Fylde coast SEND students to benefit from improved support amid £23m Lancashire County Council investment
"This investment will help us build on progress already being made.”
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) on the Fylde coast could benefit from improved support closer to home under proposals for a further £23m investment in specialist and inclusive education provision across Lancashire.
The proposals will be considered by Lancashire County Council’s cabinet on September 3, with the ambitious package intended to increase specialist provision, strengthen SEND services in mainstream schools and nurseries, and reduce the need for children and young people to travel long distances to access support.
The largest part of the proposed investment would fund the expansion of four specialist education settings across Lancashire, creating an additional 150 specialist places for children and young people with complex needs. Pear Tree School in Kirkham is among the four settings earmarked for expansion.
The plans received initial approval in February and were strongly supported by parents, professionals and local communities during a rigorous consultation, with the proposed expansions to be funded through the council's High Needs Capital Programme and expected to be up and running from September 2028.
A further £4m could also be approved for a second round of funding to help schools, early years settings and colleges make practical improvements to enable children and young people with SEND to remain in their local settings wherever appropriate. The funding could equate to £50,000 per setting and help hundreds of schools and settings across Lancashire.
Councillors will also discuss a proposal to speed up the creation of around 46 additional SEND projects, which are due to be unveiled later this year. The entire £23m investment would be funded through Lancashire's High Needs Capital Grant allocation from the Department for Education (DfE).
‘Significant investment’
County Councillor Matthew Salter, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "Every child and young person deserves access to the support they need to thrive, and these proposals represent a significant investment in Lancashire's SEND provision.
"Demand for SEND support continues to grow, and we know how important it is for children and families to be able to access high-quality support close to home. By increasing specialist places and strengthening inclusion in mainstream settings, we can provide more options for families while ensuring children receive the support that best meets their needs.
"This investment will help us build on progress already being made to create a stronger, more sustainable system that delivers great outcomes for the children and young people of Lancashire, now and in the future."
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The proposals form part of the council's wider commitment to ensuring children and young people receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time, while creating a more sustainable SEND system for the future.
The investment would build on improvements made over the last year, including a 23% increase in the number of children and young people receiving support through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). There has also been a 76% reduction in the number of children waiting longer than 20 weeks for an assessment, alongside a 75% increase in the SEND workforce.
More than £9m has been invested in Educational Psychology support over the last year, while £2m has been invested to help mainstream schools support children with SEND through the Mainstream Inclusion Fund. The council has also created hundreds of additional specialist school places across Lancashire.