URL: https://westsussex.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=2268

Decision Maker: Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning (Cllr Jacquie Russell)

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: Oak Grove College is a secondary special school in Worthing offering generic Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision for children and young people aged between 11 and 19. There is a need to increase the number of places at the College and a feasibility study and initial design work has been undertaken to enable this increase by the establishment of a satellite provision to Oak Grove on another site owned by the County Council. The study has illustrated how the building and site at The Pines, Worthing, if established as a satellite site, could expand the pupil places for Oak Grove by up to 60 taking the current planned places from 278 to 338.   An initial consultation was launched in accordance with Department for Education (DfE) guidance to seek views on the proposal to create a satellite site for Oak Grove College. The consultation ran during April and May and views and comments have been collated from interested parties.  Details of the consultation and the feedback received are set out in section 4 of this report.   The DfE guidance sets out the stages of the process that should be undertaken when considering expanding, by establishing a satellite site to a school.  Having completed the first stage, the initial consultation, the Cabinet Member is now asked to consider the feedback received and consider whether to approve the progression of the proposal to the next stage of the process – publication of statutory notices.   Adaptations would be required to The Pines to enable creation of the satellite site; therefore, approval is also sought for allocating the capital funding required to finalise the design and enable delivery of the satellite site, should it be determined this proposal should proceed.

Content: Oak Grove College is a secondary special school in Worthing offering generic Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision for children and young people aged between 11 and 19. There is a need to increase the number of places at the College and a feasibility study and initial design work has been undertaken to enable this increase by the establishment of a satellite provision to Oak Grove on another site owned by the County Council. The study has illustrated how the building and site at The Pines, Worthing, if established as a satellite site, could expand the pupil places for Oak Grove by up to 60 taking the current planned places from 278 to 338.   An initial consultation was launched in accordance with Department for Education (DfE) guidance to seek views on the proposal to create a satellite site for Oak Grove College. The consultation ran during April and May and views and comments have been collated from interested parties.  Details of the consultation and the feedback received are set out in section 4 of this report.   The DfE guidance sets out the stages of the process that should be undertaken when considering expanding, by establishing a satellite site to a school.  Having completed the first stage, the initial consultation, the Cabinet Member is now asked to consider the feedback received and consider whether to approve the progression of the proposal to the next stage of the process – publication of statutory notices.   Adaptations would be required to The Pines to enable creation of the satellite site; therefore, approval is also sought for allocating the capital funding required to finalise the design and enable delivery of the satellite site, should it be determined this proposal should proceed. The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning has approved:   (1) The publication of statutory proposals to establish a satellite site for Oak Grove College and an expansion by up to 60 places taking the current planned places from 278 to 338. (2) The allocation of £9.962m from SEND capital monies to complete the design and fund delivery of the project at Oak Grove College to expand the planned places by 60 places via establishing a satellite site and to carry out associated works as set out in paragraph 2.6 of this report, should it be determined that this should proceed to implementation following conclusion of the statutory proposal period; (3) The delegation of authority to the Assistant Director (Education and Skills) to determine whether the proposal to expand Oak Grove College by 60 places should proceed, following consideration of any representations received during the statutory consultation stage, and (4) Should the proposed expansion proceed, the delegation of authority to the Assistant Director (Property and Assets) to approve completion of the final design work, commence a procurement process and award the contract to undertake the expansion project via establishing a satellite site for Oak Grove College, including obtaining any statutory consents and in accordance with the scope and financial parameters set out in this report. None declared.

Date of Decision: September 25, 2025