New council plan to provide enough school placements for Barnsley children with special educational needs

Cabinet members approved a refreshed borough school placement and sufficiency strategy for children with special educational needs 2020-23 at their latest meeting.

A report to members set out the council’s plans to ensure there are enough school places to meet the special educational needs of children and young people, improve parent's choice of school, and provide school places closer to home.

The report states: “The numbers of children currently placed out of borough is unacceptably high and rising.

“In addition to being educated away from their peers and local communities, children placed at a distance from home experience longer journeys and more costly transport arrangements.

“A specific challenge faced by home-to-school transport is that children often struggle with journeys of an hour or more."

The new strategy aims to ensure children and young people with SEND have access to the right type of school placement which best meets their needs, within their community and closer to home.

This includes pupils who have been diagnosed with special educational needs relating to Social, Emotional and Mental Health; Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Speech, Language and Communication needs.

Coun Margaret Bruff, cabinet spokesman for children’s services, said: “This refreshed strategy will take place in the context of an increasingly challenging environment, where the availability of funding has not kept pace with growing demand for such places.

“Despite these challenges, the council remains committed to investing in the future of children and young people while, at the same time, ensuring value for money and the effective use of available resources.

“I would particularly like to pay tribute to our local mainstream and special schools for their commitment to helping improve capacity so that more children and young people can have their special educational needs met closer to home, within their communities.”

Barnsley Council is now awaiting the outcome of the government’s SEN review, and cabinet will be informed of developments at a future meeting.

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