Kent County Council is proposing to create a new joint 20 place Specialist Resourced Provision (SRP) for primary aged children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at Herne Bay Infant and Nursery and Herne Bay Junior School.
The County Council is the strategic commissioner of education provision in Kent and has a duty to ensure that sufficient school places are available to meet demand. The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2021-25 sets out our commissioning intentions and is revised annually.
The two schools have been identified by Kent County Council (KCC) as being successful in supporting pupils with additional needs. KCC has asked the schools to consider establishing a new joint SRP for up to 20 children. The SRP places would be commissioned by KCC and the number of commissioned places would be reviewed annually. It is expected that the SRP would support three or four pupils during the first year of operation with the number increasing incrementally each year. The schools have agreed to hold a public consultation on the proposal and have arranged a drop-in session on 27 January 2022 at 3pm to 5pm at Herne Bay Junior School (dependant on Covid situation).
It is intended that the SRP will be in place for September 2022.
Once the consultation has closed, a report summarising the responses received during the consultation period will be submitted to the Children’s, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee. The Cabinet Member will then decide whether to proceed with the proposal and publish statutory proposals in the form of a public notice. The public notice would be published in a local newspaper, and for a period of four weeks following the publication date, any person can comment on the proposals. Having taken into account any responses, the Cabinet Member will then take a final decision on whether to proceed with the change of age-range.
Have your say
If you wish to comment on this proposal, please give your views by:
- completing the online response form below
- handing a hard copy response form into reception at Herne Bay Infant School or Herne Bay Junior School
- emailing: school.consultations@kent.gov.uk
- sending a hard copy response form to Marisa White, Area Education Officer, Brook House, John Wilson Business Park, Reeves Way, Whitstable Kent CT5 3SS
by noon on Monday 7 February 2022.