St Barnabas School in Bristol Closed by Cabinet
A school offering ‘exceptional support’ for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) has been closed by Bristol City Council.
The future of St Barnabas CE VC Primary School, in the Montpelier area of Bristol, has been in the balance since proposals to close the school were announced last year.
At Cabinet this week, the school’s future was over, after Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees approved recommendations to close the school.
Just this week, families from St Barnabas School delivered a petition to the council signed by 2,495 people against the closure. A separate petition signed by 107 local preschool parents considering the school for their children was also included.
School parent Lottie Cronk, speaking at Public Forum told Cabinet: “St Barnabas is unique with exceptional support for children with Send and SEMH and vulnerable families. Unrivaled outdoor spaces and a 150-year history at the heart of the local community.
“The availability of empty spaces in the area has been misrepresented. We have an autistic child in reception and there are no spaces at St Werburgh’s, Fairlawn Sefton Park or Glenfrome in this year group.
“The schools with empty places are a considerable distance away and some, in my opinion, do not offer an acceptable level of educational care.”
She blamed ‘poor planning’ by Bristol City Council as well as ‘gentrification of the local area’ for the closure, saying it will cause ‘further disadvantage’ to those already experiencing disadvantage.
Marvin Rees said that closing the school was a ‘Governors’ decision’ that the council was a ‘partner’ in.
He said: “I am very alive to the dangers of gentrification in an area that I used to live in and spent my childhood playing in that looks incredibly different to what it was then. In many ways. But you know the governors have made a recommendation now whereas we make a decision date. There is the time now to talk with parents about the plans for re-allocations and the school spaces that are needed. But numbers of a school with 50 students with space for 210 it strikes me that the governors have made a decision that just looks at the numbers as they are and it’s an incredibly challenging time.”
Rees also said that the council would ‘make sure’ their education team will work with families to make sure they are getting the care they need for their children’s future.
The Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) signed off by the Equality and Inclusion Team as well as the former Interim Director of Education and Skills Richard Hanks, said that the closure would disproportionately affect disabled children.
It states: ‘A number of pupils have special educational needs and will need to find a suitable alternative placement.’
The school currently has 05 pupils with an Education Health Care Plan as well as a further 09 pupils identified as requiring additional Send support.
Despite this, EQIA says: ‘There are no registered disabled pupils at the school.’ There is no such thing as ‘registered disabled’ and many pupils with Send will also be recognised as being disabled.
The EQIA also says: “Whilst there is no evidence at this stage to indicate the proposal will have a significantly negative impact on children and families in terms of reduced education, quality of life, or health and wellbeing – because of their higher levels of representation in the school there will inevitably be a disproportionate impact on minoritised ethnic (particularly Black – Somali) learners, those with special educational needs, and learners from low-income families. Because there are a number of nearby primary schools we do not anticipate there will be a significant increase in travel distance to school for pupils.”
The St Barnabas School closure agenda item followed a report which found 129 autistic children and young people in Bristol were unable to attend school due to educational barriers causing extreme anxiety.
More Bristol News from Chopsy Bristol
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChopsyBristol
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/chopsybaby
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chopsybristol/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chopsybristol
For Theatre News: https://backstagebristol.com