AN EMMBROOK play group owner said she is concerned the delay to Oak Tree School will impact borough families hard.
Sarah Gresty, who leads St Paul’s play group at Emmbrook Infant School, said having a SEND school near to families’ homes is important.
She is the play group’s Special Educational Needs co-ordinator (SENCo), and said she has seen big rise in children who would benefit from a specialist setting to learn in.
Last week, the Department for Education said it is delaying Oak Tree School, which had been planned to open in September at Winnersh Farm.
The school has been granted planning permission and the Maiden Erlegh Trust has been appointed to manage the facility.
But this is now up in the air.
Ms Gresty said that while St Paul’s is not a specialist play group, some of the 42 children have special educational needs.
“This year I have requested five Education and Health Care Plans (ECHPs) for children,” she said. “Three years ago I wouldn’t have been doing that many.”
The plans are needed to ensure children can go to a school suitable for their needs.
Her main concern is that when children are allocated a school outside of their neighbourhood, town or borough, it can lead to a disconnect in support.
“You want that local community feel,” she said. “For the children to make friends with other children that live nearby, and for parents or carers to have that community support too.”
She said travelling to a school further away could also mean the children are taken by taxi, as their parents manage other school drop-offs for their siblings.
“That can be a really daunting thing, for a child to get in a taxi to school,” she said.
Ms Gresty said more SEND places in the borough could also take the pressure off schools that feel overstretched.
“Neurotypical children are already struggling due to lockdowns,” she said. “That’s even tougher on neurodiverse children.”
Her concerns are shared by borough councillors too.
Cllr Prue Bray, Liberal Democrat lead for education, and councillor for Winnersh said it was an “utter disgrace” for the Government to delay the plans.
“We have gone all the way through the planning process for this, and appointed a trust to run the school,” she said. “Now they tell us they’re not going to build it — possibly ever.
“It leaves children, their families, Maiden ErleghTrust, and the borough council in the lurch.”
Cllr Rachel Burgess, leader of Wokingham Labour group said the Department for Education’s plan to delay Oak Tree School, a SEND school at Winnersh Farm, will put a strain on the borough council’s finances.
“We have not been told by the DfE the reason for the delay,” Cllr Burgess said. “If it is a funding issue then it is extremely disappointing, but part of an ongoing pattern.
“The Conservatives’ record on special educational needs provision is appalling, with funding cuts to Councils having a devastating impact on the provision, leading to some children waiting years for extra support, and cash-strapped schools being forced to cut support for children.”
Cllr Bray said it would mean many more children will have to study outside of the borough, with the council paying for places at private schools, a concern shared by Cllr Burgess.
Cllr Bray said: “The chancellor has announced funding for an extra 30,000 SEND places in his budget. But not here — he’s cancelled ours.
“It was an act in such bad faith. It’s a stupid decision, it’s worse for the public purse, and for the children’s education.”
Cllr Bray said she expects it to push the council into a multi-million-pound deficit for high needs education.
“The whole SEND strategy was based on this school’s presence,” she added.
Cllr John Kaiser, deputy leader of the council and executive member for finance, added: “The DfE has said something about a problem with planning conditions, but we know that is nonsense as they are pretty standard things.
“If the real problem is money – and to be honest we suspect it is – we can have a proper conversation about that with them because this investment would not just be great for the children and families, but would save money as well. It makes no sense to delay.”
