Hubs to keep students with special needs in school

A total of 13 Lincolnshire schools are set to get dedicated facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Special needs schools in the county are currently full and demand for this type of support is rising “exponentially”, the county council says.

Plans are progressing for specialist facilities in five council-run primary schools, six primary academies and two secondary academies.

It’s hoped a total of 20 will eventually be built across the county, creating 200 extra school spaces.

Each school will have dedicated SEND areas and specialist staff to support students.

The primary schools are:

• The Meadows Primary School, Lincoln
• St George’s Church of England Primary School, Gainsborough
• Caistor Church of England and Methodist Primary School, Caistor
• Gonerby Hill Foot Church of England Primary School, Grantham
• The Church Lane Primary School, Sleaford.

The primary academies are:

• Grantham St Wulfrum’s Church of England Primary School
• The Gainsborough Parish Church of England Primary School
• Coningsby St Michael’s Church of England Primary School
• Friskney, All Saints Church of England Academy
• Castle Wood Primary Academy, Gainsborough
• Ermine Primary Academy, Lincoln.

The secondary academies are:

• The Gainsborough Academy
• North Kesteven Academy.

A council report says: “The council believes that mainstream schools can offer the majority of students with SEND the opportunity for real inclusion, but that they require access to enhanced support and resources to be able to continue meeting needs throughout a student’s education.”

It adds that “demand for specialist provision has increased exponentially, meaning that any new specialist places are being filled as quickly as they become available.”

With special schools full, children who struggle in mainstream classrooms are currently placed at independent non-maintained schools, which are costly to the taxpayer.

Work at the state schools will be carried out by the council, while academies will be responsible for their own projects.

The initiative will cost a total of £7.2m, with £6m coming from the Department for Education and the rest from Lincolnshire County Council.

The plans will be discussed at a meeting of the Children’s and Culture Scrutiny Committee next week (June 20).

They are likely to be approved by Councillor Natalie Oliver (Reform), the Executive Councillor for Children’s Services, shortly after.