CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save two school-based units catering for some of West Somerset's most vulnerable children were this week forced to accept defeat. Independent adjudicator Richard Lindley, appointed to make the final decision on the future of the special educational needs units at Minehead First School and the West Somerset Community College, backed Somerset County Council's cost-cutting closure proposals in the face of overwhelming opposition locally. The decision means both the school and college will each lose more than £80,000 of vital funding, with the closures earmarked to take effect from March 2008. As parents, governors and staff struggled to come to terms with the devastating and bitter blow, they voiced criticism of Mr Lindley's determination, which followed a visit to the units last month, a public meeting and a wealth of documentation and representations from those on both sides of the debate. In his written determination Mr Lindley claimed that parents, in particular, had failed to fully understand the issues at stake, despite "thorough" consultation by the council. He said the representations from parents, grandparents and other carers had overwhelmingly been concerned at what were viewed as proposals to actually close the units and physically to close the accommodation occupied by them. "I believe that those who have made these representations may be mistaken in their assessments of the council's intentions," said Mr Lindley. "This does not mean that the bases must in reality close, disappear or lose the expertise and skill that resides within them. "I do not believe that to be the case but rather that with careful organisational and financial planning, it will be possible for the school and the college to preserve the provisions that the bases offer to those who most need them. "If it were not the case, the issues would be very different and I might have come to a different conclusion from that which I am reaching." But the reactions from Brenda Coupe, headteacher of Minehead First and Nick Swann, community college principal were united and unequivocal. "How can you cut £80,000 of funding and not lose provision," said Mr Swann, while Mrs Coupe added: "Mr Lindley has taken the view that some schools in Somerset manage to run units without any additional funding - I'd love to know how they do it." And West Somerset's MP Ian Liddell-Grainger described the closure blow as a disaster. "I am very unhappy about this. I can see that the council want to do something but this is not the way. "All it has done is alienate these children, which is just not on." Mr Lindley pointed to the council's argument that the units were funded for the number of places available - 12 at the school, which officially has just one pupil on roll, and 24 at the college, which has six. However, in reality many more children access the units, even though they may not have received formal statements of needs. Mr Lindley said that with individual funding allocated to children with special educational needs, both the school and the college were benefiting from "double funding" which was why the council argued that for the sake of parity and the most efficient use of resources the separate funding for the units should be discontinued. He said the value of the units was not in doubt and the closure proposal was based purely on finance but he had been assured by the council that other bases existed within the county which were funded from within school budgets. "It is right that there should be parity of financial treatment across Somerset, with financial resources being applied to best effect," said Mr Lindley. He accepted that the removal of the direct funding would be "unhelpful" to the school and college and said he did not minimise the effect it would have on their budgets. However, the transitional financial arrangements promised by the council would allow them to adjust their budgets to enable the facilities and human resources to be preserved or refined. But Mr Lindley concluded that the council had not been effective in communicating its real intentions to those with an interest in the closure proposal and had no overall policy or strategy with regard to bases across the county. And he described as urgent the need for the county to work closely with senior leaders and governors of both the school and college to communicate to parents and the local community some jointly agreed intentions and reassurances. Mr Lindley referred to a report by Ofsted in July which concluded that the "greatest effectiveness" in special educational needs occurred in schools with bases for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. But he said it also contained other "relevant messages", such as that additional resources do not on their own ensure good quality support and adequate pupil progress. "Even if 'statements' generate resources, they do not themselves determine the quality of provision or outcomes for pupils," said Mr Lindley. He said that the council's intention to establish a specialist special educational needs support team - for children at all 17 schools in West Somerset but believed to consist of just one teacher and two teaching assistants - recognised the rural nature of the district and the difficulty of accessing facilities and services. "There is no intention that any pupils should be displaced from their schools as a result of the proposed removal of the bases. "There would be, in my view, no sacrifice intended to the principle of inclusion, provided all pupils can continue their education at their present schools and all future pupils with equivalent needs can find their needs met at the school or the college."
