Multimillion-pound boost for schools SEND places

The additional spaces in Bradford will be funded by a government grant aimed at supporting SEND places

Funding of over £22m has been approved to create an extra 450 special educational needs (SEND) places in Bradford.

The additional places would include a mix of specialist places at mainstream schools and an expansion of special school places, according to Bradford Council.

The authority had worked with schools to plan the location of the new places and had used forecast data to establish which areas in the city would have the highest need, a spokesperson said.

The estimated £22.5m scheme would be funded by using the Department for Education's grant to the council's High Needs Capital Allocation, they added.

One of the key elements of the plans would be the refurbishment and expansion of Thompson Court, a former care home, the council's executive said.

The site would undergo an estimated £4.5m renovation, which would see it transformed into a satellite for one of the district's existing special schools and create an additional 80 to 100 places.

The plans listed 12 schemes at schools across the district, including a £7.5m project to fund three large expansions at Beckfoot Phoenix, High Park Special School and a relocation of Bradford Alternative Provision Academy.

The three projects were expected to provide about 100 additional places of specialist and alternative provision.

Sue Duffy, portfolio holder for children and families, said the expansion was "essential given the projected increase in the number of children with SEND".

"Officers have worked hard with headteachers to identify where places will be needed and the most effective way to create them so schools can provide the best education possible."

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