Ambitious plans designed to improve support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been given the thumbs up by Government.
Leicestershire County Council’s three-year strategy sets out expanding the number of specialist school places, bolstering support in mainstream schools and earlier identification and intervention.
The plan includes:
- creating hundreds of new school places – including a new £30 million, 250-place special school for Harborough
- bringing specialist support into mainstream education – through ‘experts at hand’, with speech and language therapists, educational psychologists and other specialists working directly in schools, nurseries and post-16 settings
“This is great news. Despite making real progress, we know there is more to do and I’m pleased that Government feedback highlights several strengths in Leicestershire’s approach.
“Our focus now is on putting the plan into action: helping children earlier, creating more school places and strengthening support in mainstream schools.”
Person:Councillor Charles Pugsley, cabinet member for children and family services
Councils had to submit SEND reform plans to Government this autumn and if approved, will see Government cover up to 90 per cent of SEND budget deficits accrued up to March 2026 - in Leicestershire’s case, this is around £70m. Government has not provided information on reimbursement of deficits built up after this date.
Charles Pugsley added: “We’re doing all we can to improve support. But uncertainty over long-term funding remains the biggest barrier to faster progress for Leicestershire families. We need the Government to play its part.”
Over the next few months, recruitment for 50 new roles in the ‘experts at hand’ team will take place, ahead of its roll out next year, and a joint event with families and schools is being held.