Former municipal HQ to become SEN school

Cheshire East Council has agreed funding to convert the Westfields building in Sandbach for a 140-place all-through school.

Subject to planning, the site will be developed into an all-through special educational needs school for children with a wide range of additional needs.

The project was discussed at the meeting this week of Cheshire East’s children & families committee, which also heard how the council’s approach is to embed inclusive practices across all schools so that, over time, more pupils can have their needs met locally, reducing the need for specialist placements.

Cheshire East said that this change in focus will mean the pausing of a project to expand specialist provision at Springfield school in Middlewich.

With the Department for Education expected to fund Westfields, the Middlewich project had had £6m allocated from CEC’s capital budget, a programme that will now be adjusted to include the Westfields conversion as the local authority weighs up the most effective way of using its resources.

Westfields is a £16m project, and although DfE had affirmed its commitment in 2023, CEC said it has not heard anything since the General Election, and now needs to progress matters in order to meet its duties.

Cllr Laura Crane, chair of Cheshire East Council’s children and families committee, said: “Our priority is to give every child in Cheshire East the best possible start in life. As we develop our SEND sufficiency and inclusion strategies, we want to ensure that children are firmly at the heart of our future plans.

“Our goal is to strengthen an inclusive education system where every child can access the support and opportunities they need to thrive.

“Following the government’s update on free schools last month, pursuing both previously proposed expansions at Springfield and Westfields would use all available SEND capital and only address one area of pressure. By pausing the Springfield project and progressing with Westfields, we can deliver a centrally located school that reduces transport times and experiences for families.”

Cllr Crane added that the council will continue to work with the Department for Education on next steps.

As set out in the meeting report, the last three years have seen CEC create 224 new specialist places in special schools, SEND units and resource bases, with a further 46 either in progress or being consulted on.

Along with Cheshire West & Chester Council, CEC is part of f40, the cross-party campaign group set up to seek a greater share of educational funding.

Cllr Crane continued: “We are frustrated by longstanding national pressures outside the council’s control which continue to drive rising demand and increased costs for specialist placements. I strongly support the call for long term reform focused on early intervention, increased resources, and better inclusion in mainstream education. We look forward to further national direction in the upcoming Schools White Paper.”

Councillors voted in November 2023 to close down the Sandbach offices, which had opened in 2008, initially accommodating borough council officials before Cheshire East’s formation in 2009.