Parents of children with additional needs have been left "heartbroken" after learning that a proposal could close three Additionally Resourced Mainstream School (ARMS) provisions at Bede Primary School in Gateshead. Gateshead Council has sent a letter to parents informing them of a consultation on the proposal, which would close the provisions that specialise in particular areas of learning need, as they are no longer considered sustainable.
In the letter, the council states: "The proposal has been brought forward following a request from the Governing Body of Bede Primary School. The Governing Body considers that the current financial and operational arrangements for the ARMS provisions are no longer sustainable and, after exploring a range of options with Gateshead Council, has requested that a formal consultation take place on their future. No decision has been made at this stage. The purpose of this consultation is to provide parents, carers, staff and other interested parties with an opportunity to consider the proposal and share their views before any final decision is taken. We would welcome your views on this proposal."
Parents describe the impact on their children
Three parents have told ChronicleLive how the service has developed their children's education and changed their lives. Sarah Crinnion's eight-year-old son Oden joined the ARMS unit around three years ago. Sarah, 44, said: "He was non verbal until he went to Bede. He wasn't speaking and he wasn't really hitting any of his mile markers for his age. The care and the attention he's got from Bede has helped him along the way. He's a totally different child. He's still two years behind but he's now reading and he'll hold a pen. He wouldn't even entertain that before. They've helped him communicate, read and write. All I wanted him to be able to do was read and write to a level where he can get by and I just think if that support is taken away at eight years old by the time he gets to high school what's going to happen to him?"
Sarah, who lives in Felling, said Oden was diagnosed with autism at age three and previously attended Windy Nook Primary School. He moved to the ARMS unit at Bede Primary School, on Old Fold Road, at around age five. She said: "It's an amazing school and I will be heartbroken if it closes. I don't know what's going to happen to his education if the school closes. I don't know where they would put him. If he was put in mainstream school that would fail him. There's not that many SEND schools around that would even have spaces. The ARMS unit and SEND schools are really needed. There's a lot more than just disability involved with SEND schools."
She said she does not understand why the proposal is being considered, adding: "It's not really been made clear as to why. As far as I'm aware the pupils have an EHCP plan with funding. I don't understand what the council has done funding-wise, or not done funding-wise, in regards to when they decided to open that part of the school."
Parents fear regression and lack of alternatives
Lucy Crow said her eight-year-old daughter Emily, diagnosed with autism in reception, has gone from strength to strength after joining the ARMS unit in Year one. The 35-year-old said Emily has gone from being non verbal and unable to say her name to singing songs and reading. Lucy, from Deckham, described the situation as "absolutely heartbreaking": "I am completely devastated and angry at the idea of it closing. It has brought my daughter along so much and without that setting I am sure she wouldn't cope with education in mainstream, she would regress. She can't be around too many people. She can't focus, she gets too overstimulated. In my opinion, Bede ARMS Unit is one of a kind and needs to stay open as it not only has amazing staff to help educate the SEND children but it assesses them to see what schools would be more beneficial for them. It has also helped rehabilitate children back into a mainstream setting in a safe way so they are able to learn to the best of their ability. They've got so many brilliant teachers who are very qualified in SEND and massively focus on education as well. That is why my daughter is as good as she is. Without that I don't know what I would do."
Lucy, a health care assistant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, has contacted local MPs Kate Osborne and Mark Ferguson. She added: "There are nowhere near enough schools for SEND children and this school has an amazing unit now with a threat of closure which seems ridiculous."
Natasha Tinnion, mum to eight-year-old Skylar, who has additional needs, said the unit has helped her daughter read and write with little support. Natasha, who lives in Felling, said: "This unit is not only a cornerstone of the community but provides great educational support for some of the most vulnerable in our society our SEN children. I am just one parent out of a bunch of parents whose child's education has been transformed from attending this unit. Without the specialist support that the ARMS unit at Bede has provided to Skylar so far she wouldn't be attending an educational setting at all as she found it impossible to function in mainstream education and the SEN schools are limited in number. The ARMS has given her the support she needs not only to progress in her learning but to develop and thrive as a person. It has provided an opportunity for her to still be included and be apart of normal society instead of being segregated from it, but yet still receive the support she needs. Like all of us we want the best for our children but what do we do when the education and support they need has been put at risk all because of financial issues. Our children are our future and without proper specialist support in an environment that can meet their needs where does that leave them? Where are our children going to go? Where are they going to go that will care for them and support them as a whole? The staff in the school pour everything into those children. Why do our children seem to be unworthy of educating correctly? If this were in mainstream this wouldn't be happening. I have got friends who have SEND kids and they're struggling to find them places so they're stuck in mainstream schools that don't meet their needs. I feel like we're not being listened to. I feel like it's an argument to get your child the right and necessary education."
Council and MPs respond to the consultation
According to the letter, the consultation runs from October 8 until November 12 this year. Suzanne Dunn, Director of Education, Schools and Inclusion at Gateshead Council, said: "The Governing Body of Bede Primary School has launched a public consultation on the future of its ARMS provision, which supports children with additional needs in a mainstream school setting. The consultation follows concerns about whether the current arrangements can continue in the long term, both financially and operationally. No decision has been made, and the consultation gives parents, staff and other stakeholders the chance to share their views and put forward alternative suggestions. Gateshead Council remains committed to improving support for children and young people with SEND. As part of our SEND Strategy, plans are in place to increase specialist support within mainstream schools, including additional ARMS places expected to open during the 2027-28 academic year, subject to the necessary approvals. This is part of the Council's wider Inclusion Strategy to ensure more children and young people can access the specialist support they need in Gateshead."
Kate Osborne, Labour MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, said she is "deeply concerned" by the proposal. She said: "As someone who is parent of a child with SEND myself, I know how important the right provision is. Families should not have to fight for the support their children need, and they should not be left fearing that vital provision could be taken away. The ARMS unit is a fantastic asset to Bede Community Primary School and our wider community. Parents and carers have shared incredibly positive feedback about the teaching, the dedication of staff and the difference this provision makes to their children's lives. That is something to be valued and protected, not put at risk without every possible alternative being explored. We already have a shortage of specialist SEND provision in our area. We should be investing in support for children with additional needs, not reducing the options available to them and their families. While no final decision has been made, I will be raising this directly with Bede Community Primary School and Gateshead Council. I want clear answers about why closure is being considered, what alternatives have been explored and how the needs of these children and their families will be protected."
Mark Ferguson, Labour MP for Gateshead Central and Whickham, has written to Gateshead Council to raise concerns and seek clarity. He said: "Following concerns raised by a constituent about the future of the ARMS unit at Bede Community Primary School, I have written to Gateshead Council to raise these concerns, and seek clarity on what options are available to parents to ensure children at the school continue to access the high quality SEND support they deserve. I would encourage everyone who is concerned by the proposed changes to engage with the Gateshead Council led consultation."
The consultation will run until November 12, 2026.
