Decision details

RESOLVED:

That:

1)    the creation of a budget from the DfE High Needs Capital funding listed below for the expansion of specialist provision in mainstream schools for 2025/26 and subsequent years, be approved, noting this will be by usingthe underspend of £6,065k by rephasing 2 existing 2024/25 budgets (secondary school expansion and temp classrooms) to fund future Specialist Resource Provisions and Designated Units in Secondary schools to mirror those created in Primary schools;

2)    the strategy to extend secondary school specialist provision in line with the Hillingdon Local Area, be noted as set out in the SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy and Hillingdon SEND & AP Sufficiency Strategy. This includes the expansion of Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) and Designated Units (DUs);

3)    the Capital Release of £540k for internal adaptations to be carried out at Bishop Ramsey School to create a specialist provision (SRP) of up to 32 places (Appendix 2), be approved.

4)    authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education, in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Corporate Services & Property and Finance & Transformation to:

a.    To decide which school capital projects will be approved from the budget in line with the above strategies.

b.    To release funding from the budget for the agreed school capital projects.

Reasons for decision

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education presented a report on capital funding for special educational needs (SEND). The report proposed the rephasing of £6.065 million from the 2024–2025 budget into the 2025–2026 budget. This amount included £4.765 million in grant funding and £1.3 million from Council resources, aimed at supporting the expansion of secondary school provision for SEND pupils.

The Cabinet Member explained that the Council had a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places for all children, including those with special educational needs. While progress had been made in expanding primary SEND provision, there remained a shortfall of places in the secondary sector. The proposed funding would support the development of additional special school places and designated units to meet growing demand, which had increased significantly since the 2014 Government reforms.

In addition to the rephasing, the Cabinet Member requested approval for £540,000 to carry out internal adaptations at Bishop Ramsey School in the north of the Borough. This work would create 32 new places within a specialist resource provision. The remaining funds would be allocated to future SEND unit projects.

Cabinet agreed the recommendations.

Alternative options considered and rejected

None, as without such funding, additional specialist provision could not be created in schools, leading to additional costs of independent placements.