East Sussex school's future hangs in the balance as talks continue over funding

The future of a Lewes school for children with special educational needs continues to hang in the balance as talks between governors and the local authorities continue.

Last week, Northease Manor School sent a letter out to parents stating that it was in danger of closing from September 2023 due to a lack of funding.

The threat of closure became a reality after the East Sussex County Council had refused to agree to an increase in fees following a meeting on August 4.

The threat of closure gained national media coverage and saw a petition started by parents gain more than 3,5000 signatures, leading the county council to re-enter negotiations with the school over it’s finances, alongside the West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.

An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work with Northease Manor school, alongside our colleagues at West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council, to agree a sustainable and proportionate fee increase.”

Northease Manor is a school for children aged 10-18 with autism, communication and interaction difficulties and/or cognition and learning difficulties.

Julie Toben, the school's chair of governors, told BBC News that the school needed to charge a fee of £32,000-a-year, a £7,000 increase on the current annual payment.

The school says this increment is needed to provide safe and effective teaching.

However, East Sussex County Council said this rise was ‘unsustainable and disproportionate’ for the local authorities to manage.

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Maisie Tomlinson, a parent at Northease Manor, started a petition to save the school after hearing news of the failed negotiations.

She wrote that the closure would have a ‘deeply distressing’ effect on the families who would have to rush to find new schools for their children.

She said: “This would push many children, whose confidence and abilities have thrived at this unique school, back into mainstream education, where many have struggled with anxiety, failure and low confidence. And for us as families, to enter yet another competition for underfunded specialist provision would be a deeply distressing experience.

"As the uncertainty looms over our children's' future from September, we urgently need to show East Sussex County Council how much Northease Manor means, not just to us as families, but to our local community and to the country as a nation who should be supporting ALL childrens' rights to a safe, supportive and effective education.”

Northease Manor is one of many specialist schools in East Sussex facing closure this summer. Last month, St John’s in Seaford made the shock decision to close its doors for good, leaving 27 children without a school from September.

Simpson Millar’s head of education, Sarah Woosey, who is currently supporting the families of Northease Manor School, said: “Sadly, due to increasing costs Northease is not the first specialist independent school to face closure. This is putting additional pressure on other specialist schools across the country, and many children are struggling to find a place that meets their needs.

“If Northease ceases to exist, then the local authority is legally obliged to arrange alternative provision.”