(UK) Somerset: $5M fund to add special needs bases to 11 schools; 104 more SPED places across county
A SHARE of a £3.84 million [$5M] fund will be going to Wellington’s Court Fields School to develop bases for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so they can learn closer to home.
Court Fields previously announced it hoped to host two SEND units, one by converting the former caretaker’s bungalow and the other to absorb The Cove, a facility previously operated by Taunton’s Selworthy Special School.
Now, Somerset Council has confirmed it will be one of 11 schools across the county where the money would be used to create a total of 104 new SEND places in mainstream education settings. . . .
The project is aimed at giving more children the right support in their local area, reducing long journeys to school, and lessening reliance on costly independent placements outside the county. . . .
“We should also recognise capital investment is only one part of the wider work needed to improve SEND provision in Somerset. . . .
A further £340,000 [$449] 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.
Another £1.68 million [$2.2M] investment will help create 42 SEND support bases between 2027 and 2030. . . .
The programme extends the council’s existing three-year plan, bringing the overall target to 344 places in SEND bases and another 88 places through special school expansion or satellite provision.
The new spending approval leaves the council with £7.302 million [$9.6M] currently unallocated from a Department for Education grant. . . .
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