Councillors will decide whether to go ahead with a statutory consultation on the proposed closure of Homewood College.
The decision will be made at the first meeting of Brighton & Hove City Council’s new cabinet on Thursday, June 27.
Homewood College is a small specialist school for secondary pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.
The school was rated ‘inadequate’ following an Ofsted inspection in December 2021. It has received four monitoring visits since, and despite the efforts of school leaders, staff, and the council, the school has not made sufficient improvement and has remained ‘inadequate’.
The school has also been subject to an Academy Order since February 2022, but no Academy Trust has been identified to sponsor the school.
Homewood College is a local authority-maintained school and has a governing board who are responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, including the delivery of education. The council has a role in commissioning placements for pupils with Education, Health and Care plans.
The full cabinet report will be published on the council website on Wednesday, June 19.
Earlier this year, the council consulted with parents and carers of pupils at Homewood College and school staff about proposals to stop admissions to the school and find alternative educational placements for the pupils currently attending.
The council says parents and carers have been 'fully involved' in planning alternative arrangements for their children. They added that they're 'committed' to ensuring the educational needs of every child on roll at Homewood are fully considered.
No further places have been commissioned at the school from September 2024. Pupils who are currently on roll at the school will be moved to more appropriate SEMH provision in line with their needs.
Homewood College is expected to have no pupils attending from September, and the proposal going to Cabinet for approval is to begin the formal process to close the school by the end of December 2024.
If agreed by councillors, the first stage of the statutory process on the proposed closure of Homewood College will begin with a formal consultation which starts on July 8 and will run until September 5.
A further report would then be presented to Brighton & Hove City Council's cabinet in late September detailing the responses to the consultation and making recommendations about the next steps.
The council is also bringing a report outlining a new model of provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs to the same cabinet meeting. This, the council says, will offer a more flexible and more inclusive option for pupils with SEMH in the city.
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