From the Chamber: Good news from Children's Services
It is great to be in the position to share several pieces of good news from Children’s Services.
Firstly hot off the presses is the news that on 20th March The Greenshaw Learning Trust were formally appointed to take over running Oakbank School. They have already been involved with the school over the past few weeks, and we look forward to working with them to help the school, parents and children recover from what has been a really tough time under the previous trust.
Secondly, last September we opened two new units attached to mainstream schools for children with SEND, and we have several more in the pipeline for 2026. Receiving their education in a mainstream setting, with support, is better for a lot of children with special educational needs and disabilities. They get more opportunities for a broader range of subjects and activities, are better prepared for what life after school will be like, and they are where they should be – integrated into society. This strengthened focus on inclusion - which has the support of our schools and academy trusts – has now been cited in a speech by Sir Martyn Oliver, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools at Ofsted. We are being noticed for doing the right things.
Not all the news on SEND is good news. As well as supporting children in mainstream, we also need special schools. Back in 2023 Wokingham was awarded two of 67 planned new special schools. We wanted to be in charge of building them because we knew we could get the schools open on schedule in 2026. The government refused, and you guessed it, they are going to be delayed. A place at what is technically known as an Independent Non-Maintained Special School costs around £63,000, about £40,000 a year more than a state-funded school. That means that each year of delay is going to cost approaching £2 million, through funding extra independent school places and the associated transport costs. That’s if we can find places. And that’s without considering the impact on the children, which is what really matters.
We do have better news in other areas though. Last week I visited Seaford Court, our completely refurbished accommodation for young people who are leaving care. It is fantastic to see this building being brought back into use at last. We would like to thank Caritas for all they have done for young people through this building in the past and we look forward to being able to continue to build on their good work.
And finally, the last of 4 pieces of good news. Offers of secondary school places were made on 3rd March and I am very pleased to be able to say that we were able to offer 98% of parents at least 1 of their choices of school, with 82% getting their first choice. This is significantly better than the position in 2022, the last year of the Conservative administration, when the figures were 94% and 76%.
Cllr Prue Bray is Executive Member for Children's Services and Ward Member for Winnersh