Children in Dorset with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will benefit from the approval of the second phase of Dorset Council’s ambitious multi-million pound investment plan to expand specialist provision across Dorset to achieve an additional 228 places.
The plan, which was approved by a recent Cabinet meeting, prioritises the programme of projects at existing special schools and setting up inclusion hubs at mainstream schools.
Inclusion Hubs will support children with SEND so that they can access education in mainstream schools, with newly designed hubs at the heart of schools for children to access specialist support. The Inclusion Hubs will achieve grow to deliver more than 100 places over the next 5 years.
Councillor Andrew Parry, portfolio holder for Children, Education and Early Help, said:
“We have developed these ambitious plans to create more specialist provision and we want all our children and young people to have the best possible chance to learn in a setting that is suited to their needs.
Currently some children and young people with SEND must travel a great distance for educational provision, sometimes far from home. This is because there’s not enough specialist provision available in Dorset.
‘We aim to build on the capabilities of our mainstream schools to support more children and young people with SEND, which will ensure more children can attend a local school and receive their education locally.”
Independent provision is more expensive than the provision Dorset Council can provide at one of its own special schools, so the SEND Capital Strategy also aims to reduce these costs in the longer term by increasing local provision.
The SEND Capital Strategy focuses on creating the best education and support for Dorset’s children and young people with SEND through the:
- Creation of new special schools with fantastic facilities
- Expansion of high-quality provision at Dorset’s existing special schools (including the expansion of Beaucroft School).
- Development of new facilities at existing mainstream schools, such as Inclusion Hubs
