Cuts to a special school in Harrogate take hold - just days before Christmas
Eight staff are being redundant today (Friday, 18 December)
Eight teachers at a special needs school in Harrogate are being made redundant today (Friday, 18 December).
It follows funding cuts over 65 per cent to Springwell Harrogate - known locally as The Grove - which supports children who're excluded from mainstream school.
The decision on budget cuts has been heavily criticised by teachers and former students
There are now fears the measures will result in a reduced service for pupils.
Alex Boyce, spokesperson for the “Save the Grove” campaign said:
“It is a tremendous relief that this safety net for the community has not been completely cut away. However, from January it will only be able to offer a dramatically reduced service.
"Highly skilled staff with decades of experience will be lost and the curriculum will have to narrow. The crisis will have a significant knock-on effect for local mainstream schools. With insufficient funding to manage the complex needs of some students and a dire lack of alternative schools, like the Grove, their hands are tied.
"Sadly, our campaign has also led us to the grim realisation that the cuts at the Grove Academy are just the tip of the iceberg. Many similar services across the county which rely on funding from the special needs budget have suffered a similar fate. Provision in the county is sorely lacking and the replacement of frontline services with helplines and online provision is a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. Until the ongoing crisis in special needs funding is properly addressed by government, children will have their needs ignored and their families will continue to be frustrated by the system.”
Kay Heffron, mother of Abbie, who attended the Grove Academy, and Anthony, who is currently attending, said:
“The Grove has been great for my children Abbie and Anthony. The staff have been accommodating of their needs and very supportive of my family. Although the school was only supposed to offer a temporary place, my daughter Abbie ended up staying there over two years whilst I worked to get her the special school place she needed. This process was awful. The endless form filling was nightmarish. Parents should not need law degrees to get their children’s rights met.
"Now I am battling to get my son the place he needs and it looks likely he will have to be transported out of county at great cost. There simply aren’t enough special needs school places in North Yorkshire.”
Dave Hamilton has worked at the Grove academy for over 16 years and received an MBE in 2008 for his dedication to improving the lives of local young people.
He is one of the eight members of staff being redundant - he said:
“As a former youth club leader at Bilton Youth Club and special needs teacher at the Grove Academy / Springwell Harrogate, I have now the sad distinction of becoming redundant from two key services. These outstanding facilities provided many opportunities for young people and I can recall that many turned their lives around by attending. It is a tragedy that both have fallen victim to short-sighted budget cuts.
"I am of course delighted that the Grove will remain open as Springwell Harrogate; I wish it all the success it deserves. I just hope that in the long term the provision will retain its outstanding contribution within the community. I hope I don’t live to see another successful service for transforming young people’s lives destroyed by cuts.”
Springwell Harrogate - supports ten schools in total: Rossett High School, Harrogate Grammar School, St Aidan’s Church of England High School, St John Fisher’s Catholic High School, Harrogate High School, King James’s Secondary School, Boroughbridge High School, Nidderdale High School, Outwood Academy Ripon and Ripon Grammar School
A spokesperson from Wellspring Academies Trust said:
“All the changes implemented at Springwell Harrogate are in line with Wellspring’s standard delivery model across the trust and have been proven highly effective in our seven successful alternative academies. This includes the adult – pupil ratios that are benchmarked against Department for Education best practice. The ratios at Springwell Harrogate meet the DfE’s recommendations.
"The current funding levels for Springwell Harrogate are in line with a typical model of delivery that is common in alternative provision and PRU settings with similar funding arrangements.
"The school is committed to providing high quality education and support for its young people, and is part of an organisation with a strong reputation and specialist expertise in the delivery of alternative provision. Springwell Harrogate will benefit from many economies of scale and partnership opportunities enjoyed by the other schools in the Wellspring family. The school is now on a firm financial footing. We are all focused on the future, and determined to deliver the exceptional levels of education our pupils in Harrogate deserve.
"Leaders at the school are always happy to talk with parents and carers who have any concerns and will always consider the individual learning, social and emotional needs of Springwell Harrogate pupils.”