Welcome to the SEND Big Plan – Part 3
Along with our partners we have published the latest update on support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The document, called ‘SEND The Big Plan – Part 3’, outlines the work taking place to develop SEND services and highlights what will be happening next in Kirklees.
Members of the Kirklees Local Area SEND partnership – which includes the council, health services, education providers and parent/carer group PCAN (Parents of Children with Additional Needs) – produce the Big Plan as part of their commitment to local families.
The update to previous Big Plans is also in response to a recent inspection of SEND provision across the whole Kirklees area.
Cllr Jane Rylah, Cabinet member for Education, said:
“We’re pleased to keep people fully informed about the latest developments in SEND support.
“Feedback from parents, carers and young people has helped us to create this plan. The SEND system can be very complex, so we know it’s important to make information easier to understand.
“As a local partnership, we’re driving forward many positive changes which are designed to transform support for our children and young people.
“Like all areas nationally, we face challenges with rising demand and we are striving to improve certain aspects of our work. Equally, we have a vast range of projects which will improve long-term outcomes for those with SEND.
“The council is making a multi-million pound investment to rebuild and expand two special schools, directly supporting pupils with complex autism and pupils with Social Emotional and Mental Health needs.
“This means more Kirklees pupils will be educated locally, enjoying fantastic facilities. We have also ensured children and families are involved in the design of each school.
“We have worked with schools to create ‘satellite’ provisions to increase the capacity of special schools and we have also boosted the number of specialist places within mainstream schools, adding bespoke facilities.
“Another initiative has helped neurodiverse children to improve their wellbeing, while our ‘cluster model’ has been praised for helping professionals to identify, and respond to, individual needs at the earliest opportunity.”
Cllr Viv Kendrick, Cabinet member for Children’s Services, said:
“We will always acknowledge there is more to do but – as the recent SEND inspection made clear – we are making excellent progress in many ways.
“In addition to school-based work, we have simplified the ways families can access support and our strong focus on SEND for Early Years children has been praised at national level.
“The newly published Big Plan extends our commitment to working closely with families and listening to their views. This is a key part of our relationship with PCAN and is central to the way we design services.
“Ultimately, our shared aim is to achieve the best possible SEND services and make the biggest possible difference to children’s futures.”
‘SEND The Big Plan – Part 3’ is available for everyone to read and can be found on the Kirklees Local Offer website.