Specialist Resource Base (SRB) Consultation Process!
Our excellent educational provision has been acknowledged by Norfolk County Council, resulting in the school being identified as the site for a new SRB. The new Specialist Resource Base in the west of the county will act as hub for pupils requiring specialist educational support.
This is an exciting opportunity to build upon the excellent work that our staff already undertake by sharing our combined skills, experience and enthusiasm to the benefit of pupils from beyond our traditional catchment area.
The proposed SRB at Hillcrest is just one of several new facilities planned across Norfolk following Norfolk County Council’s announcement in 2018 to transform provision for those with Special Education Needs and Disability across the county.
There are different categories of SRB serving pupils with very different needs. The SRB that Hillcrest has been asked to accommodate is one for pupils demonstrating Learning and Cognition Needs (LCN). This means that, unlike many of the SRBs identified for development across the county which cater for children with behavioural needs, the LCN SRB planned for Hillcrest will not be for the most behaviourally challenging children.
Hillcrest’s own pupils will also benefit from the proposed new LCN SRB should they demonstrate learning and cognition needs that would fit with the profile of pupil that the centre would support. Hillcrest will also experience increased staff training and expertise in areas such as speech and language development.
A new building would be developed to the rear of the main school, close to the location of the last remaining mobile classroom. This new building would consist of two classrooms, enabling the SRB to cater for 8 pupils in Key Stage 1 and 8 pupils in Key Stage 2.
The consultation process for developing the new SRBs across Norfolk begins today and there is a booklet accompanying from Norfolk County Council that explains the process and the ways in which you can make your feelings felt, which can be accessed via the bottom of this page. Additionally, you can click on the link below.
https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/childrens-services/srbprovision/
We would urge those who support this exciting new development, as well as those who have concerns, to respond to the consultation to ensure there is a balanced viewpoint.
There will be two events planned where parents and other members of the local community can pose questions to Hillcrest staff and Local Authority representatives on the proposals. These take place between 3 & 4pm on Wednesday 15th January and between 5 & 6pm on Thursday 30th January.
We will keep you updated on the latest SRB developments through our latest news area, letters and the SRB page on our website, which can be found under our Information page.
We look forward to hearing from you.