Consultation Closed.

Mill Water School is a specialist Foundation school, located within the grounds of Bicton College at East Budleigh.  Mill Water School educates children and young people from age 3 to age 19 with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Current Challenges:

• Limited Capacity: Mill Water School currently faces a space constraint, hindering us from accepting all students who require our specialised support.
• High Cost of Independent SEND Provision: Many SEND students are placed in independent schools and colleges at a significantly higher cost to the local authority, often exceeding £40,000 per year.

Current position

There are currently 120 SLD/PMLD pupils on roll, including three in Post 16 provision.

The building opened in January 2015 for 100 pupils on the site in the grounds of Bicton agricultural college. This was a significant loss of community as the site is inaccessible by public transport and three miles from the nearest town. All the links to work experience and accessible facilities were lost in the move.

At the site, there was a main school building including an art room, D&T room, fitness suite, music & drama room, post 16 common room, ASC room, EYFS room, hydro pool, PMLD room, ICT suite, science labs, food technology room, sensory rooms, self-contained teaching flat, catering space, caretaker’s office, large head teacher’s office and rebound room. The open plan hall could house whole school events.

The impact of losing these specialist spaces has meant a narrowing of the curriculum: taking away specialist teaching spaces in a special school isn't just about sacrificing a few classes; it significantly hinders a child's overall development. Art nurtures creativity and emotional expression, vital for children who may struggle with communication. The self-contained flat provided the most important life skills for our post-16 learners and the lack of breakout spaces has meant an increase in aggression towards self and others for our most complex learners.

Every aspect of a special school needs to be geared towards an education that prepares the pupils for a successful adulthood, and taking away these spaces chips away at the very foundation of that goal. 

The pupils that lost out the most were the post-16 learners. In the previous building, they had a separate space with a kitchen and garden. At the current site, they have no separate teaching spaces, outside space or opportunities to be away from much younger learners.    

Indeed, a recent Quality Assurance report stated that “despite best efforts, the post-16 provision is not fit for purpose” and Historical Ofsted inspections have also referred to the lack of appropriate spaces for Post-16 learners.

Mill Water SLT and governors have mitigated the risk of isolation by providing a fleet of vehicles to ensure the secondary and post-16 pupils can leave the school site. For some much-needed activities though, the cost of transporting large groups of pupils is preventative and limiting. 

Since the opening, Mill Water SLT has made the necessary changes to meet the needs of 22 more pupils, once sitting with 123 on roll. This poses a significant risk to Ofsted grading, outcomes for pupils and safeguarding, due to and not limited to overcrowding, mixed age ranges, sharing spaces and lack of break-out spaces.

The layout and restrictions of the school building do not allow the creation of a single, designated area for post-16 pupils that is differentiated and distinct.

Mill Water School is a single-storey building with one main entrance for all pupils aged 3 – 19 and pupils may stay in the same building for up to 16 years. School opening times are the same for all age groups. This cannot be changed due to complex travel arrangements. All pupils pass through the same reception area and proceed to their designated classrooms.

Pupils share all the facilities and common spaces – there is no space for separate designated post-16 provision.  Currently, post-16 pupils are spread across two cohorts and share facilities with younger pupils. Every year, we have to respond to the changing needs of the whole school, re-designating classrooms to accommodate physical and medical needs.  This means that we are never able to leave all post-16 learners in one space which they can recognise as their own, and we are never able to showcase best practice at times of inspection.

What are the proposed alternative arrangements for post-16?

In order to fulfil our curriculum, offer and expand this offer to more pupils, we propose identifying a location to increase our capacity.

Seaton Children’s centre would be an ideal site for the following reasons:

1. Location

• It is easy access to a wide range of businesses and employers for work experience, internships, traineeships and apprenticeships. The size and accessibility of Seaton makes it a perfect location for pupils to work towards independent travel and be introduced to the world of work.
• There are numerous employers in Seaton who we could potentially partner with for work experience and future employment opportunities for pupils – cafés, library, restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, care homes, retail, site management, garden centre – all within walking distance.
• Access to local transport networks. Our pupils require practical teaching to achieve independence and practising the route to college/work or local shops is a key part of their learning.
• Access to a large exercise park, walking routes and Seaton seafront: it is well documented that access to open spaces and physical activity improves mental health and well-being.
• Reasonable proximity to the main school site. Pupils may need weekly access to the specialist facilities at the school, e.g. Clinics and staff will need to continue to access training and feel part of the school community.

2. Facilities

• Provision for 16 pupils from years 10-14 and 2 teachers and 5 TAs.
• Single occupancy, not shared facilities/room use. Safeguarding our pupils is the highest priority and shared facilities would pose potentially significant risk.
• Basic adaptations would make Seaton children’s centre accessible for all SLD pupils, unless medical needs require on-site nursing. All spaces should be suitable for wheelchair access. Sufficient toilets and at least one accessible toilet which can accommodate a changing table (one student currently requires this and others may in the future).
• With basic adaptions, the kitchen could be made accessible for learners and of a standard that meant accreditations in food tech could be achieved. The basic post-16 activity of cooking for each other daily would be achievable.
• There is existing office space and, again, with adaptions, there could be a space for meetings and a senior leader's workspace.