Rutland County Council is holding a public consultation on proposals about the future of the Parks Special Nursery School in Oakham.

This consultation was launched at a public event on 1 November.

The Parks is made up of two classrooms attached to Oakham C of E Primary School. It offers support to a maximum of eight children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged between two and five years old.

Because it is a Maintained school, Rutland County Council has responsibility for The Parks. Oakham C of E Primary School has recently become an academy and now forms part of the Rutland Learning Trust.

Since the Parks Special Nursery School was first established, the offer for children with additional needs in Rutland, including Early Years, has improved significantly. The Early Years sector now has direct access to advice and support from Specialist Early Years Teachers and Speech and Language Practitioners. These initiatives are already having an impact on confidence in SEND practice across mainstream settings, leading to better support and more choice for parents.

While SEND support has been expanding across Rutland's Early Years sector, the number of children who need specialist nursery provision has reduced. As a result, The Parks Special Nursery School is no longer supporting the number of children it was set up for. 

From August 2024, children currently attending The Parks will be Year 1 age and are likely to move into Oakham C of E's extended Designated Specialist Provision (DSP), depending on parental preference. The DSP provides additional educational support from reception age so that children's special needs can be met within a mainstream school or academy setting, rather than a separate special school. Rutland County Council is not aware of any children of nursery age needing specialist nursery provision from September 2024. 

There is an opportunity to use The Parks space to further increase the size of Oakham C of E's extended Designated Specialist Provision, which has around 20 places and is often oversubscribed. The cost of a placement at The Parks Special Nursery is around three times higher than a place in Designated Special Provision, meaning Rutland's High Needs Funding is not currently being shared equally among all Children with SEND. 

Taking all of this into consideration, Rutland County Council is proposing that The Parks Special Nursery School is no longer viable and should be discontinued. This proposal reflects the current level of need for special nursery places in the county, as well as a desire to increase the wider support available to young children with SEND in mainstream settings. It is not a reflection of the level of care and support provided by The Parks, which has been outstanding for many years.

Councillor Tim Smith, Cabinet Member for Children's Services at Rutland County Council, said: "I know that any proposal to close a special nursery school is likely to be met with serious questions and concerns from residents. I would strongly encourage everyone to read the detail behind these proposals because it is about improving the level of support available to all young children with special educational needs and disabilities. We want children with additional needs to have access to the right support in mainstream schools and Early Years settings. This approach is already working well here in Rutland. It's more inclusive for children and means families have more schools to choose from."

Cllr Smith added: "Closure of The Parks – if it were to go ahead – would not represent a cut to funding for children with additional needs. We want to use our limited funding across the County to help the greatest number of children. We believe this is the right approach and are now asking for feedback on these proposals."

Full details of the proposals have been published on Rutland County Council's website and can be found online.

Comments and representations can be made by emailing: [email protected] before consultation closes at midnight on Sunday 3 December 2023.

The deadline was initially 30 November, but complaints from parents regarding the accessibility of the consultation has prompted the council to extend the deadline.

Anyone without internet access can take part in the consultation by calling: 01572 722 577.

Rutland County Council is conducting The Parks Special Nursery School consultation in line with strict legal requirements set by the Department for Education.

All comments and feedback submitted as part of the consultation will be reviewed independently before a final decision is made by Cabinet in January 2024.