Stockton Council to spend almost £9m on four schools

Leaders at Stockton Council say they want to make sure “no child is left behind” at a time of rising demand and pressure to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It has agreed to spend the money from available capital funds, including grants and money from housing developers as part of planning permission agreements.

The council’s cabinet agreed at its last meeting to spend:

• £5.35m on building works at St John the Baptist Primary School in Ragworth, to maintain the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) unit, which is full with 24 children;
• £1.7m to create a SEND unit for children with speech, language and communication needs at Mill Lane Primary School, for 10 children at first but potentially for 30 children later;
• £1.16m to install an additional toilet block at Northfield School & Sports College, where 590 pupils currently have access to just 14 toilets;
• £500,000 to complete building works at Oxbridge Lane Primary School, where costs had risen and builders had to stop work on finding a World War II-era air raid shelter under the playground earlier this year.

Majella McCarthy, director of children’s services, said of the first two projects: “The investment is essential to meet a growing, changing demand for SEND places. Increasing local provision will help escalating high needs expenditure on high-cost, out-of-area placements and pressures on community transport.

Councillor Clare Besford, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “These improvements are not just bricks and mortar. They’re about giving every child the best possible start in life, regardless of background.

“By investing in our schools we’re investing the future of our borough, in aspiration, in achievement and in the belief that public education is a real source of pride and progress.”

She said she had visited the SEND unit at St John the Baptist Primary School and praised its work as “absolutely outstanding”. She added: “We all know that access to specialist provision is increasingly difficult for families. Demand for SEND places has risen sharply and our existing SEND facilities are under real pressure.

“Too many children are waiting too long, or being placed out of borough, far from their communities and support networks they rely on. This report proposes targeted investment to expand those specialist learning spaces, improve accessibility and ultimately create more spaces for inclusive, high-quality environments for children with additional needs.

“It will not only increase capacity but enhance the experience for pupils, staff and also families, ensuring that every child can learn, grow and thrive in a setting that meets their individual needs. By reducing reliance on external placements, it will also ease the burden on families and deliver better value for the public purse.

“But most importantly, for me it really is about delivering the best quality of education of life for our children and young people. SEND provision is not a luxury, it’s a right, and this report is really about building a borough where no child is left behind, every family feels supported.”

Cllr Jack Miller said: “The investment in schools is always welcome, as a teacher myself. My question is, what are residents and children seeing for this money? Do we check how this money’s being spent?”

Cllr Lynn Hall asked about Oxbridge, which she attended in the 1950s: “Can we be assured that the additional £500,000 will complete the job? With the original contingency used up and the cost of materials and inflation continuing to rise, it is essential that due diligence is robust in these difficult economic times.”

Cllr Besford said: “As a council we have very robust financial monitoring procedures. I would be as horrified as anybody else to think we were just handing money over without any controls in place.

“That experience of uncovering an underground shelter for those primary schoolchildren is something they will remember for the rest of their lives. The report clearly states for delivery within the approved budget.

“I don’t have a crystal ball and we don’t know what’s going to happen to inflation, but I can assure you that we will not spend over the approved budget. If that becomes necessary we would have to come back for a further decision.”

Cllr Paul Rowling said: “You can go around the country and see there are far too many schools for an economy like ours that are not fit for purpose and need significant investment. It’s about giving our teachers in those local settings the tools to do their jobs.

“It’s up to local teachers and their governing bodies to decide what they want to do. It’s our job to ensure they have the absolute best facilities for the minds of tomorrow.”