Support for children aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

SEND special provision

As a council, we have high aspirations for children and young people with SEND, striving to ensure they achieve their potential and experience inclusion in every aspect of their lives. 

It is crucial to the successful delivery of our partnership Strategy and Improvement Plan that we have the right high needs provision in place. 

Our analysis of specialist school places for children and young people with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCPEHCPA legal document that describes a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs. It explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how that help will support the child or young person to achieve what they want to in their life.) shows that the need for places continues to increase. Local special schools are already at capacity, and as a result some children and young people need to be placed in Independent and Non-Maintained Special Schools (INMSS) placements.  

Following the success of the work completed previously to create additional places for children with an EHCPEHCPA legal document that describes a child or young person's special educational, health and social care needs. It explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how that help will support the child or young person to achieve what they want to in their life. at existing schools, and based on an updated needs analysis, the council continues to work with local school partners to develop proposals that will increase the number of places available for children with ASD, SLCN and SEMH needs.  

For this purpose, the council is investing in children and young people with SEND through the provision of up to £10m capital investment in our schools, from April 2021, funded from borrowing, to ensure that children and young people in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole have the best environment and settings to maximise their learning potential. This is in addition to the funds received from the Department for Education and previously committed funds.  

It is planned that a programme of works to existing provisions will be developed and delivered over time, with the first of these schemes providing places in September 2022.