Hull City Council has announced additional funding for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), which will see an increase in the number of school places in the city.
This will include increased provision at:
- Rise Academy; £450,000 to create additional places, subject to approval from the Regional Schools Commissioner, and expand the age range from 11-16, to 9-16. Includes funding for ‘Rising Stars’ – specialist provision for pupils whose primary need is communication and interaction and cognition and learning.
- Northcott Special School; £600,000 to expand the age range from 5-16, to 3-19, and increase the number of places to 200.
- Wansbeck Academy; £100,000 to support the provision of primary SEND places.
- St Mary’s College; £350,000 to support the improvement of provision of secondary SEND places.
The proposals have been developed alongside the Multi-Academy Trusts, the Hull Learning Partnership and the School Place Planning Board.
Pauline Turner, Director for children’s services said: “We are committed to developing high-quality services and provision that make a real impact on the lives and lived experience of the children, young people and families of Hull. We want all children and young people with SEND to be healthy and happy, do well in education, make friends, develop independence and have the confidence to achieve their aspirations.”
The Council, along with partners, continues to work to make improvements to SEND services across the city.
This decision follows a number of projects already approved to support the increasing need for specialist places in the city;
- Approval of a new Special Free School for 125 pupils with Severe Learning Disabilities
- Approval for an Alternative Provision Free School for 56 pupils with Social, Emotional & Mental Health needs – Euler Academy
- Additional 40 places for pupils with Social, Emotional & Mental Health needs at Oakfield Special School
- Provision of Resource Bases, which support the education of pupils with SEND in mainstream settings, at Kelvin Hall Academy, Spring Cottage Primary, Bricknell Primary, Broadacre Primary, Ings Primary and Wansbeck Primary academies – a total of 80 additional places
- Increase in the number of specialist places at Bridgeview Special School and the Boulevard Centre – a total of 68 additional places.
SEND sufficiency ensures that the right places are available to ensure pupils with SEND are educated in the most appropriate settings to meet their needs. Resource Bases have been established to ensure that, where appropriate, SEND pupils can access appropriate support alongside mainstream provision. In addition, significant numbers of additional places have been created across Alternative Provision and specialist settings.
