| SPOTLIGHT |
A High Court judge has given campaigners permission to bring a judicial review challenge over Wiltshire Council’s decision to close three schools and replace them with two ‘centres of excellence’, it has been reported.
Keep Special Schools Local said it had been give permission on the majority of its grounds, with a hearing likely to be listed on 10th/11th April.
The group has been granted a costs cap and is raising funds via Crowd Justice. It has so far reached £12,322 on its way towards its stretch target of £25,000.
Wiltshire Council has proposed closing St Nicholas School in Chippenham and Larkrise School in Trowbridge and replacing them - along with another school in the county - with two ‘centres of excellence’.
Keep Special Schools Local has previously said that the ‘centre of excellence’ school for St Nicholas and Larkrise would be in a remote location, which would create difficulties for children with complex and severe learning and physical disabilities.
The group has been advised by Keith Lomax from Watkins Solicitors and barrister Steve Broach from Monckton Chambers.
A Wiltshire Council spokesperson said: “The claimants have obtained leave to take some parts of their case forward to a substantive hearing. We will await the outcome of this before commenting further. We remain committed to providing all our pupils with the best SEN education into the future.”
This week the council successfully bid for £12m in Department for Education (DFE) funding to create a 150-pupil school for pupils aged 4 to 19 years.
