We currently send hundreds of children to independent special schools at significant cost to the council. For some children education in specialist schools is the best outcome, for others they thrive within mainstream schools and for a few, parents choosing education at home is the best outcome. These units will provide a further option here in Somerset for children to benefit from.
This innovative approach of introducing small SEND units into our mainstream schools will help us to work with the expertise of our special schools to keep children with SEND closer to home.
We’ve opened five new SEN Units in primary schools here in Somerset, and are in the process of delivering three others. A further eight new and four expanded SEN Units are in train, and the council has lots of live feasibilities underway, which will inform a Key Decision paper in October. You can find more information on the SEN Unit web pages Special Educational Needs (SEN) Units in mainstream schools
Getting children into the right setting for their education and getting their provision right is a huge challenge for councils all over the country. Existing specialist schools are operating at full capacity and the number of young people with Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) is rising.
These issues have led to higher transport costs to the council from transporting SEND children to specialist providers further afield, and to increasing appeals and complaints made by parents to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) when EHCPs are not reviewed in a timely fashion.
As a system, over £30bn has been invested into a one size fits all solution where education outcomes haven’t improved. Meanwhile, councils have racked up unsustainable spending on services and councils have felt families’ frustrations as they have faced longer waits for support. At present, many families believe that an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is the only route to secure support for their child.
Whilst the devil will be in the detail, the government’s proposals for SEND reform represent a potential radical overhaul of the system whereby mainstream schools are resourced to support more pupils with SEND needs. This should help ensure that more young people are supported in their local school with the requisite help in place without the need for an EHCP or a specialist placement, with a focus on prevention and early intervention within the wider system, including early years.
The Government’s consultation is open until 18th May and I know that many will want to have their voice heard, whether as professionals, parents or members of the community:
https://consult.education.gov.uk/send-reform/
I have approached the SEND system as a teacher (having taught in Somerset secondary schools for 19 years), as a SEND parent, and as a council leader. No one thinks the current system works. Last year, I was invited to be spokesperson for the County Council Network on Education and Special Educational Needs. The chance to influence government policy through CCN has been a privilege.
I hope that the Government sees this as an area in which we can get better outcomes for our children when they finalise their reforms, and that SEND children will not be used as a political football.
Take care
Cllr Bill Revans
Leader of Somerset Council
