A special needs school in Harrogate is set to make eight members of staff redundant this Christmas after budget cuts.
The cuts have prompted fears that Springwell Harrogate, which was previously known as The Grove Academy, will offer a “dramatically reduced service” for pupils with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.
The school, on Grove Road, became part of Wellspring Academy Trust in spring after previously being run by North Yorkshire County Council and Delta Academies Trust.
Demand for the additional support provided by the school is rising but the reduction in the budget, which it is believed has been halved, has prompted concerns from campaigners and councillors.
Alex Boyce, spokesperson for Save the Grove, which was set up two years ago amid fears the school might close, said it was a “tremendous relief” the school would stay open but added:
“From January it will only be able to offer a dramatically reduced service. Highly skilled staff with decades of experience will be lost and the curriculum will have to narrow.
“The crisis will have a significant knock-on effect for local mainstream schools. With insufficient funding to manage the complex needs of some students and a dire lack of alternative schools, like the Grove, their hands are tied.
“Many similar services across the county, which rely on funding from the special needs budget have suffered a similar fate.”
John Warren, outgoing headteacher of Springwell Harrogate, said:
“The whole system is buckling through years of chronic underfunding.
“The pandemic has shown the stark truth of just how many desperate families are out there needing help.
“I fear that some specialist provisions may fail in the next year or so because they are no longer financially viable, despite a time of national need for more community resources to support struggling children.”
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Philip Broadbank, a Liberal Democrat who represents Harrogate Starbeck on North Yorkshire County Council, said:
” I could not support the closure and restructuring of the Grove Academy and have concerns about the viability of the new Springwell Academy.
“My main concerns are the staffing levels as they are now considerably reduced.
Wellspring Academy Trust said in a statement that changes to funding occurred when the school was under the management of the previous trust. It added:
“There have been no reductions in funding since Springwell Harrogate became part of the Wellspring community. Any legacy budgeting challenges have been overcome and the school is now on a firm financial footing.
“We are all focused on the future, and determined to deliver the exceptional levels of education our pupils in Harrogate deserve.”
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