A HUGE STEP FORWARD FOR OUR CAMPAIGN

Following a 4-month campaign to hold Wiltshire Council to their promise of fair consultation over the future of SEND provision in the county, the Friends of Larkrise School and St Nicholas school were yesterday awarded permission for a Judicial Review. “We are thrilled that the Judge has recognised the validity of our case,” says Emily Wadds, a Larkrise parent. “The decision was taken quickly as the strength of our written arguments needed little debate.”

The Hearing is likely to be held on 10th/11th April and costs have been capped, as we requested, albeit at a higher level than we had hoped for. This means we will need to fundraise urgently to meet our £25k target to cover all cost liabilities. You can support our legal challenge by donating here: http://tinyurl.com/crowdjusticesenlocal

“The heart of our case is the need for openness and transparency between all stakeholders - and that includes Parents/Carers - right from the start,” says Duncan Carter, a St Nicholas parent. While we welcome much-needed substantial investment in SEND provision in Wiltshire, all opinion and expertise must be utilised to arrive at the right decision for all our children so that they can be included and supported at the heart of their own communities, from birth right through to adulthood. We hope that from now on all parties will listen to each other and work together to achieve the excellent outcomes we all want for our children.

"We are proud of what we have achieved so far," says Emily. "We would like to say a huge thank you to all our supporters throughout Wiltshire and beyond, and would like to pay tribute to our fabulous legal team."
 
Although we are a passionate and determined group of campaigners, this isn’t about anxiety over change. It is the fact that 71% of people voted for the three-school option and were ignored. “A rural mega school is tantamount to segregation and isolation, rather than inclusion, and can not be a panacea to all our county’s SEND problems,” says Melissa Loveday, a St Nicholas parent. “Wiltshire Council is looking for a short-term solution, but we need a long-term solution to a long-term problem,” adds Duncan. 
 
“From the start, we’ve said Wiltshire needs MORE special schools not LESS,” says Teresa Lilley, a Larkrise parent. “It is about keeping all THREE special schools open and not destroying the magic of any one.” Along with our legal team, we felt there were fundamental errors in the process that affected the outcomes in November and January to open a single school and close our local schools, and we had no other recourse than to take legal action.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Yesterday’s decision is a huge step forward for our campaign to Keep Special Schools Local as it means we have STOPPED Wiltshire Council, at least temporarily, from making a bad decision on the future of SEND provision at their Cabinet Meeting on 26 March, pending our Judicial Review in April. 

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

• We urge all of our supporters and those who value local special needs schools to please donate at http://tinyurl.com/crowdjusticesenlocal/ to Keep Special Schools Local; any amount helps!
   
• Help us put Chippenham on the map and raise awareness of our campaign at a teddy-bear picnic in John Coles Park, Saturday, 23 March at 12pm. It’s a chance to show your support, share information, discuss ideas and involve our community. It should be a great family day, with press coverage as well.
   
• Enjoy a family fun-day and raise money for our legal fund at the same time! The Lysley Arms, Pewsham, are hosting a fundraising event for us on Saturday, 20 April, with a bouncy castle, BBQ, climbing frame, face-painting and lots of other fun activities for children of all ages and abilities. All proceeds from the food will go towards our campaign. It’s sure to be a great day so please come join us!
   
• Date night for your diary! Come along to our event on 24 May, at the Westbury Conservative Club, from 7.30pm, featuring a live band, silent auction, raffle and a buffet supper. Tickets are £10 per person and can be purchased by emailing Sarah Fleming (snub-the-grub@hotmail.co.uk) or Kayleigh Ramplin (kay.kr81@gmail.com). Proceeds will be split equally between the Keep Special Schools Local campaign and the Friends of Larkrise School.

Many thanks,

The Keep Special Schools Local campaign team 

‘A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.’
- Mahatma Gandhi