PROPOSED 2022/23 RELOCATION AND EXPANSION OF SUNNINGDALE PRIMARY SCHOOL The Council is seeking views on a proposal to increase the capacity of the current Sunningdale Primary School, Shaftoe Rd, Springwell, Sunderland SR3 4HA This proposal includes the relocation of the school to a new site at the junction of Silksworth Road and Doxford Park Way in the St Chads ward, from September 2022 While the overall capacity of the new school buildings including nursery provision will be 136 places This will include 16 nursery places for nursery aged pupils and 120 primary places for primary aged pupils Once complete the school will have an increased commissioning capacity of 12 places but will also have capacity and resources to resolve current oversubscription issues at the school and to facilitate smaller class sizes across all age groups Current Position – School Capacity and Condition 1.1 Sunningdale Primary School currently occupies the former Springwell Infant School The school was built in the late 1940’s and has operated as a special school since the late 1980s The school operate the city’s portage provision as well as operating as a local teaching school Ofsted judged the quality of provision at the School to be Outstanding in its most recent inspection 1.2 The school provides for nursery and primary aged children with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties and physical disabilities There are currently 108 children between and 11 on roll at the school with a further 16 accessing nursery provision 1.3 Building condition surveys, conducted by the Council’s Building Maintenance Team in Spring 2018, identified several immediate priority works at the school These include structural, mechanical and electrical works Immediate requirements within the next three years include a roof replacement, heating distribution replacement, cladding replacement, replacement of two demountable units and general refurbishment across the rest of the site 1.4 Lack of suitable class bases within the school has also resulted in a requirement for the school to operate class sizes of between 10 – 11 pupils in some year groups This is more than the recommended class sizes of – pupils where special needs, such as those of the Sunningdale cohort, are identified It is anticipated that at least additional class bases and supporting spaces, such as toilets, hygiene rooms and additional hall space and group rooms, would be needed in order to sufficiently provide the capacity required for Sunningdale Primary School’s existing cohort Required Future Special Educational Need Places 3.1 Sunningdale Primary School is currently operating above its physical capacity and it is not possible to place any additional children at the school However, there is ongoing demand for special educational needs places across the school sector, this includes for children with Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Leaning Difficulties 4 Proposal 4.1 The Council has proposed that Sunningdale Primary School is relocated and rebuilt at a site at the junction of Silksworth Road and Doxford Park Way in the St Chad’s ward 4.2 The proposed new site will accommodate a new primary school building with a capacity of 120 places plus a 16-place nursery provision The school would be developed specifically to meet the needs of the children attending It will have appropriately sized and number of class bases, much needed additional hall space and therapy provisions, including, for example rebound therapy, hydrotherapy, light and sensory facilities and soft play Each class will also have a storage area for mobility equipment, required by the children with physical disabilities who attend the school 4.3 In addition to the space required for a larger, contemporary school building with increased classroom sizes across all age ranges, the school building will be developed with facilities, including studio resources, practical teaching resources, the necessary ICT resources all of which are required for the delivery of a specialist curriculum 4.4 There are numerous benefits to children with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties of taking part in learning outdoors Children are often reported as being more comfortable in an outdoor environment, but generally children are presented with more spontaneous challenges, when learning outdoors The power of Outdoor Learning makes it a valuable resource to develop skills such as overcoming problems, working together and creating a sense of awe and wonder Outdoor learning in a range of diverse environments (such as forest school, outdoor classrooms, sensory gardens, trails and specialised play areas) also supports physical development for pupils with a range of mobility difficulties and disabilities The outdoors is a sensory environment that promotes the sensory development and regulation of children with complex needs 4.5 The new school site will be developed to maximise the outdoor facilities available to the children attending the school To fully meet the benefits identified above the site will be developed with forest school facilities, allotments, wetland and wilding areas This will provide an opportunity for Sunningdale Primary School to enhance its already outstanding curriculum to provide enhanced social, cultural and moral development opportunities for the pupils at the school 4.5 The site at the junction of Silksworth Road and Doxford Park Way’s proximity to public facilities such as, for example, the Secret Garden at Doxford Park and Active Leisure at Silksworth, provides the opportunity to offer greater enrichment to the curriculum offered to the pupils attending the school 4.6 The proposed new site has been designed to maximise the opportunity to utilise the natural resources present across the site within the wider curriculum offer This includes, in addition to outdoor play areas, a designated Forest School and outdoor classroom areas This will enable the pupils to engage effectively with outdoor resources as part of their wider teaching and learning 4.7 The proposed build will provide capacity for a further 12 pupils across the primary age groups, reflecting the increase in local demand for special school places 4.8 Nursery capacity at the school will be unchanged with 16 places for – 5-year olds available at the school 5.0 Impact on Current Pupils 5.1 The proposed new school site is 1.2 miles from the current Sunningdale Primary School 5.2 Sunningdale Primary School currently provides the city’s sole primary provision for children with Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties and as such is accessed from children from across Sunderland Many children who attend the school, and who will attend the school in future years, are provided with home to school transport to attend the school This provision will continue at the new site to ensure the schools new location is appropriate for all children for who a placement is required 5.3 The majority of children who will attend the new Sunningdale School will be transported to the school either by minibus or taxi/cab The current transport arrangements in place at Sunningdale School require; 13 wheelchair accessible vehicles (cabs), taxis and minibus It is expected that the vast majority of the pupils will access shared transport with other pupils 5.4 School drop off times are currently staggered due to COVID restrictions and are 8.50am-9.10am with pick up times at 3.10pm-3.20pm The usual school times are 9.00am-3.20pm The school operates for 190 days a year 6.0 Suitability to Meet Future Housing Requirements 6.1 As a citywide resource, and Council’s only primary aged provision for children with Severe Learning Difficulties and Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties, the demand at Sunningdale is impacted by the increased supply of new housing regardless to where in the city those developments occur As new housing is developed the number of families living in those houses that includes a child with special educational needs will increase proportionality with the entire school age population The increased capacity included within the new buildings at Sunningdale Primary School will provide for some of this increased demand 6.2 While the new school will continue to operate as a resource for the entire city, the proposed new school site, at the junction of Silksworth Road and Doxford Park Way, is also within mile of the South Sunderland Growth Area (The SSGA) The SSGA is the largest strategic housing development in the city and is anticipated to proportionally require the greatest number of new school places within both the mainstream and special school sectors