Agenda item

To provide members of the public with the opportunity to address the Committee on their views on the proposals.

(a)  Martyn Hutchings – Principle Scrutiny Officer, will briefly introduce the report;

(b)  To invite Councillors and members of the public to address the Committee; 

(c)   Questions from Committee Members.

The Committee were provided with the opportunity to hear the views from a number of citizens and a Councillor who have expressed their comments and concerns at the current proposals for the proposed closure of Meadowbank School. 

The Chairperson welcomed Janette Carr, Faye Dale (Parent of Pupil), Diana James (Teacher), Susanne Grover (Former Headteacher of Meadowbank School and Councillor Jane Cowan to the meeting, all of whom addressed the Committee.

Janette Carr provided Members with the following information:

·         A brief outline of the ALN strategy

·         Details of an Afasic Cymru questionnaire which was sent to all primary schools seeking information on a number of matters:

o   75% of parents indicated that, as parents seeking support for speech and language needs, they were not offered a placement at a specialist speech and language provision as an option to consider and for those parents seeking specialist provision they were told there was no space.

o   95% indicated that teachers in the school do not feel equipped to effectively teach children with severe speech and language needs.

·         A placement at Meadowbank costs approximately £25,000 per year whereas a place in local primary school is approximately £3,600. It may cost considerably more for an out of county placement.

·         Children with SLCN are at higher risk of exclusion from school and that 60-90% of young people in the youth justice system have SLCN, many of which not previously identified before offending.

·         Concerns have been expressed that the Council will lose all of the expertise, knowledge and specialist staff with the closure of Meadowbank.

Diana James provided Members with the following information:

• She has been a teacher at MB Special School for the last 14 years and provided details of her qualifications. 
• An outline of the role that Meadowbank plays in providing children with severe and profound speech and language impairments with their statutory education.  Children with a specific language impairment (SLI), are at the end of the spectrum and require highly specialized knowledge, understanding and strategies to support their profound and complex needs. 
• There are children at Meadowbank who have no speech what so ever, they make noises.  They may make noises but they have to be taught how to do that; There are children who have learnt to say many distinct sounds but these sounds are all mixed up so they appear to be talking in a foreign language; and there are also children who can say lots of words clearly but when they put these words together in a sentence the words are disordered and jumbled which results in a message that doesn’t make any sense.  It was explained that the majority of these children with pure SLI are of average intelligence.

·         Firm but fair behavioural strategies are used consistently As the child responds to a carefully planned intervention programme that dovetails both their behavioural and their communication needs they are able to experience success in both areas.

Faye Dale provided Members with the following information:

·         The statementing process can take between 6-12 months parents being told that you cannot get a statement for speech & language as mainstream can offer support and without a statement you can’t get into Meadowbank

·         There is a delay in waiting to hear if statement is going to be accepted, the child is then isolated being left to struggle in mainstream where they are vulnerable and are unable to communicate

·         Some parents have obtained private assessments costing in the region of £12,000.

·         The authority does not appear to be telling parents about Meadowbank, or are told that there are no places at Meadowbank.

·         TAs in mainstream work do not have enough experience.  Often children can’t follow lessons due to language difficulties – fall further and further behind peers, they are vulnerable and become a target for bullying.

Councillor Cowan advised Members that whilst she was aware of the financial constraints she believed that the school should remain open and in fact be expanded. 

The Committee was invited to comment, raise questions or seek clarification on the information received.  Those discussions are summarised as follows:

• Suzanne Glover advised Members that she had been the headteacher at Meadowbank School for 23 years.  If the school closed the children would suffer, they would struggle in mainstream education and the strategies required for these children will not be put into place and therefore there will be an increase in inappropriate placements.  Mainstream schools will not be able to cope and when that has become clear Meadowbank will have been closed and lost to those children who benefit from it. 

• Members were advised that in 1967 there were 35 places at the school and 2 places were kept as assessment places, that was increased to 42 at one time.  There was also a residential block at the school. 

• She believes that the relationship between the authority and the school has broken down

• Members raised concerns about the apparent lack of consultation with the school.

AGREED:  That the Chairperson writes on the Committee’s behalf to the Cabinet Member to convey their comments and observations.