No new school for The Grove in Berwick 'is a missed opportunity'

Penny Derries has long called for a new site for The Grove School as its current site in Tweedmouth is “not fit for purpose”, although she accepts that it would not be at the top of the list for such a scheme as a separate project with other special schools in the county in the same boat.

However, Northumberland County Council’s plans to invest £40million in schools in the Berwick Partnership gave her and her staff hope that new buildings for The Grove would be included whatever the final proposals. She has stayed neutral on whether it should have been three-tier staying in place with changes or two-tier, which the council chose.

With the local authority and other schools recognising the need for additional places for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in Berwick, a new Grove School was also put forward as part of an alternative model by the middle schools.

But the council decided to propose SEN units at what would be a new Berwick St Mary’s Primary School and at Berwick Academy.

Whilst Mrs Derries accepts that she isn’t in a position where her staff could lose their jobs, she believes it’s “in the children’s best interests that we move forward” with the changes ahead.

She said: “We are disappointed with the outcome that the county council has reached.

“We feel it is a missed opportunity to have a new Grove School on a better and bigger site with more space and a greater number of pupils.

“However, it is in the children's best interests that we move forward and we will be working closely with the county council and the designated schools with the setting up of the new units.”

Of the issues with the school site, she added: “Every year I have to turn children away because we don’t have space for them.

“The building and site we are located at is not fit for purpose. We have very limited outdoor space and no green space, and no sports hall.

“We are in a position where we have to do the best we can for the children who attend our school.”