A proposal to expand specialist support in mainstream schools, increase special school capacity and help more children and young people learn closer to home is to go ahead in Somerset.
At a meeting of Somerset Council’s Executive (7 October), the next stage of a major programme to increase local education provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) was approved.
The decision means an investment of around £8.9m of Government capital funding in new and improved specialist spaces across Somerset. This will give more children the right support in their local area, reduce long journeys to school and lessen reliance on costly independent placements outside the county.
The programme supports 104 new places in specialist inclusion bases at 11 mainstream schools, up to 24 additional places at The Mendip School, accessibility improvements, 42 inclusion support bases and new alternative provision in areas where there are currently gaps.
Cllr Evie Potts-Jones, Lead Member for SEND, Public Health and Equalities and Diversity, said:
At the heart of this is something very simple: making sure that children and young people with SEND can access the right provision, in the right place, at the right time.
It’s not simply about increasing the number of places. It’s about developing a more inclusive and sustainable education system, with more children and young people able to access appropriate provision closer to their homes, families, and communities. And those places must be well designed, appropriately staffed and focused on outcomes, wellbeing, belonging, attendance, and participation.
Cllr Potts-Jones added:
We should also recognise that capital investment is only one part of the wider work needed to improve SEND provision in Somerset. Buildings and places alone will not deliver the change we want to see. This investment needs to work alongside our wider focus on inclusion, early intervention, sufficiency and most importantly, better outcomes for children and young people.
The largest part of the investment – £3.84m – will be used to develop specialist inclusion bases in the following schools, subject to feasibility checks and any required consultation:
- Avishayes Community Primary School, Chard
- Blackbrook Primary School, Taunton
- Court Fields School, Wellington
- Fairlands Middle School, Cheddar
- Herne View Church of England Primary School, Ilminster
- Maiden Beech Academy, Crewkerne
- St Benedict’s Church of England VA Junior School, Glastonbury
- St John’s Church of England VC Infants School, Glastonbury
- West Monkton Church of England School, Bathpool
- Whitstone School, Shepton Mallet
- Woolavington Village Primary School, Woolavington
Specialist inclusion bases are small, dedicated provisions within mainstream schools. They offer tailored teaching, specialist staff and adapted spaces while allowing pupils to remain part of the wider school community.
There’s also £2.616m to explore the expansion of The Mendip School by up to 24 places, with the option of a future satellite in Frome.
A further £340,000 will fund practical adaptations such as ramps, lifts, hygiene rooms and specialist facilities so pupils with disabilities or medical needs can attend their local school.
A £1.68m investment will help create 42 inclusion support bases between 2027 and 2030. These provide early, targeted help for pupils who are struggling to access education successfully but may not need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Finally, a further £400,000 is earmarked for alternative provision in Frome and West Somerset.
The programme extends Somerset’s existing 3-year plan, bringing the overall target to 344 places in specialist inclusion bases and 88 places through special school expansion or satellite provision.
Now that the Executive has approved the proposals, detailed feasibility work will determine the design, cost, and deliverability of each project before final investment decisions are made.
