CONTROVERSIAL plans to change the way children with special education needs are educated have been put on hold after Wiltshire Council withdrew its decision to approve a plan to shut three special schools.

A group of families from the threatened schools, Larkrise in Trowbridge, St Nicholas in Chippenham and Rowdeford in Rowde, had taken a case to court about the process and had been granted a hearing to consider elements of the case, scheduled to be heard next month.

Wiltshire Council has now withdrawn its plans to "foster good working relationships with families, prevent further delay and to conserve public money."

The consultation into how to create an extra 220 special needs places by 2023 in Wiltshire schools will now be reopened.

Terence Herbert, corporate director, Children and Education, said: “We all want the very best for our children and young people with SEND. Schools in the north of the county are full and there will need to be an additional 220 spaces by 2023. We want to work with families and staff to find a solution that both meets the need for additional places, improves outcomes for children and young people with special needs and disabilities who are educated in our mainstream, as well as special schools. To achieve this, we will carry out further consultation and work with all our families so we can focus on the important job of providing all our pupils with the best education and support.”

There will be at least a four-week extension of the pre-publication consultation. As part of this, all responses, including those advocating options that differ from the proposal to close the three schools and open a single school in Rowdeford, will be fully considered. Consultation responses already provided to the council will be automatically considered as pre-publication consultation, and do not need to be resubmitted. If you would like to submit further information, please note that this can be forwarded to specialschools@wiltshire.gov.uk.