MORE school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are coming to Rugby Borough.
Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet has allocated £321,000 to establish new SEND provisions at Binley Woods Primary School, Brownsover Community School, St Oswald’s CofE Academy, and Paddox Primary School.
At Binley Woods Primary, ten new places will be established for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) whose primary needs are Communication and Interaction (C&I), supported by £118,000 of funding.
A new eight-place C&I resourced provision will be set up at Brownsover Community School, costing £87,000.
A similar £116,000 provision will be established at St Oswald’s CofE Academy, subject to Department for Education approval of a required ‘significant change’ application.
And at Paddox Primary School, two new places will be added to the existing Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) resourced provision, raising capacity to 16 places.
Resourced provisions are specialist spaces at mainstream schools which aim to give children inclusive mainstream education while accessing targeted support.
Demand for specialist provision in Warwickshire is growing, with the number of pupils with EHCPs increasing by nine per cent annually over the past five years.
The council aims to increase the number of resourced provision places to more than 500 by 2028.
Coun Wayne Briggs, Portfolio Holder for Education at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We are committed to ensuring that children and young people with SEND can access the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
“The decisions taken by Cabinet will increase specialist resourced provision within mainstream schools, helping more children to thrive in their local communities.
“By investing in additional high-quality resourced provision across Rugby and Binley Woods, we are responding to rising demand and the increasing complexity of need, while supporting inclusive education and improving outcomes for pupils and families.”
The three new schemes will be funded from the council’s High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.
Coun Stephen Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Property at Warwickshire County Council, said: “This targeted investment of £321,000 demonstrates our continued commitment to using capital funding responsibly and strategically to meet growing demand for specialist provision.
“By expanding resourced provision within existing school sites, we are making effective use of our assets, ensuring value for money and helping to reduce longer-term pressures on the High Needs budget, including transport costs, while delivering improved local access for families.”
Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/special-educational-needs-disabilities-send for more information about SEND provision in Warwickshire.
