24 June 2014
Amendment to the Education Consultation for Five Acre Wood School,
Boughton Lane, Maidstone ME15 9QF
Extended consultation period: 24 June to 23 July 2014

Proposal to increase the designated number of places offered at Five Acre
Wood School, Boughton Lane, Maidstone ME15 9QF from 210 to 275 for
October 2014.

To establish Satellite provision at East Borough Primary School, Vinters Road,
Maidstone, ME14 5DX for 15 students with moderate to severe learning
difficulties.
As the strategic commissioner of school provision, the Local Authority has a duty to ensure
that there are sufficient school places for the residents of Kent. This duty applies to special
school provision, as well as mainstream settings.
KCC is currently consulting with parents at Five Acre Wood School and a full range of
stakeholders on the proposal to increase the designated number of places offered at Five
Acre Wood School by updating the facilities and expanding the school for September 2015.
As part of the consultation we are testing various assumptions and are taking on board
views gathered to inform our future plans.
Amendment to the initial proposal
Since the consultation period commenced an exciting opportunity has arisen through a
partnership between Five Acre Wood School and East Borough Primary School. The
proposal is to establish a Satellite at East Borough Primary School for 15 children with a
statement of Special Educational Needs for moderate to severe learning difficulties from
October 2014.
It is intended that the Satellite will have its own accommodation within East Borough
Primary School and will operate on the Five Acre Wood School model. It will be staffed by
Five Acre Wood School and pupils attending the satellite will continue to have access to the
support they need.
Pupils at the satellite will be on the roll of Five Acre Wood School and their statements of
special educational needs will name Five Acre Wood School.
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Why amend this consultation now?
As a consequence of the exciting proposal offered by East Borough Primary School, KCC
have decided to revise the initial proposal to increase the designated number of places
offered at Five Acre Wood School from 210 to 275 (previously 260) to include the additional
15 places. Due to the emerging needs of children in the locality we would like to be able to
offer local children who fulfil the criteria with the opportunity to join the Satellite based at
East Borough Primary School from October 2014. Under the School Organisation
Regulations 2013 it is necessary to consult on these proposals.
This proposed amendment does not affect our continuing intention to update the facilities
and expand Five Acre Wood School.
We hope the following questions and answers will explain, in more detail, what we are
intending to do at Five Acre Wood School and East Borough Primary School.
What is the East Borough Primary School offering and how does it relate to the Five Acre
Wood Proposal?
East Borough Primary School is a mainstream community school located in the East Ward
of Maidstone. The school is being asked to host a new Satellite provision for 15 pupils with
moderate to complex learning difficulties. The Headteacher and Governing Body at East
Borough Primary School are happy to host the satellite and are confident that staff from
Five Acre Wood School will bring the relevant expertise and skills to meet the needs of the
children, for the benefit of both schools.
What type of Needs do you mean?
The children attending the Satellite provision will be those pupils on the roll at Five Acre
Wood School who are identified as most suitable for accessing mainstream provision. The
identified pupils will have moderate to severe learning difficulties.
How will you work out which children will attend the Satellite?
An assessment of the individual needs of the child will identify that they are suitable for
Satellite provision at a mainstream school. For example, those children who will benefit
from having some opportunities to join in mainstream school activities such as assemblies,
break and lunchtimes. The Headteachers and Governors at both schools will be invited to
take part in the discussions about which pupils are most appropriate and should be
admitted.
What will the Satellite at East Borough Primary School look like?
The Satellite will have its own area within East Borough Primary School where children can
receive some individual and small group teaching and help. The school is highly inclusive
so children will not spend all of their time in the Satellite but will be integrated into some
mainstream activities, where suitable. We aim to have in place provision which offers a
flexible match to the needs of the children.
No building works will be required at East Borough Primary School and there will be no
capital costs associated with this new proposal. It is proposed that this provision would be
accommodated through reconfiguration of the current school site.
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When will the Satellite open?
It is intended that the Satellite will be in place for October 2014.
Tell me more about Satellite Provision
A small number of children with Statements of Special Educational Needs (a legal
document that describes the help given to pupils who have the greatest difficulty learning)
require higher levels of support than can be provided in their local mainstream schools.
Satellite provision enables a limited number of special school pupils to access a
mainstream offer, where this is suitable for meeting their needs. In this instance, the
proposed Satellite will provide children with learning difficulties access to specialist teaching
normally only available in special schools, alongside more able children of the same age,
with support from additional staff.
I have already responded to the consultation do I need to respond again?
Any views expressed through the consultation will still count towards the amended
consultation process. You are welcome to provide further comments if you wish to. Please
advise us if you wish for your previous comments to be disregarded.
Where can I find out more about what you are putting in place for SEN children?
