Derby City Council has set out proposals to improve and expand educational provision in Derby for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
A programme of work is underway to create 400 additional specialist places in the city’s schools over the next two years, with an investment of £20m approved in 2024 via the SEND and Alternative Provision Sufficiency and Capital Investment Programme.
Locally and nationally, the SEND system is experiencing increasing demand and is under significant pressure as the cost of provision outstrips funding provided by the Government.
Providing more places within the city will mean more children will access vital education within their own community, alongside their peers and close to their families, reducing the need for placements outside the area.
The SEND and Alternative Provision Sufficiency and Capital Investment Programme, approved by Cabinet members last August, focuses on enhancing the learning environment at existing schools while also expanding their capacity for pupils with SEND.
Four key schemes will be discussed at the upcoming Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 14 May. They are:
- Increasing specialist places at St Andrew’s Academy
- Upgrading Kingsmead School’s Wisgreaves Road site and creating a more inclusive environment
- Enhancing play spaces and the overall environment at YMCA Stepping Stones Nursery
- Developing a new entrance to Central Nursery School to improve safety and accessibility
Councillor Paul Hezelgrave, Derby City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Skills, said:
This programme supports children with additional needs to access the right support at the right time.
These proposals will increase and improve the quality and quantity of provision within the city, creating greater opportunities for those young people to have access to school settings, with appropriate support, within their local communities, leading to more positive learning outcomes.