Former Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School to become pupil referral unit after closure by Sunderland City Council

Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School was closed by Sunderland City Council in 2021 due to concerns about a rising financial deficit which had grown over a number of years.

Following statutory consultations and after alternatives to closure fell through, council chiefs backed proposals to ‘discontinue’ the provision.

Under new proposals approved by city leaders this week, the vacant building will be re-purposed as a specialist education provision for the Coalfields area.

The move is part of a city council plan to increase the capacity of Sunderland’s Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), also known as The Link School, which provides alternative provision for children who can’t attend a mainstream school.

The new plans will establish three satellite sites, including two which have been operating as pilots since 2020 within schools in the Washington and South Sunderland areas, as well as a new site serving the Coalfields.

The third satellite site will be based at the former Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School building, which will undergo a major refurbishment.

Changes aim to make specialist provision more accessible and geographically appropriate for younger pupils across the Sunderland City Council area.

According to a report to cabinet, the satellite sites will also “increase the potential for a pupil’s successful re-integration back into their substantive school place” or alternatively, may lead to a “more appropriate special school or provision placement”.

A social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) unit for primary aged children is also planned at the Coalfields satellite site to ensure provision is located and distributed evenly across the city.

The former Hetton-le-Hole Nursery School site will accommodate 24 children, with 16 linked to the Pupil Referral Unit Coalfields provision and eight linked to the new SEMH provision.

A report on the proposals was presented to the city council’s School Organisation Committee of Cabinet at City Hall on Thursday, November 10.

Councillors heard the council had received around 73 responses during consultation, with all but one supporting the changes.

Council officers also noted that the two pilot satellite sites had been a success, with no child going to the sites being permanently excluded from their main school place.

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, welcomed the plans to expand the city’s PRU capacity and to provide specialist support.

He said: “I’m delighted to see us expanding the capacity and our capabilities for dealing not only with special educational needs and disabilities but also with the social, emotional and mental health need as well.

“So I fully support expanding our capacity”.

Councillor Louise Farthing, cabinet member for children, education and skills, added: “As chair I think it’s really pleasing to hear that the children who have been through these [satellite] sites have all been reintegrated into school.

“That’s what we’re doing this for, it’s to ensure that children have an inclusive education and support at school.

“It really is important for all schools in Sunderland to have that inclusive outlook towards their pupils and I’m hoping that we will have all schools in Sunderland badged as inclusive.

“It would really help us manage the sufficiency and the requirements for our school population”.

The changes will increase existing PRU provision to five sites and boost Sunderland’s capacity from 172 to 220 places.

Following the decision by city leaders this week, the increase will take effect from January 1, 2023.