Consultation on a proposal to expand The Link School by incorporating a further satellite site to educate additional children with special education needs.
The Link School is a special school that currently provides for pupils and students from the ages of 4 to 19 with a range of special education needs across its three existing sites: primary site, secondary site and a satellite site.
The Link School is part of Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, a specialist multi academy trust, and we work closely with the London Borough of Sutton to ensure our offer meets the growing demand for high quality places for children and young people with special education needs and complements other local provision.
Over the last few years, The Link School has been meeting the needs of children and young people with increasingly complex ASD needs including those who present with a pathological demand avoidance (PDA) profile. We have become a highly regarded specialist setting to meet this growing need and regularly share our practice with other school settings and agencies.
The existing Link satellite site is dedicated to meeting this need for primary aged pupils. We have been looking for a suitable additional site to extend this provision and I am pleased we have identified a potential site on the Carew Academy estate, which is also part of the Trust and nearby to The Link School. The proposed additional satellite site would provide an extra capacity of 12 places.
The Proposal
The proposal is to expand The Link School onto an additional satellite site to provide an extra 12 places above the school’s current Funding Agreement of 148 places bringing the total school capacity to 160 places from November 2024.
As The Link School is an academy, the expansion proposal would need approval by the Department for Education (DfE) for the Funding Agreement that we hold with the DfE to be amended to effect the proposed change. We are therefore seeking the views of parents and other interested parties through this consultation to inform the DfE’s decision-making process on the following:
- The proposed satellite site to be included as a Link School provision to meet the needs of up to 12 additional children and young people with complex ASD needs and those presenting with a PDA profile
- To amend the Funding Agreement to reflect the above and for the overall total number of pupils and students aged 4 -19 to be 160 across the four sites.
- To amend the Funding Agreement to reflect the above and for the overall total number of pupils and students aged 4 -19 to be 160 across the four sites.
Consultation Period
The consultation period on this proposal is from Monday 9 September 2024 to Sunday 29 September 2024.
Public meetings where you can meet the school leadership team and ask questions, will be held at:
- The Link Satellite Site on Tuesday 17 September at 3.30pm to 5.00pm
- The Link Satellite Site on Thursday 19 September at 3.30pm to 5.00pm
Consultation Questions
Public meetings where you can meet the school leadership team and ask questions, will be held at:
- The Link Satellite Site on Tuesday 17 September at 3.30pm to 5.00pm
- The Link Satellite Site on Thursday 19 September at 3.30pm to 5.00pm
Consultation Questions