Rotherham Council to create 100 additional school places for youngsters with special educational needs or disabilities

The proposal is set to enhance accessibility to SEND education in both mainstream and specialist schools across the borough. Targeted investment will be made in schools, so they can provide extra support for pupils with SEND needs. The Department for Education has provided RMBC with £4.32m to support the development of SEND provision in the Borough.

The places will be split between primary and secondary schools, over three academic years. The proposal would allow schools to apply for funding to adapt buildings, classrooms, or other education buildings so that children with a higher threshold of SEND can be accommodated. Existing school buildings will be repurposed, and purpose build spaces will be created in schools to accomidate the ten new rescource bases which will support schools.

Expression of interest from schools to host a SEND resource based provisionwill take place across autumn term 2023, with a proposed roll-out from Easter2023 onwards, with current school sites that will be re-purposed and needingless physical adaption opening in the first instance, followed by a stagedapproach across building projects.

Rotherham Council’s cabinet will consider the proposals at their next meeting on October 17. A report to cabinet states: “In Rotherham 19.7 per cent of pupils have a statutory plan of special educational need or disability with an education health care plan or are receiving SEND support. This compares to an average of 17.4 per cent across all English Metropolitan Boroughs.