Plans under way to improve support for children with special educational needs as numbers grow
The number of children in Staffordshire known to have special educational needs has gone up by almost 30 per cent in the past five years – and plans are underway to improve the support available to them.
A consultation has been launched by Staffordshire County Council on SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) provision for children and young people.
Around 21,000 children in Staffordshire schools currently require SEN support or have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This has increased from 16,300 pupils in 20218/19.
Not all children with SEND need to attend a special school. But Staffordshire currently has fewer children with an ECHP attending mainstream schools than other parts of the country – just 27 per cent compared to 40.5 per cent nationally.
There are concerns that children with SEND do not achieve as well as other pupils in the county. And the council has said parents and schools are “frustrated with the lack of consistency of support across the county”.
The authority has put forward proposals to improve support following 12 months of talks with parents and carers, as well as representatives from schools and health and social care experts. They aim to “provide proactive early intervention” and increase capacity in mainstream schools to educate children with SEND.
Jonathan Price, the council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, said: “Our long-term aim is for children and young people with SEND is that that they receive the right support in the right place at the right time and that they can be educated close to home. We have been talking in detail with parents, carers and all those involved in the provision of education and care in Staffordshire to develop our proposals to this stage and now we want to make sure we have a system that works for everyone, wherever they are in the county.”
“When it comes to supporting children to learn and achieve there are many examples of excellent practice across Staffordshire and we must build upon what we know works well. We are all passionate about our children’s education and I hope many people share their thoughts in this consultation before we move to the next stage.”
The consultation is open until July 5 and there will be a webinar for professionals on June 14, as well as lunchtime and evening events for parents and carers at Entrust’s centre in Riverway, Stafford, on June 28. For more information on the consultation and sessions visit www.staffordshire.gov.uk/SENDConsultation2023
