£1.3m invested in new school building The Eastbrook Centre

Gloucestershire County Council has invested around £1.3 million in The Eastbrook Centre, a new site for Gloucestershire’s alternative provision school.

The Altus School is an alternative provision for children and young people who have struggled in a mainstream setting and have been, or are at risk of being, permanently excluded. There are six centres across the county providing education for different age ranges and needs.

Staff at the new Eastbrook Centre, for up to 48 Year 10 and 11 pupils, work with the young people and their families to support them to either complete their education at the Altus School through GCSEs or vocational qualifications, or to return to a mainstream school.

The county council spent around £1.3 million to buy and refurbish the centre, which was previously used as an independent school, to provide improved facilities like a science lab, art room, and specialist food technology and catering facilities.

Cllr Philip Robinson, cabinet member for education and bus transport at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “Improving the SEND and alternative provision offer for young people in the county is one of our top priorities. We’ve invested around £1.3 million in this new centre to support some of our most vulnerable young people back into education.

“Over the last few years, we have transformed our alternative provision to focus on earlier intervention and outreach work with pupils in mainstream schools who could be at risk of exclusion, to support them to remain and thrive in their current school.”

Emma Gundry, director of alternative provision and headteacher at The Altus School, said: “We have a fantastic team of dedicated staff who work with our pupils to support them to overcome some of the challenges they have had at school; to build relationships with them and support them to engage positively with education.”

In September 2023, the two alternative provision schools in the county were combined into one county-wide school, The Altus School, to improve the consistency and quality of the provision, focus on earlier intervention, and improve the facilities in alternative provision.

Source: Punchline