[ad_1]
One of the first outside events planned for the site, near Shaftesbury, is a Rotary fundraiser based around a bike ride in May.
A shareholders meeting of the Dorset Centre for Excellence, which runs the site, including the special needs school, heard that further paying community use of the site would help its finances, provided the uses were compatible with the nature of the school.
Dorset Council’s finance portfolio holder Cllr Gary Suttle told the meeting that the original business plan for the school had now been blown off course and called for it to be “more in step” before there was a commitment to further investment.
He reminded councillors that the school had been bought, in excess of £10 million, not only to give the best provision possible for pupils who have additional needs, but also, in the longer term, to reduce the costs the council incurs in sending Dorset children to private facilities out of county.
The school suffered what Dorset Council itself described as a bumpy start; opening, then closing a few weeks later, followed a third of the pupils not returning to the school and the loss of a number of key staff posts, including the original head teacher.
It also faced public criticism from parents and carers who said the site should not have opened when it was not ready and the large complex, a former private school, was not the best environment for some pupils with additional needs.
Monday’s shareholder committee was told that the situation had improved since then with new, key, people in place on the board of directors and in running the site on the day to day basis.
Amongst the ongoing work is a refresh of the business plan and budget and preparation for a fresh Ofsted inspection which will take place on or before May after concerns were noted in the autumn by inspectors.
Chairman of directors Ian Comfort told Monday’s meeting that although there was still work to do the situation now was much better with a working group set up to improve community and commercial activities across the wider site.
He said that a fuller report would be available for the next meeting on ways to achieve that.
Managing director Andy Holder told the meeting he was confident Ofsted’s return inspection would find an improved school which would meet Independent School Standards.
“I am confident they will find better systems and more evidence around a settled school,” he told the Dorchester meeting.
Dorset Council’s corporate director for commissioning, quality and partnerships, Clare Shiels, who has been working with the school, also spoke of “an improving situation” in leadership and safeguarding.
She said that although the business was picking up more of the work itself Dorset Council was still involved and offering support in what she described as “enhanced co-operation.”
She said that some additional pupils were planned for after the Easter break with a new contract for further pupils planned for the next academic year. Neither numbers were specified.
In answer to a question about Special Education Needs places in North and East Dorset she said that both Coombe House and the other facilities being planned would all be required to meet the needs of Dorset children and young people who had additional needs.
When the school re-opened in mid-September 2022 for the current academic year it had 36 pupils on the roll – compared to 47 in the previous term when it first opened.
It has not said how many pupils it currently has although the original business plan was based around 100 pupils.
Sixteen pupils who briefly attended the school in spring 2022 have since been found places elsewhere after it was decided they should not return to the campus.
[ad_2]
Source link