Council "absolutely committed" to replacing Biggleswade SEND school "unfit for purpose" says Central Beds' chief executive


Marcel Coiffait acknowledged “the buildings which currently comprise Ivel Valley School and College in Biggleswade aren’t fit for purpose”, but stressed the council is “absolutely committed” to replacing it.
“We accept that the conditions at Ivel Valley aren’t good enough,” he told an extraordinary meeting of CBC’s SEND sub-committee. “We want to do something about it,” he said.
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Hide Ad“How do we pay for it and deliver it within our current budget? To say we’ll spend an extra £23m without thinking of ways of not needing to spend that much would be irresponsible.
“Absolutely, please don’t think that this is because we don’t care or value the impact that good quality space has on the education, and life choices and outcomes for those pupils.
“The fact we put £43m in the budget originally, because that’s what we thought it would cost, indicates that. This would represent one of the biggest capital projects the council has ever done.”
The sub-committee was seeking to assess the long-term value for money in delivering SEND school places at Ivel Valley in a phased approach, or whether to continue with the new school build and deliver all 330 places at once.
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Hide AdIt also wants to investigate the impact on a Free School project, if Ivel Valley failed to vacate the current site as part of its expansion.
A £43m budget was approved by CBC for both 2023 /24 and 2024/25, according to a report to the sub-committee. But this figure “wasn’t changed in line with the increase in places in the council’s specialist school places plan from 300 to 330 and was based on the lower number”, said the report.
Ivel Valley School and College headteacher Joe Creswick explained: “Many of you have visited the Hitchmead Road site and seen the wall in the hall being propped up by bits of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) because it’s collapsing.
“There are the hard-working NHS staff sitting among the musical instruments because there’s no proper place for them to work.
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Hide Ad“Our brilliant pupils are learning, despite the extra difficulties they face because of the standard of our accommodation. I want to reiterate the idea of trying to refurbish the current site is to treat my pupils with absolute disdain.
“I’m deeply concerned today’s report shows nobody in CBC has a grasp of the condition or operating restraints of the premises. The school is in desperate need of replacement.
“Only one solution will provide for our pupils and all those children in the wider community needing a vital special school place. A new Ivel Valley School must be built on an alternative site.”
Independent Leighton Linslade West councillor Steve Owen explained: “Officers are considering their options and will bring an outcome to the executive in January.
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Hide Ad“That intensive work is ongoing. There’s no drawing back from the need to deliver that project in some way.”
The sub-committee agreed six recommendations including “the need for the executive to bring forward the Ivel Valley build on one site”.
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