Governors ask for more time

Woodlands Meed governors have asked West Sussex County Council to extend a deadline set for the signing of a Development Agreement.

In a letter sent during the half-term holiday, the council warned that the agreement needed to be signed by today (Thursday November 4) or proposals to build a new college would be withdrawn.

In an open letter to Tony Kershaw, the council’s director of law & assurance, governors at the school, in Burgess Hill, said their legal representative – who was on holiday when the letter arrived – would not be able respond before the deadline.

In the spring, governors asked the council to make more than 180 corrections to plans and documents for the new college.

Asking for an extension to the deadline, chair of governors Marion Wilcock highlighted a number of issues which she said had yet to be dealt with.

She said: “We discovered that the ceiling heights in certain rooms were too low to allow safe moving and hoisting of pupils, and that, without consultation with the school, the tracking system has been changed to one which is not suitable.

“The provision of a fully functional, properly operating hoist system is an essential requirement for a generic SEND school.”

Ms Wilcock said the school had worked with the contractors and hoist manufacturers to find a solution but were still waiting for the final report.

The governors also raised concerns about a mobile classroom which will be used for 15 months while the college is built.

In her letter to Mr Kershaw, Ms Wilcock said there was a safeguarding issue as the classroom will have no access ramp – essential for children with mobility problems – and no WCs.

As well as calling for a deadline extension, the governors also asked for an urgent meeting with officers ‘who are empowered to make decisions so these essential items can be resolved’.

A council spokesman failed to say whether an extension to the deadline would be granted.

He added: “The issues raised in the email have previously been considered.

“All the points raised are either addressed in the development agreement or will form part of future documents as the design is further developed by the contractor and the subcontractor, as is standard practice for similar projects at this stage.”

Writing on social media, Pete Bradbury (Con, Cuckfield & Lucastes), chairman of the county council, said: “Tell the governors to stop prevarication; their delaying has already added £1.66 million to the cost.

“Sign the agreement and we can get started and build the school our children need.”

The council’s original letter had said: “In the event that these documents are not completed…the proposal to develop a new college on the Woodlands Meed site will be withdrawn and the project will not proceed as planned.”

Last week, Nigel Jupp, cabinet member for learning and skills, said: “This documentation and all the other details have been going backwards and forwards between the parties for many, many months.

“From time to time points are raised that need further discussion.

“But really we’ve got to the stage where it is not fair on those 100 children looking forward to moving into a new building to be delayed.”

The letter, from Mr Kershaw, said the council had considered the matters raised recently ‘but cannot accept them as reasonable and sees no purpose in planning to discuss them further…as this is not likely to be fruitful and will only add to delays’.

Mr Jupp said the council had incurred costs of ‘way in excess of £1m’, paying for consultants, commissioning surveys, drawing up plans and covering planning costs.

The council has now added £1.66m to the £20m previously allocated to the project – but Mr Jupp said inflation on building costs were in danger of exceeding that extra money.

He added: “Inflation is potentially running in the order of £140,000 per month on that building contract.

“If the signing is delayed, we would be in jeopardy of incurring extra inflation costs which, at the moment, we do not have the budget for.”

The campaign road to build the new college has been a long one, stretching back to 2012 when the lower school was built.

With the money for the college never materialising, older children were educated in prefabricated buildings which even the council said were not suitable.

On top of that, it was revealed that children were being turned away when they reached the age of 14 because the college had neither the space nor the resources to care for them.

All that changed in 2020 when it was agreed to use up to £20m from the capital programme to build a new college, with planning permission given earlier this year.

Mr Jupp said: “West Sussex County Council remains very much committed to Woodland Meed’s 100 pupils and their parents, ensuring they have the facilities that are right for them as soon as possible.

“Following many months of discussion with the college, talking through concerns and issues, I am confident that we now have in place a viable plan to deliver the new build by Spring 2023.

“I believe that we have found fair, reasonable, and practical solutions for a way forward that will work for all involved.”

The county council’s stance has not impressed members