SEMH Consultation

As many of you will have seen in the paper, schools across the country are responding to growing numbers of children requiring additional needs and support.

This is being seen at Radcliffe Primary School, so we have been in discussions with the Local Authority for some time looking at how we can further meet the needs of these children, while strengthening what we do across the whole school.

That is why we are writing to you to ask for your views on us developing a specialist Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Unit for children aged 4–11 within the school.

I appreciate that this is an important proposal, so I wanted to take some time to outline what we are proposing and what this will mean.

The proposal

The new Specialist SEMH Unit will ultimately provide education for up to 20 pupils aged 4–11 years with identified Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs. In practice, these needs range from anxiety and school avoidance to children who struggle to maintain positive relationships.

Proposing establishing this Unit is something that we have thought long and hard about. The reasons are:

• Due to the declining birth rate, we have spare classrooms in the school. This is because we currently welcome 30 Reception children each year, rather than the 60 the school is built for.
• Because of this spare capacity, we are already redesigning the school. We are, for example, already investing in moving and upgrading our Reception classroom and playing area.
• That still means, however, we are paying to maintain a large space in the school that has no pupils in it. Not only will the Unit bring more funding into the school, but we will also be able to use our existing funding more effectively. As a result, we will be able to invest more in the education and facilities our existing children receive.

Above all else though, the needs of our children and other children in the local area are changing – and we want to better respond to that.

What will the Unit be like?

The Unit will have its own separate entrance, toilets, outdoor play provision and the curriculum will be taught in a very different way. There will also be some different therapeutic approaches to help children learn to understand themselves and each other.

The Unit will also have staff who work solely in the Unit who have specialist expertise and training. 

The Unit will be built slowly, first welcoming five children in January 2027 until it gradually reaches 20 children. In addition, funding will be provided for up to four permanently excluded pupils in the future. These children will be selected based on the fact that they had a specific SEMH need that hadn’t been identified/managed in their previous school.

What will be the impact on the wider school?  

This is something that we have thought long and hard about. There is a great deal for us to be proud of at Radcliffe, and we do not want to do anything that will disrupt the strength of the school.

The reasons we would like to proceed are:

• As stated, we will have a specialist team of experts working directly in the Unit. While the majority of their time will be directed to supporting the students in the Unit, we will be able to draw upon their skills to support lower-level need across the main school.
• We already have children in the school who would benefit from one of the places in the Unit. This gives us an opportunity to better meet their needs.
• We will be able to use our facilities and funding so we have greater ability to continue to invest in all aspects of school life.

In addition, morally, if we have parts of our school that are empty and we are using public money to maintain – then it is only right that we look at how best we can further support our community.

It is also important to note that:

• The children in the Unit will largely be taught in the Unit. However, we also need to prepare them for life in the future, so there will be occasions where they integrate with the wider school. In addition, if a child flourishes and is ready to be in the main part of the school, then we will facilitate and support that if they are ready.
• While the numbers in the Unit are small, there is likely to be a slightly different start and end time to the day – so school won’t feel busier.

Tell us your thoughts

Before the proposal progresses, we want to give our parents, carers and wider school community the opportunity to understand the plans, ask questions and tell us what they think.

We are therefore launching a consultation on the proposed specialist SEMH provision.

The consultation will run from today to Friday October 2nd 2026 at 17:00. You can share your views by completing the online feedback form linked below.

KLT SRP Consultation

We recognise that parents and carers may have questions about what the proposal could mean for their children and for the school as a whole. Your views are important to us, and all feedback received during the consultation will be carefully considered before the next steps are agreed.

Many thanks, 

Mrs Walsh 

As part of the response to the consultation we have had a number of questions. These fall into three broad themes. 

It is important to stress that this is not the creation of two separate schools. All pupils will remain part of one Radcliffe Primary School community, with one staff team working together to meet the needs of all children. The SEMH provision is an opportunity to enhance the school's overall offer to pupils while making effective use of available space to support the school’s existing children and wider community.  

1. Impact on Current Pupils and Intervention Spaces

The impact on current pupils has been one of our primary considerations throughout our discussions. 

With the declining birthrate, Radcliffe Primary School has experienced falling pupil numbers. The school occupies a large site and has found itself with accommodation that is not being utilised to its full potential. The SEMH provision would allow the school to make better use of its existing buildings whilst retaining all the suitable spaces we need for teaching, interventions and pupil support for our existing pupils.

This approach will ensure that resources are being used effectively for the benefit of all children attending Radcliffe Primary School and provide a new facility for children in the wider community.

Redesigning our space creates new opportunities for our existing children. For example, a large new library area which can be used for reading activities, interventions and small group work. In addition, a sensory room and, once the new purpose-built sensory facility within the SEMH provision is operational, the current sensory room could then be used for more children and /or have a new purpose.

Ultimately, this project will increase the range of spaces available to support pupils rather than reduce them.

2. Safe Access, Movement Around School and Fire Safety

Current pupils will continue to access the school in the same way they do now. The Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team have carefully considered movement around the building to minimise disruption to teaching and learning.

The current fire safety arrangements meet the requirements for the building and are subject to regular review. Appropriate fire safety measures and evacuation procedures are in place to ensure the safety of all pupils, staff and visitors.

More reviews will also happen once the building work is completed.

3. Accessibility and the Use of Upstairs Classrooms

The accessibility needs of pupils have been considered as part of the planning process.

The school's current practice is to allocate classrooms based on the needs of the pupils within each cohort, and this flexible approach will continue. Where a child has difficulties with stairs, depth perception or mobility, classroom locations could be adjusted accordingly to ensure that appropriate provision is in place. The school already moves classes and uses different areas of the building when this best meets the needs of the children.

As with all aspects of school life, individual pupil needs and risk assessments will continue to be considered when determining classroom locations and arrangements.