Issue - meetings

Report by Rosalind Turner, Managing Director, Children, Families and Education)

(1)       Before the commencement of discussion on this item, Ms S Carey and Mr C Capon indicated that they would speak to this item as Local Members and would therefore abstain from voting on the recommendation.

(2)       This report sought the views of the Advisory Board on undertaking a public consultation to relocate and designate Foxwood and Highview Schools and to remove the boarding provision from Foxwood School.

(3)       Mr Adams introduced this matter by highlighting the key issues relating to these proposals as detailed in the report.  During the course of discussion, Members of the Advisory Board raised a number of points of detail to which Mr Adams responded accordingly.

(4)       Speaking as a Local Member, Ms Carey said that whilst she supported the undertaking of a public consultation, she did have concerns that the proposal would increase the traffic flows in and around the Brockhill site and therefore asked that appropriate measures be taken in order to reduce this.  Mr Adams said that the traffic situation in and around the Brockhill site would be investigated as part of the overall proposal. However as the numbers attending the Brockhill School were currently reducing, he believed that would offset any possible increase in the traffic numbers which may come about as a result of the proposal.  Mr Capon as a local Member said that he supported the proposals but that he had been approached by parents from Nonnington who had said that they were not aware of these proposals. Mr Adams said that he would look into that and confirmed parents would be formally consulted on these proposals, including parents with children at Nonnington.

(5)       Following further discussion, the Advisory Board resolved to recommend that a public consultation be undertaken on the proposal to re-designate Foxwood School as a school for profound and severe learning needs and Highview School as a school for complex learning needs and to relocate both schools onto the site of the Brockhill Park Performing Arts College; and remove the boarding provision at Foxwood School.