Schools given £740m to adapt buildings for Send pupils | Global News Avenue

The Government has announced £740m of funding to increase the number of places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) in mainstream schools in England.

The money forms part of a £6.7bn education spending package announced in the budgetwill work to renovate school buildings to make them more user-friendly.

​​October, National Audit Office Parents have lost confidence in a delivery system that “urgently needs reform”, the NAO said.

Education Secretary Bridget Philipson told BBC News she “hears the frustration” from parents but that significant changes will take time.

BBC News analysis shows the number of boarding students in mainstream education in England has increased by a third since the 2015-16 academic year.

At Brighouse High School in West Yorkshire, headteacher Richard Horsfield is concerned there won’t be enough money to support Send pupils – either in terms of educational support or capital expenditure on school buildings.

The school supports them well – but more money is needed.

Over the summer holidays, the school spent around £10,000 on improvements for new students, such as grab bars and accessible bathrooms, resulting in “significant cuts” to the budget.

But the school’s lifts are still damaged and the cost of repairs is around £250,000, which is “absolutely impossible” for the school to afford.

This means a student who uses a wheelchair must walk outside and across the parking lot to reach some classrooms.

“On a wet December morning, that’s not good enough,” Mr Horsfield said.

But he still believes most children with ALS should be in mainstream schools and believes they will “thrive” when they get the right support.

“We should have the support to do this at the level we want to do it,” Horsfield said.

“We are currently restricted due to a lack of funding and resources.”

The number of learning support assistants at the school has almost halved over the past few years, and fewer students have access to specialist advice from external services.

But the school still offers specialist workshops for those who need extra support, including academic courses as well as social, emotional and mental health support.

Student Charlie said he wouldn’t be able to go to school without Send’s support.

“I couldn’t focus at all on my own,” he said.

“I’d just daydream and do nothing, and I’d probably get scolded a lot.”

Classmate Freya said entering a nurturing space helps her calm down.

“It helps me because sometimes I really don’t want to be around a lot of people,” she said.

“I had a lot of supportive teachers that I trusted.”

Phillipson told BBC News the £740m was “to ensure we have the right professional provisions in place”.

The Department for Education said the funding would be used to transform classrooms and create special educational needs units to provide more in-depth specialist support.

Phillipson said just increasing funding was not enough and large-scale reforms would take time.

“Just throwing more money into the system without reform is not the answer,” she said.

“I’m also passionate about making sure what we do is reform the system as a whole.

“I know it’s frustrating, but it’s really important that we get things right.”

Government says children with Send should be able to Go to a school closer to home And hope that more people will continue to receive mainstream education.

Phillipson added: “We have schools that are doing a fantastic job in implementing this provision but they are not getting support from the government – ​​and that’s what we have to change.”

Additional reporting by Kate McGough and Munaza Rafiq