KCC has produced a Strategy that sets out our plans for children with SEN and Disabilities
(SEND). The SEND Strategy shows how we will be creating 209 extra places in special
schools and 164 in mainstream schools. It is available on the website at:
http://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/childrens-social-care-andfamilies-policies/children-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities
Why does Five Acre Wood need to expand?
The numbers of children with profound, severe and complex needs (PSCN) is increasing
which has resulted in pressure on places in Kent. This, combined with the need to offer
places that avoid long travelling distances for vulnerable young children, means that KCC
requires Five Acre Wood to increase the number of places it offers from its current position 217 pupils on roll, to a designated number of 275. The capacity constraints at Five Acre
Wood School have restricted this school’s ability to grow and admit all its local pupils.
The Government has recognised the demand in Maidstone and has allocated Targeted
Basic Need funding for the purposes of expanding Five Acre Wood School, in order to
increase the places offered.
Five Acre Wood is a successful school, graded ‘good’ by Ofsted. The school provides for
pupils with profound, multiple, and severe learning difficulties and autistic spectrum
disorders. Approximately a third of pupils have autistic spectrum disorders as a primary
need. In addition, many have a range of complex needs including sensory impairment,
hearing impairment, physical impairment and delayed cognitive development.
The current capacity in Kent Special schools has not kept pace with changing needs and
demand. Children are also often being transported to schools away from their local
communities or placed in more expensive out of county provision because of the lack of
places in local schools.
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The proposed alteration will offer a total of 65 additional special educational needs (SEN)
places (which incorporates the proposal to include 15 places at the Satellite provision
based at East Borough Primary School) reflects KCC’s aspirations to increase the number
of SEN school places across the County, as set out in the Commissioning Plan for
Education Provision in Kent 2013-18, a copy of which is available from the website at:
www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/education-skills-andemployment-policies/education-provision
Will expanding the school mean that it will lose its ethos or lose focus on the quality of
education?
Five Acre Wood is judged “good” by Ofsted. It has a strong management team that has the
capacity to manage an increase in pupil numbers. The school wants to retain its individual
ethos and will ensure that this is a priority. As additional staff are appointed, this will create
opportunities for the school to recruit a broader level of expertise and specialisms within its
staff which can be used to enhance the teaching and learning delivered.
Will the extra places created at Five Acre Wood School and the Satellite at East Borough
Primary School be for local children?
Yes, we have planned to ensure that any extra places created are close to the area where
there is identified additional need. Our aim is to ensure there are enough places to allow
children to attend a local school.
Are you just providing classrooms? What about other spaces pupils need?
The Local Authority has worked closely with the senior leadership teams at Five Acre Wood
School and East Borough Primary School to ensure that all appropriate accommodation
and facilities are provided to enable them to deliver an effective curriculum in a way that
suits the needs of the school and its pupils. The schools will be able to provide parents with
information about how they will organise the school day and any changes they will be
considering. For Five Acre Wood School this includes both during and after the proposed
expansion.
How will the school deal with increased traffic at Five Acre Wood & East Borough Primary
School?
The schools’ travel plans are being updated to ensure that travel to and from school will be
as sustainable as possible. A traffic impact assessment is being carried out as part of the
design and planning process for Five Acre Wood School. Consideration is being given to
staggered start and finish times with other nearby schools to spread traffic over a longer
period. In addition, efforts are being made to maximise private hire and minibus usage to
reduce the number of journeys, where pupils’ needs allow for this. It is anticipated that
additional parking will be provided at East Borough Primary School.
I have a question – who can I ask?
If you have any questions please contact either school or email
AEN.resources@kent.gov.uk
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We have received many views on the proposal to expand Five Acre Wood School,
however, we would like to hear your views on our amendment to include a Satellite
Provision at East Borough Primary School
You can have your say by:

Emailing us at school.consultations@kent.gov.uk; or completing a response form which
is available on the website: www.kent.gov.uk/schoolconsultations

Writing to Jared Nehra, Area Education Officer for West Kent, Kent County Council,
Worrall House, 30 Kings Hill Avenue, West Malling ME19 4AE. (You can also hand the
letter or response form into Five Acre Wood School or East Borough Primary School, no
later than midday on 23 July 2014).
We have updated our Equality Impact Assessment to see if the proposal could affect
anyone unfairly. We welcome your views on the assumptions we have made and the
conclusions we have drawn. To view the document, go to:
www.kent.gov.uk/schoolconsultations
What Happens Next?
If you are intending to contact us with your views, please do this by midday on 23 July
2014. We will pass all comments and views received from the period 19 May 2014 to 23
July 2014 to our Cabinet Member who will make a decision on whether to proceed with this
proposal. If he decides to proceed we will then publish a Public Notice in September 2014,
which will run for 4 weeks.
Jared Nehra
Area Education Officer for West Kent
Kent County Council
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