An infant school in Pinner is at risk of losing its specialist provision for disabled children as the council plans to pull its funding. The potential loss of the Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) at Coteford Infant School in 2025 has sparked an outcry from parents of pupils who have benefitted from the support, which has helped produce two Team GB Paralympians.
Hillingdon Council is holding a public consultation about the proposals before making a final decision and a campaign is building steam to prevent it from happening. Natasha Baker, 34, has won 10 Paralympic medals, including 6 gold medals in dressage. Andy Lapthorne, 33, is another example – he has won four medals in wheelchair tennis, including silver at Paris 2024.
The council says there is both a declining demand for places at the school, and an expectation that children with physical disabilities should have their needs met in mainstream schools, with reasonable adjustments. Therefore, it is the council’s position that a separate SRP at Coteford is no longer required to meet the needs of these children.
Friends of Coteford are calling on the council to keep the SRP open. An online petition has already received over 500 signatures. The group said: “Whilst it is not a ‘traditional’ SRP as defined by Hillingdon LA [Local Authority], Coteford has been doing this for over 40 years.
“SEND and non-SEND children have benefitted from Coteford’s inclusive practices this way. Do we want this to end just because the LA has devised its own definition?”
Consultation documents outline that the provisions are different from traditional programmes as children who are admitted to the SRP at Coteford Infant School are already attending mainstream lessons at the school full-time.
In the consultation proposal the council said: “Hillingdon Council proposes to close the Physical Disabilities (PD) Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) at Coteford Infant School to new pupils/admissions for pupils scheduled to join the roll on or after 1st September 2025. This will result in a phased closure of the provision.
“For pupils already placed within the SRP, there will be no change to their education or support, and they will continue as pupils of the school with the understanding that the provision continues to be appropriate to meet their needs as stated in their Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).”
Friends of Coteford believe this would be the wrong move and that other schools need to have their provision improved before Coteford’s SRP shuts. They also fear existing children will end up moving out of the SRP due to the complexities of how their additional support will be funded and provided, as the current on-site therapists would no longer be there when the funding is cut. Parents were reportedly told the NHS would provide specialist therapy instead.
The Friends said: “It would seem an injustice to move children out of the SRP into a system that is not fully supportive of their needs yet. Whilst we support that all Hillingdon schools should become fully inclusive, only once all schools are inclusive and the needs of these children can be met (which is most certainly not the case at the moment, as many schools refer parents to Coteford), then the SRP can be closed. Not the other way around.”
A Hillingdon Council spokesperson said: “We regularly review the needs of the population, and evidence shows that there has been a significant decline in demand for places for a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for physical difficulties at Coteford Infant School. There is also an expectation that children with physical disabilities should have their needs met in mainstream schools with reasonable adjustments, and therefore, a separate SRP provision to meet the needs of these children is no longer required.
“The SRP is not a traditional, additionally resourced learning space at the school, and therefore the proposed closure is not a closure of a specific unit or classroom nor will it lead to any changes for the children attending. Unlike a traditional SRP, children accessing the SRP at Coteford already spend the entire school day in mainstream lessons. The proposed closure will not impact the children or the support they currently benefit from.
“The council will continue to work with the school to ensure there will be no change to the support outlined in each child’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), and therapeutic support for children who require it will still be available.
“No decisions have been made and we’d encourage residents to have their say by taking part in the consultation, which closes on Friday, October 25, at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/coteford-infant-consultation.”
Philip is a Local Democracy Reporter covering Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, with a focus on council decisions, housing, planning, licensing and community stories across west London.
