West Sussex County Council is inviting people to share their views on proposals to enhance the county’s special educational needs and disabilities offer by expanding Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee School in Horsham.
The proposals involve using Arun House, a district council facility located just over one mile away from the school, to increase school capacity by up to 60 places.
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 2 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.
Residents now have the opportunity to share their views on the proposals via an online consultation, which will run until 7 July 2025.
TAKE PART: Click here to respond to our consultation.
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.”
