£28.7m investment in SEND provision as Bristol is unable to meet current need

Almost 200 young people cannot access the special educational needs provision they are entitled to within a specialist school because Bristol is stretched to full capacity.

The council is proposing to invest £28.7m to improve specialist schools in the city and increase the number of places available for those currently waiting, as well as an anticipated 250 additional pupils that will have educational healthcare plans (EHCP) approved in the next year.

City leaders say the proposals, going to cabinet on Tuesday, September 1, will enable the council to meet its statutory obligation to deliver more specialist provision for children and young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and provide better outcomes for families.

The council is obliged to provide specialist provision for everyone with an EHCP but cabinet papers state there are currently 190 young people for whom there is currently no space because existing facilities are at capacity.

124 pupils have been placed with independent providers at a cost of £5.8m. All but 13 of the 190 have a place in a mainstream school or alternative SEND support.

If approved, the investment will enable major improvements to be made to current special schools, as well as “significantly increasing” the number of specialist provision places in new and refurbished buildings for students with SEND.

But an opposition councillor has branded the planned investment “too little, too late”.

None of the new facilities are due to be ready for at least a year, with some not expected to be completed until September 2024.

Families have spoken out about the impact of the city’s SEND failings – photo courtesy of Bristol SEND campaigners

Anna Keen, Bristol’s cabinet lead for education and skills, says the proposed improvements will provide high quality learning environments for vulnerable children and young adults.

“Young people and adults with SEND and their families are a priority for us,” she said.

“The proposals outlined would enable us to increase our offer of pupil places for children and young adults with SEND and at the same time, address the suitability and condition of the current buildings used for educating SEND pupils.

“These new and refurbished buildings would provide high quality learning environments for vulnerable children and young adults, designed specifically to meet SEND teaching needs, including much improved facilities for mobility, environmental control, welfare, landscapes, and hydrotherapy facilities, for example.

“It’s really important to us that improvements in SEND in Bristol are co-produced with parents, carers, families, communities, and our partners in education and health, so all the proposals outlined are subject to a full consultation process set to take place this autumn.”

Many families have spoken out about the devastating impact of Bristol’s well-documented SEND crisis, which has included delays in processing EHCPs.

The cabinet documents say there is an estimated 250 additional young people who will need places in the next year. Unless action is taken, they will either be sent out of the county at a higher cost or the council will fail in its statutory obligation to provide them with appropriate education provision.

Among the improvements being proposed is refurbishment work and new buildings for Elmfield School for Deaf Children and Claremont Special School, as well as a new independent living centre at Project Rainbow, a live-in centre for 16 to 18-year-olds with SEND. Delivered in partnership with the City of Bristol College, it will provide an additional 14 bed spaces for young adults at the Ashley Down Campus.

Tim Kent, pictured with his daughter, at the opening of Whitchurch Library, says children with SEND deserve better – photo courtesy of Tim Kent

Responding to the plans ahead of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, Tim Kent, a Lib Dem councillor for Hengrove & Whitchurch Park and SEND campaigner, said: “It is with great regret that we continue to see this administration treat SEND children as second class citizens. For years parents have been warning the council that they suffer from a lack of provision.

“Only 12 months ago I warned the cabinet that the provision for SEND places was inadequate. In February they voted down my proposal to put additional funding into the provision of special schools. Now we see this proposal before us to increase provision without the necessary funding, without the clear evidence that it will be enough and with a plan that looks cobbled together and that will take years to deliver.

“Bristol’s children and young people deserve better than this.”

A consultation on the proposals is due to take place in the autumn.

Main photo provided by Bristol City Council

Read more: Publication of plan to address Bristol’s SEND failings