Consultation over hearing hub’s closure

BOROUGH chiefs have given the go-ahead for consultation over the proposed closure of a hearing impaired children’s hub at Westfield Primary School in Runcorn.

Halton Council’s executive board approved the move on Thursday, June 16.

Consultation will run from June 22 to July 22.

A report prepared for the meeting said that demand had fallen in recent years for the specialist support at the school in Clayton Crescent, and instead parents have preferred their children to attend mainstream education, where they said they made greater progress.

A support resource base at Wade Deacon high school in Widnes was stopped during the past school year because of dwindling numbers, freeing up funding for other services.

Westfield Primary has three pupils who attend the hearing impaired unit, and they will transfer to standard classes with extra support if the closure goes ahead.

The resource base receives £10,000 for each of the six available places, with £20,623 provided to fund a signer each year and an extra £5,000 for each pupil enrolled.

The report said that a decision will be required before January 1, 2017.

Its authors said that a slump in numbers had hindered recruitment.

It said: “As reducing numbers of parents are choosing to have their children educated in a resource base it is becoming more difficult for the base to be financially viable and to be able to recruit the appropriately qualified staff.”

“This proposal is aimed at ensuring pupils with hearing impairment can be educated within their own local community and is therefore more inclusive.”