91ÖÆƬ³§

91ÖÆƬ³§County Council, as the Local Authority responsible for education provision, has a statutory responsibility to make sure that there are sufficient places for all children in 91ÖÆƬ³§who wish to attend a state funded school. This includes securing provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Fort Royal Primary School is located in the Worcester City District. The school is one of nine state funded Special Schools in Worcestershire. It is designated as a generic Special School catering for a variety of needs including profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), and autism (ASD). All pupils attending will have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that identifies that they require Special School education provision.

Fort Royal Primary School is graded as a good school by Ofsted.

The current published age range of pupils at Fort Royal Primary School is 2 to 11 years.

From January 2021 to January 2024, the number of pupils taught at Fort Royal Primary School increased by 20.6%, from 209 to 252.

Due to the design and location of the school, it is not currently possible to make any permanent changes to the accommodation that would create additional pupil places in the future.

Prior to September 2023, Fort Royal Primary School delivered a Nursery Assessment Unit on its site. In a Nursery Assessment Unit, pre-school aged children with SEND who are due to start school are assessed to determine the education provision that they require.

In September 2023, due to an unprecedented rise in the demand for Special School Reception places, 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council, in consultation with Fort Royal Primary School, had to prioritise Reception places over Nursery places, and so Nursery provision at the school ceased.

Following a countywide review of provision for pre-school age children with SEND and the future of Nursery Assessment Units2, 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council developed a new model for the delivery of Enhanced Early Years provision for children who have complex needs and cannot access their full Nursery Education Funding (NEF) entitlement.

In 2024, tenders were sought from existing and potential Early Years providers to deliver Enhanced Early Years provision in the Worcester City district. A specialist SEND Early Years provider was commissioned and their Worcester City provision at Bluebell Wood opened in June 2025, offering 15 full-time equivalent Nursery places for children who would have previously attended Fort Royal’s Nursery Assessment Unit.

This proposal is to change the age range of pupils at Fort Royal School from 2 to 11 years to 4 to 11 years, to reflect the cessation of Nursery provision at the school.

If approved, the change would take effect from September 2026.

As alternative specialist provision for Nursery-age pupils with SEND is now established in Worcester, 91ÖÆƬ³§County Council intend to permanently change the age range at Fort Royal Primary School from 2 to 11 years to 4 to 11 years, reflecting the fact that the school no longer delivers Nursery provision.

This proposal will enable the school to maintain the current number of places available for pupils in year groups Reception to Year 6.

The four-week representation period commences on Monday 22nd June 2026 and closes at noon on Monday 20th July 2026. A Public Notice has been published in the local newspaper, as well as at the school.

The following stakeholders will also be directly notified:

• parents and carers of pupils attending the school
• staff and Governors of the school
• neighbouring schools
• Local, District and County Councillors
• immediate neighbours
• Local Member of Parliament
• Cabinet Member Responsible for Education
• any other known local stakeholders

At the conclusion of this consultation period the Local Authority will consider all responses to this Statutory Proposal and Public Notice. Any objections to the proposal will be considered by the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Education before a final decision is made as to whether to proceed with the proposal. If no objections are received, the final decision will be made by the Director of Children’s Services. The final decision must be made within a period of two months. However, the aim is for a decision to be made by 27 July 2026.

Responses can be made online via the following link and must be received by noon on Monday 20 July 2026.

Should you require a paper copy of this survey, please contact the school office or email spp@worcestershire.gov.uk.