Dear parents and carers,

 

Have your say on the SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2023-2028

 

Nottingham City Council is holding a public consultation on how it plans to strengthen education and provide additional school places for children and young people with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND) in Nottingham over the coming years.

 

The Council, our partners and providers, want children and young people with SEND to achieve their full potential in education, learning and future employment. We propose to invest capital funding received from the Department for Education (DfE), to create additional high quality inclusive places and to improve existing provision for children and young people with complex needs.

 

Context

As is the case nationally, in Nottingham, we are experiencing considerable growth in the number of young people with SEND and at the current time, virtually all places in special schools and Specialist Resourced Provisions within mainstream school (SRPs) are full.

 

Further capital investment is required that develops the SEND estate and creates more capacity within our education system, so we can continue to meet children and young people’s needs effectively and as locally as possible. We are committed to supporting our schools and settings within the city, as we believe that local provision offers the best outcomes for our children and young people. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that children and young people with SEND wherever possible should be taught in a mainstream school, within their local community.

 

What are we planning to do?

We plan to build on the special school expansions and additional Specialist Resourced Provisions within mainstream school, which have already been delivered in recent years. Further increases to capacity are required to meet growing demand, increase local provision, choice and progression. You can access further information about our plans to increase capacity, enhance facilities and how you can respond to the consultation, via the website and contact details below.

 

Why are we doing this?

• To ensure that mainstream schools are able to make the best possible provision for children and young people with SEND in their community.
• To provide a graduated range of support for children and young people with SEND from mainstream, mainstream with support from a Specialist Resourced Provision and special school provision. SEND & Vulnerable Pupils Education Division People Directorate Nottingham City Council Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk 1 February 2023 My Ref: Your Ref: Contact: Janine Walker / Lucy Juby Email: NCCEducation@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
• To ensure there are sufficient special school places for children and young people with SEND in Nottingham City.
• To ensure that families have more choice in the school options available to their child(ren) close to home.

 

Have your say

We are particularly interested in feedback from parents, carers, young people, as well as schools, settings, local providers and other stakeholders. This is your opportunity to tell us what you think about the SEND capital priorities and the broadly proposed schemes, both outlined in the consultation proposal information. This includes a link to the more detailed draft SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2023-2028 and the data and analysis used to develop it.

 

You can ask any questions and help shape proposals by giving your ideas and comments in one of the following ways:

- Completing the online consultation form at the following link: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/engage-nottingham-hub/open-consultations/send-sufficiency-strategy/

- Or emailing your comments to: NCCEducation@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

 

The consultation is open from 25th January to 28th February 2023.

 

If you require a paper copy, Large Print or Braille of the proposal information or survey, or help with translation, please can you email us on engage@nottinghamcity.gov.uk.

 

After the period of consultation, we will publish all the feedback in a consultation outcome report, followed by a plan showing how we intend to invest our allocated funding.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Janine Walker Head of SEND & Vulnerable Pupil