£2.5 million investment approved to create more SEND places in Sandwell schools

Sandwell Council's Cabinet has approved more than £2.5 million of investment to help create more specialist support for children and young people with SEND across the borough.

The biggest part of the investment is £1.9 million for Grace Mary Primary School, where plans will see the school's nursery relocated and the specialist base expanded to provide better facilities for children with additional needs.
 
The investment has been approved as part of the council's work to meet growing demand for SEND support. Sandwell currently maintains 5,156 Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and forecasts suggest this could rise to around 11,000 by 2030/31 if demand continues to increase.
 
Cabinet has also approved:

• £200,000 to carry out studies into how more specialist SEND places can be created in schools across Sandwell.
• £200,000 to investigate future school improvement and repair projects.
• £250,000 for King George V Primary School to help refurbish the former site manager's house and create a new nursery space, making room for future specialist SEND provision within the school.

The council will now work with schools across the borough to explore opportunities for new specialist inclusion bases and additional SEND provision, helping more children access support close to home.

Councillor Jack Sabharwal, Sandwell Council's Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: "We know that more children and young people need SEND support than ever before. That is why it is so important that we continue to invest in our schools and create more local places."

"We are looking at where we can create more specialist places across Sandwell. Our aim is to make sure children can get the right support, at the right time, as close to home as possible."

The investment supports the council's wider plans to increase local SEND provision, reduce the need for children to travel outside the borough for support, and ensure more families can access high-quality services within their own communities.
 
Further proposals will be developed as the council completes feasibility studies and identifies opportunities for additional specialist provision in schools across Sandwell.