Aug 4, 2024, Northwich Guardian: Cheshire West to create additional 125 SEND school places
NE England
CHESHIRE West and Chester Council is creating an additional 125 school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Following a review of its SEND system, the council is implementing recommendations which includes the approval of a significant increase in the provision of school places for those with additional needs.
As part of the process, the council has looked present and future demand for school places and mapped it against the current provision.
And after working closely with schools across the borough CWAC has identified, and now approved, an additional 93 resourced provision places and 32 special school places for September.
In addition, the council is also opening the first Cheshire West and Chester special school satellite, which will be hosted within mainstream Upton-by-Chester High School.
Helen Brackenbury, executive director of children and families, said: “We are pleased to announce these 93 new resourced places and 32 special school places.
"We are especially excited about Upton-by-Chester High School being the first ever satellite provision to be created in CWAC. . . .
"The satellite also links well with Upton’s proximity to Acresfield Primary School which means that children attending this provision may be able to transfer to the satellite provision for year seven, which is their local mainstream school rather than travelling to similar provisions further away. . . .
The news follows an increase in Cheshire and across the UK for specialist placements for children and young people, particularly for those with autism spectrum conditions (ASC), social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and associated learning needs. . . .
The council’s focus now will move to creating more resourced provision in secondary schools, whilst working with schools and parents to enable schools to provide inclusive mainstream placements for those children and young people that could thrive within them.
Cllr Adam Langan, lead member for children and families at CWAC, added: "This is a good first step to building our capacity of places for children.
"The satellite is also intended to grow as part of Upton High’s government funded school rebuilding programme.
"This will create an additional class for KS4, as well as existing KS3 class, which opens in September."
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