A Southport primary school which closed last year due to falling numbers will reopen soon to provide vital specialist provision for children requiring social, emotional and mental health support.
It follows a dramatic rise in the amount of pupils who require extra help in school, which has partly been caused by the impact of the Covid pandemic.
The figures have more than doubled in the past five years.
Sefton Council is currently spending a substantial sum providing suitable education for children outside of the borough.
It believes offering new provision within Sefton would save around £1 million a year.
The local authority is now looking forward to repurposing the former St Teresa’s Catholic Infant School in Birkdale, which closed in August 2022, into a new Newfield School which would welcome its first pupils this October.
In a report to councillors, Sefton Council Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education Risthardh Hare said: “The number of children with SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) requiring specialist provision has risen dramatically, partly due to the pandemic and the adverse effect this has had on many children.”
St Teresa’s Catholic Infant School, on Everton Road, closed last year after Sefton Council said it had “exhausted all options to address the pupil numbers and financial situation at the school”.
The historic school first opened its doors to pupils during the Victorian era, in 1869.
St Teresa’s was given a Good rating in its last Ofsted inspection, with Lead Inspector Sheila Iwaskow saying that teaching staff had “improved the school beyond recognition”, but a campaign by parents to keep it open proved unsuccessful.
Council officers now believe that the new school is a cost-effective way of supporting children within Sefton who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health).
An EHCP is provided where a child requires additional support that goes beyond what a school, college, or nursery can typically deliver from their own budgets or staffing.
An EHC plan is a legally binding document outlining a child or teenager’s special educational, health, and social care needs.
St Teresa’s School building became vacant on 31st August 2022 when the school closed. The site of the school is owned by the Archdiocese of Liverpool.
As a result of a trust with the Ince Blundell family the school should be used for educational purposes.
The Archdiocese has been keen for the building to remain in use for the children of Sefton.
The proposal is to open the St Teresa’s building as a provision for 28 primary aged children which would provide additional capacity both at the primary age and secondary age as space would be freed in Newfield School.
The estimated Capital costs are £ 1.35 million and will be funded through the SEND Capital Grant.
The estimated annual running costs are £602,000 while Sefton Council is agreeing a 25 year lease with the Archdiocese, commencing on 1 September 2023, for £62,500 per year.
In a report to councillors, Sefton Council Executive Director of Children’s Social Care and Education Risthardh Hare said:
“Over the last five years we have seen a year-on-year increase from 174 children with EHC Plans identified as having SEMH as their primary need in 2018 to 373 children in 2022. Many of the children are educated within primary schools and primary resource bases however there are a number of children who need specialist provision in order to support their needs.
“During the same period the number of children with EHC Plans with SEMH as their primary need educated out of the borough has doubled from 18 to 36.
“There is limited provision within Sefton for children and young people with SEMH. Newfield Special School caters for 92 children, of which 17 are primary aged.
“By leasing St Teresa’s building to extend the provision at Newfield we can accommodate 28 primary children. This would then provide additional capacity at the Newfield site for up to an additional 28 pupils depending upon how many children moved from Newfield to the St Teresa’s site.
“The SEND and Inclusion teams have been developing a sufficiency report based on the number of children and young people with EHCPs and requiring specialist provision in either Resource Bases or Special Schools.
“The number of children with SEMH requiring specialist provision has risen dramatically, partly due to the pandemic and the adverse effect this has had on many children.
“As a result, there is a need to provide further provision within the borough for these children.
“Utilising the St Teresa’s building will provide much needed accommodation for the longer-term needs of identified children in Sefton.
“The rising cost of SEND provision is impacting on the HNF (High Needs Funding) which is continually overspent and rising each year. To help mitigate against these costs then we need to look for opportunities within the borough to provide for all our children rather than costly out of borough provision. Not only is it the financial cost but also the social cost as children are not within their own community.
“The current cost for educating the 36 children with SEMH (from KS1-KS4) out of borough is £1,668,712.01 per year. This cost will continue to rise as the number of children who need this form of specialist provision rises.
“Should we open provision for primary pupils on the St Teresa’s site then the savings would be an estimated £1 million per year based on the current numbers of children requiring specialist provision for SEMH.
“If we did not lease the building to provide accommodation for KS1 and KS2 children with an EHCP for SEMH this would result in a continued shortage of places within the borough and then children would need to be educated out of the borough.”
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