Proposals to expand Horsham school

West Sussex County Council is aiming to extend Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School which caters for pupils with complex and special educational needs.

The school currently has 120 pupils and is based in Comptons Lane. The county council wants to use Arun House – owned by Horsham District Council and located just over a mile away – to enable it to care for 60 extra children. It is now seeking people’s views over its proposals.

A county council spokesperson said: “West Sussex, like many other areas, has experienced a notable increase in demand for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – SEND – provision in recent years. The number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) being issued continues to rise annually.

“While the majority of children and young people with EHCPs are supported within mainstream schools, some require the enhanced support available at special schools such as Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School, which caters for pupils aged two to 19 with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties.

“The council’s proposals to expand Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School are part of its wider SEND Improvement Plan, which includes ensuring sufficient high-quality SEND education provision as a priority area.”

People can now share their views on the proposals via an online consultation, which will run until July 7. See: https://yourvoice.westsussex.gov.uk/qeii-satellite

Councillor Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children, young people and learning, said: “The proposals to expand Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School offer the chance to create much needed additional school places for children and young people with SEND, and I encourage residents to take part in the consultation.

“The need for SEND provision continues to grow both here and nationally and I know families have concerns about the support available for their children. We are taking action to address the issues and finding new ways to ensure that children and young people get the help they need in order to achieve their full potential.

"By utilising Arun House, we can help more children and young people with severe learning difficulties attend school locally and reduce the need for us to use often expensive independent and non-maintained special schools.”

Arun House was most recently leased to the Bohunt Academy Trust after significant work was undertaken there by the Department for Education to make it an appropriate site for a school. The site had been previously used as a college facility and as office accommodation.