Nov 4, 2020, Westmoreland Gazette: New Alternative Provision school plan for South Cumbria hailed as 'wonderful' https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/18848259.new-alternative-provision-school-plan-south-cumbria-hailed-wonderful/ (NW England) A PLAN to create a brand new Alternative Provision school in South Cumbria has been hailed as ‘an exciting time for education’. Community leaders praised the proposals for a new 40-place school, which would support up to 25 young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, as ‘wonderful’. If given the green light the site, on derelict land at Channelside, Barrow would be brought back to life. County Cllr Sue Sanderson, cabinet member schools and learning was exited by how far they had come with the project.
She said: “It’s the Cumbria County Council’s responsibility for education, and because of lots issues, we seem to get more children being excluded from schools and we wanted to build better provisions for them.
There are children who can’t cope in a mainstream setting or they can’t normally cope. We have pupil referral units in Carlisle that helps get pupils back into mainstream provisions. But this will help their emotional provision as well in the south of the county.”…
Cllr Sanderson Is already looking ahead to the schools opening. She said: “We will be building two and possibly more. There are primary’s schools taking on the children with special emotional issues now also. It has got to go through planning for Carlisle and Barrow. Then once its approved then it will go ahead. With the Carlisle one going ahead first in 2021 then in 2022 the new wonderful one for Barrow.”
