Outrage over plan to close school

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Thursday, 12 September 2019 16:42

By Saul Cooke-Black - Local Democracy Reporter

Outrage has been voiced over a recommendation to close a special needs school in Monmouthshire, with opponents of the plan pleading for a rethink.

Monmouthshire council’s cabinet has been told to move ahead with closing Mounton House School, near Chepstow, when it makes a decision on its future next week.

But staff at the school, as well as opposition and ward councillors, say there is a need for the school’s provision, catering for boys aged 11-16 with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The council says the recommendations have been developed “after careful consideration and have not been made lightly.”

A member of staff at the school, who did not wish to be named, pointed to the fact 88 per cent of the 123 people who responded to a public consultation were opposed to the proposed closure.

“We as a staff still maintain there is a very real need for our provision, which is being stunted only by the admission constraints that have always been imposed upon us,” they said.

“We have continued to have numerous referrals for pupils from outside of county, but MCC are only concerned with those within.”

The staff member warned “sad times lie ahead” for staff, pupils and their families if the closure goes ahead.

A council report says six Key Stage 3 pupils affected by the closure would be placed in specialist provision, while five Key Stage 4 pupils could be accommodated within the authority’s Pupil Referral Unit (PRU).

But the council’s Labour group, which strongly opposes the closure, says the PRU would not provide a suitable setting for the school’s pupils, currently numbering 16.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, leader of the group, said: “Many of the children educated at Mounton House did not and cannot flourish in a mainstream educational environment.

“Forcing this to happen will only put more pressure on teachers and undermine the learning environment for other pupils in our secondary schools.”

Cllr Batrouni, who described the proposed closure as “outrageous”, urged the council’s cabinet to go against the recommended closure.

Ward councillors, including Conservative members Louise Brown and David Dovey, have also raised concerns over the proposal.

Cllr Dovey, a former chairman of governors at the school, said: “I will be disappointed if it closed because I think there is a future for the school and I think there is a need for what it can provide outside Monmouthshire as a county.”

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire council said: “A relatively small number of children in Monmouthshire require provision such as Mounton House and there are greater local needs such as supporting children with neuro developmental disorders such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

“The unit cost of provision at Mounton House is a concern because it means that scarce resources cannot be allocated to other children with additional learning needs.”

The spokeswoman said the council’s PRU has staff with “significant expertise in supporting students who present with challenging behaviour.”

“Those children who are placed with the PRU will have a bespoke curriculum created for them to meet their needs and allow them to progress,” she added.

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