Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to benefit from further improvements to support across Leicestershire.
A new three-year SEND Reform Plan has been unveiled, setting out how the county council, schools, health partners and families will work together to continue improving services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
The plan builds on progress already made while recognising that further improvements are needed to meet growing demand and ensure children and families receive the support they need at the right time.
Proposals include expanding the number of specialist school places. A new £30 million, 250-place special school for Harborough is already in development, helping ensure more children can access specialist support closer to home and reducing the need for lengthy journeys to school.
The plan also outlines the county's adoption of an 'Experts at Hand' approach bringing health and education specialists, including speech and language therapists and educational psychologists, directly into mainstream schools, nurseries and post-16 settings to support children earlier and strengthen inclusion. The council will be creating up to 50 of these new roles in the coming months.
Earlier this summer, Department for Education (DfE) national SEND improvement advisers recognised the progress made in Leicestershire, including reducing the average time taken to complete an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) from 58 weeks to 18 weeks, below the statutory 20-week timeframe.
Working with our partners, we have made real progress in improving support for children and young people with SEND in Leicestershire.
We have reduced EHCP waiting times, strengthened partnership working and set out ambitious plans to increase specialist provision across the county.
However, we know there is still much more to do. Families continue to face challenges, demand for support continues to grow, and we are determined to keep improving.
This plan is about building a system that provides help earlier and ensures specialist provision is available when it is needed.
The new special school in Harborough and our 'Experts at Hand' model are important steps forward, but they are part of a longer journey to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
By investing in earlier intervention, increasing local provision and strengthening partnership working, we can continue to improve outcomes for children and families while creating a more sustainable SEND system for the future.
Person:Cllr Charles Pugsley, lead member for children and families
The Leicestershire SEND Reform Plan will be considered by the council's Cabinet on 8 September.
SEND support in Leicestershire