Victoria Way, Charlton, London, SE7 7NQ

Notice is given, in accordance with Section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and The School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013 and having regard to the Department for Education’s (DfE) latest statutory guidance for Making significant changes (prescribed alterations) to maintained schools (March 2025), the Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with the Governing Body of Fossdene Primary School intends to make a prescribed alteration to: DFE NO. 203/2228

• Establish a Local Authority Resourced Provision (LARP) at Fossdene Primary School for up to 16 children who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan with the primary need of autism and severe learning difficulties, effect from September 2025.

The proposed LARP will have its own dedicated classrooms, outdoor space, resources, and staff and will have no impact on the resources and spaces available for mainstream pupils currently in the school.

Within four weeks from the date of this statutory notice publication, any person may object to or make comments on the proposal by either:

a) Writing to: Admissions, Place Planning & Capital Projects Service Royal Greenwich Children’s Services, First Floor, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ. OR

b) Emailing: school-place-planning@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

Responses must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 4 June 2025 when this statutory notice and the representation period expires. In line with the requirements of Schedule 2, Paragraph 18 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (as amended by the Education Act 2011), a decision must be taken by the decision maker no later than two months following the expiry of the representation period. Therefore, the Council must decide on this proposal by 4 August 2025, otherwise, it must refer this decision to the Schools Adjudicator.

Further details of the proposal are below. A copy can also be requested by emailing (above) or accessing the proposal on the Council’s consultation website: https://fossdene-greenwich.commonplace.is/.

STATUTORY PROPOSAL

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSAL: The Royal Borough of Greenwich in partnership with the Governing Body of Fossdene Primary School seeks to establish a Local Authority Resourced Provision (LARP)¹ at Fossdene Primary School for up to 16 children who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan with autism and severe learning difficulties.

The proposed LARP within the school will provide places for pupils aged 4 – 11 years who have a diagnosis of autism in the context of severe learning difficulties. The LARP is a dedicated space designed to meet the needs of children who require the support of a small unit with specialist input during all or most of the school day and delivers specialised teaching, interventions, and facilities to support pupils. Pupils will be on the school roll and join mainstream activities where appropriate, while receiving individualised or small-group support in the provision.

IMPLEMENTATION:

If the proposal is agreed, the implementation of the LARP at Fossdene Primary School will be from 1 September 2025.

THE LINKED STRATEGIES:

This proposal is linked to the following Council Strategies shaped by the child’s voice:

1) SEND and Inclusion Partnership Strategy 2024 -2029 - Please refer to AMBITION 2: “We want schools and nurseries to support us better and have enough places so we can go to the “right” school for us.”

2) Accessibility strategy for education settings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

REASON FOR THE PROPOSAL:

This proposal is a direct response to the lack of specialist school placements in the borough. It also follows the school’s formal expression of interest to the Council to provide a LARP for operation from September 2025.

Fossdene was selected by the Council due to the school’s inclusive ethos, staff expertise and spare classroom capacity it currently holds as a result of falling birth rates and the permanent closure of its nursery provision.

Like most London Local Authorities, Royal Greenwich has been experiencing falling rolls in the mainstream sector of the primary phase. While it is anticipated that rolls will begin to stabilise overall, there are some variances between local areas in the borough. In the local planning area of Fossdene Primary School (PA3), the population of primary school aged children has reduced by 4% over the last five years and is anticipated to reduce further by just under 1% by 2028. To help manage this, the school has now planned to reduce its Published Admission Number (PAN) by one form of entry (30 pupils) from September 2025 which will support capacity for this proposal.

Further information and analysis on the school place planning areas, birth trends and the significant and growing demand for specialist SEND provision within the borough can be found in the latest School Place Planning & Capital Programme Report 2024/25 - 2026/27 (April 2025) and the Appendix A Primary Schools Data Annex 2024-25.

PROPOSED ADMISSIONS AND PLACEMENT PROCESS:

If the proposal is agreed, children with an EHC Plan will be placed at the LARP by the Council through its existing SEND Admissions Panel process and in line with the statutory requirement for placing children with and EHC Plan whose primary need are autism and severe learning difficulties for primary school aged children (ages 4-11 years).

Admissions to the LARP is completely separate to the school’s mainstream published admissions arrangement.

FUNDING THIS PROPOSAL: Revenue funding will be provided to the school through an SLA agreed with the Council to finance placements at the school.

IMPACT OF THIS PROPOSAL ON PUPILS: The proposal will have no impact on the resources and spaces available for mainstream pupils currently in the school as the new LARP for children with autism and severe learning difficulties will have their own dedicated classrooms, outdoor space, resources, and staff.

¹ Previously referred to by the Council as Designated Specialist Provision (DSP).