Double threat to Bright Futures School for autistic youngsters

Back in April Bright Futures School, in Grasscroft, was dealt a severe blow when the owners of their Oldham Road premises announced they were putting the building up for sale.

Faced with the upheaval of moving but determined to ensure their fantastic work with autistic youngsters continues they issued a public appeal to help them find a new location which they could buy and convert.

But that decision was based on Bright Futures reaching an agreement with Oldham Council on an increase in fees for its existing nine pupils, said proprietor and head of development Zoe Thompson.

Zoe explained that their current fees - delivered through Education Health and Care Plans by the council only increased once since 2010 - were sufficient as they currently pay a domestic rate rent on their premises. But moving elsewhere would mean either buying a property or incurring a much higher commercial rate which they currently can't afford.

She says despite a persuasive argument regarding the fee uplift - including the fact the council would have to pay much more to relocate the pupils to an suitable setting if Bright Futures closed and, as there are no other autism-specialist schools in the area they would also incur astronomical transport costs - they are now locked in stalemate over the decision making process.

Zoe says the council wants to send in a private consultant to look at the school but hasn't specifically outlined what they are investigating except in areas such as the quality of teaching which is already available in an Ofsted report.

She says a lengthy consultation prolong their predicament and going over procedures they already have evidence for would also be a waste tax payers’ money.

With the clock constantly ticking on the time they have left at the Oldham Road premises, Zoe says it's a very unsettling and worrying time for the school which Ofsted rated "good" in 2016. Inspector found pupils - who had fallen behind with their learning elsewhere but since joining Bright Futures had "developed positive attitudes to learning" - enjoy coming to school, have excellent relationships with staff, and parents cite the school as having ‘transformational effect’ their child’s behaviour which has made a positive difference to their family life.

"We've had one fee increase since and that was to cover staff pensions," said Zoe, from Diggle.

"We've never even applied for a cost of living increase. We run Bright Futures on a shoestring.

"We understand the council have to go through a process but we want them to be as proactive as possible to help us secure the future of Bright Futures School and give us specific terms of reference in order for the feasibility study to go ahead. With no terms of reference as to what they looking at feels uncomfortable and unprofessional and any business would feel the same.

"The school made a persuasive argument to the council that without this agreed fee uplift, they would not be in a position to purchase a property to secure the future of the school.

"This argument included highlighting the fact that if the school had to close because suitable affordable premises could not be found, then the council would have to place seven current Oldham students with autism in alternative

schools.

"The needs of these pupils would not be met by local special schools so they would have to travel outside the borough. The fees of independent special schools outside the borough that may be able to meet pupils’ needs are well in excess of the increased fee that Bright Futures School was seeking - and an additional £19K per pupil per year would be incurred on top of this figure in transport costs. Keeping Bright Futures open would be a massive cost saver for the council.

"If Bright Futures closes our pupils from Oldham and one from Tameside will lose the school they love and has made such a huge impact on their lives and 14 people will lose their jobs. It will be devastating all round."

Bright Futures- which currently has nine pupils - was opened by Zoe and her husband Dixon Milburn in 2010 to help children like their autistic son Philip, now aged 18, after they failed to find suitable provision anywhere else in Oldham.

Zoe tragically lost Dixon to stomach cancer last August but is determined to keep his legacy alive for the sake of autistic youngsters in the area.

The school works on the core difficulties at the heart of autism and uses an approach which is based on a building a specific relationship between an autistic child and an adult member of staff to develop self actualisation, social communication and interaction - documented as very effective in The Lancet medical journal – and they’ve had amazing success.

"We have actually been able to decrease autism with this approach and that's massive, it's huge," said Zoe.

"We have one pupil who was suffering from non-epileptic seizures in his former setting because of the anxiety he was feeling. After a year in Bright Futures he's been signed off from his consultant because he doesn't get them any more and that's incredible.

"Sadly the approach we use hasn't been embraced by Oldham Council and that is my deepest wish. We want this school to be seen as model practise and for them to focus on what we do. Our pupils are so happy and they flourish and become so capable. If you saw some of the videos of our children from when they arrive to how they are a year later you wouldn't believe it's the same child."

Bright Futures School has made a massive difference to 14-year-old Harry Gibbins - the pupil who previously suffered from seizures before arriving at Bright Futures - who has come on in leaps and bounds and finally made friends for the first time in his life.

Ahead of recently going out with two Bright Futures pupils for his birthday he said: "I'm really looking forward to going out with the boys tonight, mum. Remember when I didn't have any friends?"

His mum Clare said: "This school has been life-changing not just for my son who goes there, but for our whole

family. I would be outraged if the council could not see the sense in helping out Bright Futures both as a parent of a pupil and as a local taxpayer."

Zoe said she's been overwhelmed by the response from the public in helping them find a new home, along with Lee Hollingworth, from Whittaker Design, in Lees, who has been assisting their search and Daniel Scott, from Greenfield-based mop manufacturers Robert Scott and Sons who has met with the school to discuss potential options.

She added: "The building could be sold at any time so we are just living in a state of constant unease at the moment as staff, pupils and parents and that is very difficult, We just want to take the initiative and get something in place but its hard going right now."

Councillor Paul Jacques, Cabinet Member for Education and Culture, said: “The council and Bright Futures have agreed that an independent review should be carried out and until that it is finalised we cannot make any further comment.”

Anyone who can help out with their move can contact Zoe on 01457 878738 or email info@brightfuturesautism.com.

To find out more about the work the school is doing go to Zoe's "Food for Thought" blog at http://bit.ly/2aqoSey.