A SIGNIFICANT increase in school places for children and young people with additional needs has been approved by the council. 

The council is currently implementing recommendations from a review of its Special Educational Needs and Disability system.

Working closely with local schools, the council has identified, and now approved, an additional 93 resourced provision places and 32 special school places.

They have looked at the levels of current and future demand for school places and have mapped it against the current provision.

They know that there has been an increase both locally and nationally for specialist placements for children and young people, particularly for those with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and associated learning needs.

Resourced provision is a way of enabling children with more specialist needs to access their education with specialist support and resources in a mainstream school usually in a separate and appropriately equipped classroom.

This enables children and young people to remain on a mainstream site (with their peers and usually in their local communities) instead of attending a special school.

Resourced provisions are staffed by highly qualified staff who have similar experience to those staff working in the special school sector.

A total of 63 of the resourced provisions places are in primary schools across the borough, with 30 in secondary schools.

The council’s focus now will move to creating more resourced provision in secondary schools, while working with schools and parents to enable schools to provide inclusive mainstream placements for those children and young people that could thrive within them.

In addition to the 93 places outlined above, they are also opening the first Cheshire West and Chester special school satellite in September – this means that a special school will be hosted by a mainstream school.  

The Satellite Provision provides access to a specialist curriculum and social experience for young people who would also benefit from mainstream opportunities tailored to their individual needs.

Helen Brackenbury, executive director of Children and Families, said: “We are pleased to announce these 93 new resourced places and 32 special school places.

"We are especially excited about Upton-by-Chester High School being the first ever Satellite Provision to be created in CWaC.

“Each young person will have a personalised timetable with opportunities for supported inclusion in mainstream lessons and informal social activities within Upton-by-Chester High School.

"The satellite classroom will be housed within the school with access to a secure shared outdoor area, namely a sensory garden.

"The satellite also links well with Upton’s proximity to Acresfield Primary School which means that children attending this provision may be able to transfer to the satellite provision for year 7, which is their local mainstream school rather than travelling to similar provisions further away which can be a difficult and / or isolating experience for the young people as well as having cost implications for the council.”

Cllr Adam Langan, lead member for children and families at Cheshire West and Chester, said: “This is a good first step to building our capacity of places for children. The Satellite is also intended to grow as part of Upton High’s government funded school rebuilding programme. This will create an additional class for KS4, as well as existing KS3 class, which opens in September.”