Unallocated Places in Special Schools/Academies - Find a freedom of information request

Following on from the request 1908650.

1. What is the number of available places in Special Schools and Special Academies for a year 8 child in 2021-2022? a. What is the number of these places are unallocated.

1. Special Schools in Lincolnshire: Number of places:

• Aegir Academy Pre-16: 88 / Post-16: 32
• Ambergate Pre-16: 151
• Athena School Pre-16: 104
• Eresby Pre-16 : 71 / Post 16: 13
• Fortuna Pre-16: 81
• The Garth Pre-16: 50 / Post 16: 8
• Gosberton House Pre-16: 99
• Greenfields Pre-16: 78
• John Fielding Pre-16: 90 / Post-16: 10
• St Christopher's Pre-16: 223 / Post-16: 3
• St Bernard's Pre-16: 54 / Post-16: 24
• St Lawrence Pre-16: 169
• Spalding The Priory Pre-16: 136
• Sandon Pre-16: 58 / Post 16: 28
• St Francis Pre-16: 105 / Post-16: 59
• Warren Wood Pre-16: 98
• Willoughby Pre-16: 117 / Post 16: 5
• Woodlands Pre-16: 72

LCC do not impose any decisions about how many pupils are in each year or even in each class. The individual schools determine how many students they have in each class and whether they have, for example, mixed year groups dependent on the cohort of students within the school as a whole at that particular time. a. LCC does not hold the data in the way that it is being asked for. The requester will need to contact the individual schools directly for this information. All schools are subject to FOI legislation in the same way as Local Authorities are.

As a Local Authority, LCC are required to consult with settings about whether they can meet the needs of each child or young person who has an Education Health Care plan. The setting is required to respond within 15 days. As the numbers of pupils in schools can change for a multitude of reasons at different times across the year, LCC do not collect or retain data about the number of unallocated places in particular year groups. LCC consult on a case by case basis in line with the statutory guidance (The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015).

There is a growing demand on special school places and, as such, the planned capital spending commitment for 2021/22 will provide an additional 527 places across the county. More information can be found in the Building Communities of Specialist Provision Strategy, ratified by the council, and available here:

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/3484/building-communities-of-specialistprovision---together-in-lincolnshire

Updated information about the capital spending, which has been committed to achieving the aims within the strategy, can be found in the Council Budget Book 2021-22, available here:

https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/5104/budget-book-2021-22