Lincolnshire County Council has announced plans to establish Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) hubs aimed at supporting the growing number of students requiring specialized education. In neighbouring Lincolnshire, 4.9% of children have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This number is higher than the national average, which stands at 4.2%. This new initiative was launched in direct response to widespread calls for more educational resources specifically designed for these students.
The SEND hubs were created with a SEND capital development budget of more than £7m. The Department for Education has stepped in to fund this. These hubs aim to offer specialist, high-quality education for pupils with SEND delivered close to students’ homes. This is a huge win for families, saving them the extremely long distances they have to travel today. At present, specialist schools in Lincolnshire are heavily oversubscribed, showing that there is a desperate demand for more educational infrastructure.
Over the last four years, Lincolnshire has added a net 527 pupil places in special schools. Yet, even after this substantial expansion, the demand still far exceeds supply as many parents are unable to find or afford placements for their children. Eileen McMorrow, the new programme manager for the SEND and inclusion team, described the long road ahead. She portrayed a picture of the urgent need behind the new hubs.
SEND hubs provide a crucial lifeline to young people with special needs. They can participate in traditional educational settings more fully through these hubs. From preschool through graduation, these facilities will serve the educational needs of students. This will help them develop a supportive learning environment that’s designed to meet all students’ unique and individual learning needs.
Natalie Oliver, executive member for children’s services, has been a strong proponent of the effort from the start. She stated, “This is an incredibly important and necessary step forward in improving the lives of children and their families.”
Martin Smith, assistant director of children’s education gave us more background into the statistics behind EHCPs in Lincolnshire. That is why he has called for the local education system to pivot. This shift has become increasingly important as demand for more supportive educational environments has risen with the increase in children identified with SEND.
