New SEND school in Leicestershire given the green light

Tuesday, 7 March 2023 16:31

The school is set to be built on county council-owned land off Farley Way, Quorn, close to the A6.

The Department of Education (DfE) has approved an application for a 90-place school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in Quorn.

When opened, the school will have pupils from Key Stages 2-4 on its roll and will specialise in helping to meet the communication and interaction needs of children. It is also planned that the school will support pupils into post-16 progression.

The school is set to be built on county council-owned land off Farley Way, Quorn, close to the A6, and will serve both the local community as well as the neighbouring Melton and north-west Leicestershire areas.

Councillor Deborah Taylor, cabinet member for children and families, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with this news. It is vital that we take advantage of any opportunities we have for government funding to increase the SEND offer in the county.

“The pressures we face in Leicestershire are mirrored across the country and our teams are working incredibly hard to support children and young people with SEND.”

The Government has announced that they are investing in SEND by more than 50 per cent compared with 2019-20 - to over £10 billion by 2023-24.

Over the same time period, Leicestershire has experienced a 54 per cent increase in children and young people requiring an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP).

This is above the national average of a 38 per cent increase and it is anticipated that there will be a further increase by 2026 in demand for SEND school places for children who require support for communication and interaction.