recognised the local need, and the positive benefits of continuous education provision. LGB: The local governing body have given their full support for the provision. Local Authority: Nottinghamshire County Council are working in partnership with TEAM Education Trust to ensure a successful provision.

The consultation ran for 4 weeks from 27th November to midnight on the 24th December 2023.