The Director of Children’s Services reported that on 23 April, 2009 (minute 467 refers) Cabinet had approved the merging of Meadowside and Foxfield special schools and their replacement with a new build single special school built on split sites. A new 11-16 provision would be co-located with a local mainstream secondary school and a new 16-19 provision would be co-located with a local further education college – Wirral Metropolitan College.

The re-building of Clare Mount Specialist Sports College was included in the first phase of the authority’s Building Schools for the Future Programme.

The report identified the progress made so far in implementing these proposals and made recommendations for future action specifically in relation to consulting on potential sites for co-locating the two new schools. Approval of the recommendations would facilitate the scheme remaining within the time scales for the next stage of Wirral’s Building Schools for the Future Programme (BSF) – the Readiness to Deliver documentation due later this year.

The Leader referred to an email which had been circulated to all Cabinet Members from Gwen Seller and Wendy Neil in respect of the proposal, and which the Cabinet noted.

On a motion by Councillor Sheila Clarke, seconded by Councillor Simon Holbrook, it was -

Resolved – That Cabinet approves the conducting of a public consultation regarding the potential co-location of an 11-16 new build CLD school on the site of Woodchurch High School, as part of the merger of Meadowside and Foxfield schools, and the potential co-location of a new build Clare Mount school on the site of Wallasey School and, subject to and without prejudice to the outcome of the above consultation, approves any subsequent development of the projects through outline scoping and design and addressing of any planning issues.