Five new bases to help support children with special educational needs (SEN) in Dorset will open this September.
In April, Dorset County Council agreed to invest £3M (including a £1m grant from the Government) in SEN provision, including creating eight specialist bases in mainstream schools to cater for children who have significant issues with social interaction (complex communication needs).
The council has consulted with schools, partners and residents on its plans, and Cabinet today (18 July) agreed the continued roll-out of the bases across the county as part of its long-term plan to educate more children, closer to home.
Parley First School in Ferndown and West Moors Middle School will each have a base for up to 10 children with complex communication needs. In addition, the following learning centres will host specialist bases to support school children (aged 4-16) with social, emotional, and mental health needs:
Dorchester Learning Centre (24 places)
The Forum Centre, Blandford (8 places)
Compass Learning Centre in Weymouth (24 places)
Dorset has seen a 49 per cent increase in children with an Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), formally known as SEN statements. There were 2094 children and young people with an EHCP at the end of March and the council expects that figure to have increased to more than 2,440 by 2023.
Cllr Andrew Parry, Cabinet member for education, learning and skills, said:
“We’re seeing more pupils in mainstream education who need specialist help with their communication skills. We have a duty to support these children and believe it’s important to provide that support in Dorset schools, closer to where they live.
“This investment allows us to utilise the expertise we have in Dorset and reduce the need for out-of-county placements. It will also cut down travel times for pupils, which will be much better for children and their families.”
The aim is that more bases will open in 2019, although the locations have not yet been finalised.