Graham Stuart, Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, has written to East Riding Council to ask them to help Cambian Beverley School find a new premises in the town.
During a tour of the school, which recently received a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted following an ‘Inadequate’ rating in 2022, Graham saw how the inspirational staff, under the leadership of Head Suzanne Mulligan, have improved the school, which caters to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
During his tour of the school, ably led by Senior Prefect Harley, it was clear to Graham that the facilities are in need of drastic improvement. The school is well aware of this fact and has been working with the Council to find a more suitable location. However, no site has yet been found.
Following the visit, Graham immediately wrote to Councillor Victoria Aitken, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education, to tell her how impressed he was with the school and to make the case for the school to be relocated to a more suitable site as it continues to expand the number of children it educates to meet with the rising demand for high quality SEND education in the area.
Graham, a former chairman of the House of Commons Education Committee, has a strong interest in improving SEND outcomes in Beverley and Holderness. The East Riding receives a proportionally low block funding from the government, which Graham has challenged in Parliament and has regular meetings with Cllr Aitken.
He will be meeting Catherine McKinnell MP, Minister for School Standards, to press the case for fairer funding for young people with SEND across the country with Charlie Dewhirst MP (Con, Bridlington and the Wolds).
Graham is also extremely concerned about the potential impact of Labour’s Education Tax, which will impose VAT on school fees for all independent schools. While most children at Cambian Beverley School are referred and funded by local councils, a 20% increase in fees could have a significant impact on how many pupils in Beverley and Holderness are able to access the terrific education children receive at the school.
Cambian Beverley School is an independent school providing specialist education for thirteen students aged 9-16 years old with ongoing social, emotional and mental health difficulties. The children at the school primarily have autism or ADHD, with some of them also having challenging behaviour, attachment disorder or a history of family breakdown.
Suzanne Mulligan, Headteacher of Cambian Beverley School, commented: “Graham is a passionate champion for children with Special Educational Needs and it was a pleasure to welcome him to our school. We are very proud of our pupils who represented us so well during his visit. I am grateful to him for making the case to East Riding Council for improved facilities for our teachers and children and hope they can help our school community to continue to thrive.”
Graham Stuart said: “Every child should have the best start in life to give them the opportunity to succeed. That’s why I was so pleased to see the excellent care and support that the pupils at Cambian Beverley School are receiving from their dedicated teachers. They should be very proud of the transformation they have undertaken over the last two years and I hope that East Riding Council may be able to support them in their ambition to provide high quality support to more pupils with SEND across Beverley.”
