Consultation on the Transfer of Responsibility of the Established Targeted Mainstream Provision for Children and Young People with SEND at Thirsk School and Sixth Form
23 March 2026 – 15 May 2026
Purpose of this Consultation Document:
This document explains the proposal by North Yorkshire Council to transfer the responsibility of the existing Targeted Mainstream Provision (TMP) for Children and Young People with SEND delivered at Thirsk School and Sixth Form from the Hambleton and Richmond Pupil Referral Service to Thirsk School and Sixth Form.
Following discussions with the Governors and Headteacher, Thirsk School and Sixth Form has been selected to take over delivery of the Targeted Mainstream Provision. North Yorkshire Council is now asking for your views on this proposal as part of the statutory process which is required before alterations of these kind are made to maintained schools.
Public meeting
There will be a virtual (on-line) public meeting on Wednesday 22nd April at 4pm. If you wish to be part of this virtual meeting, could you please let us know by emailing schoolorganisation@northyorks.gov.uk and joining instructions will be provided.
What will the Target Mainstream Provision look like?
Schools have the flexibility to refine their model of delivery but in general the provision will:
• Provide 8 full time places for 6 children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan and 2 ‘flexible’ places for children needing to access the provision for short term assessment and support.
• Specialise in meeting the needs of children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
• Have access to a range of therapies and specialist training opportunities to ensure children are fully supported
• Increase the opportunities for children and young people with SEND to access mainstream education together with more specialised small group interventions and support
• Be funded on a ‘place’ basis similar to special schools and in line with national guidance.
Background to the Proposal
North Yorkshire Council has a duty to keep its special education provision under review and ensure there is the right type of provision and enough places to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
We want all children and young people with SEND in North Yorkshire to;
We know that there are more children and young people being identified as having special educational needs in North Yorkshire and we expect this increase to continue. We need to make sure that we have the right type of education provision in the right place to meet their needs. We know that a number of our children and young people have to go to school outside North Yorkshire, and we want to avoid this wherever possible.
We have developed a Local Area SEND Strategy for educating children with SEND which aims to create a better offer of provision for children and young people, improved communication, enable more local decision making, and reduce costly out of county placements. This plan was approved and continues the implementation of Targeted Mainstreams Provisions. We are now implementing the actions within it and one of these actions requires us to alter the designation to include an SEN Unit of those schools involved.
This document explains the proposal that we are consulting on with regard to the individual school in question. The full strategic plan document is here Local area SEND strategy 2023 to 2026 | North Yorkshire Council so that you can see where this aspect of provision fits within the wide range of provisions established or being developed. We recommend that you read this document before responding to the survey and giving us your views on the individual proposal.
How are we consulting?
We have already carried out a consultation exercise on the SEND Strategic Plan from 18th May 2018 to 28th June 2018 and then subsequently from 6th February 2020 to 15th March 2020 on the specific issue of establishing Targeted Mainstream provisions. This current school organisation proposal is purely about the transfer of responsibility for a Targeted Provision.
We are asking you to give your views on the school organisation proposals. If you would like a paper copy of the survey or an alternative format, please call our customer service centre on 01609 780 780.
You can either complete and return the attached response sheet, or submit an online response at
ADD LINK & QR code
What is the timescale?
The closing date for responses is 15 May 2026. All responses to the consultation received by this date will be considered by our Executive on 16 June 2026, who will make a final decision on the proposal.
Information about our equalities impact assessment
We have carried out an equalities impact assessment (EIA) which can be found here Add link to EIA We will update this following comments received during the consultation and councillors will consider it again before they make a decision on implementing the proposal. The EIA has identified that there will be an impact on young people with SEND and if changes are made to current SEND education services, we will offer support to families to adapt to those changes.
We anticipate that, if the proposal is implemented, it may bring positive impacts to young people and their families, particularly by enabling more young people with SEND to be educated in their own community and achieve better outcomes. We anticipate that with more local provision children and young people with SEND will have more opportunities to attend a local school that is closer to home and will help them achieve better educational and social outcomes.
Thirsk School and Sixth Form
We are consulting on proposals to transfer the responsibility of the existing Targeted Mainstream Provision at Thirsk School and Sixth Form from the Hambleton and Richmond Pupil Referral Service to Thirsk School and Sixth Form.
Observations and/or suggestions:
Please do not disclose any personal data in your response
Interest/Status ........................................................................................
e.g. Parent/Governor/Teacher/Community
Name of School ......................................................................................
Signed ...................................................................................................
Date: ..................................................................................................
Name (Block Capitals) ............................................................................
Address:
Postcode:
To help us assess whether we have provided clear information, please let us know whether you found this consultation easy to understand? YES/NO
Do you have any suggestions for improvement?
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Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, responses to the consultation may be published on the County Council’s website where it may be accessed by members of the public. Your personal details will not be published.
Please send this response sheet to the following “FREEPOST” address. You do not need to use a postage stamp.
FREEPOST RTKE-RKAY-CUJS
Thirsk School and Sixth Form
Strategic Planning
North Yorkshire Council
County Hall
NORTHALLERTON
DL7 8AE
To be received by no later than 15 May 2026
We are collecting this information for the purpose of gathering views on the proposal. Your personal data will not be published or passed to any other organisation unless a legal obligation compels us to do so. We may contact you to discuss your views further. For more information about how your personal data is handled at North Yorkshire County Council please visit: www.northyorks.gov.uk/privacy-notices