City schools to get new special provision places

Existing schools will have more than 80 new places created by September

More than 80 school places delivering specialist provision to children with additional educational needs are to be created at mainstream schools across Leicester.

Leicester City Council has approved £1.75m to create Designated Specialist Provision (DSP) places for pupils whose special needs would normally not be fully met within a mainstream school environment.

The approach means children can remain at their schools to access a broader curriculum and continue to be part of the wider school community.

Places for students will be created at Rushey Mead Academy, City of Leicester College, Lancaster Academy and Willowbank Hospital School, as well as setting up a 10-place unit at Imperial Avenue Infants.

The new places are the second phase of a plan to create 150 DSP school places in the city.

An initial 98 were created by the council in 2020.

A council spokesperson said: "Special school places are already in high demand, with demand expected to rise further over the coming years, so it's vital that we continue to invest now to ensure we can meet that need.

"By delivering our target of 150 DSP places in city schools, we can ensure that more children get the extra support they need to access education, while benefitting from being in a mainstream school setting within, or close to, their local community."

'A positive step'

Stephen Kingdom, of the Disabled Children's Partnership campaign group, said it was "good news".

He said: "Provision of this type if done right can make a real difference, children can still be part of their local communities but get the specialist support they need.

"You'd have to ask parents locally whether it's enough but it's certainly a positive step which we welcome."

The new DSP would be in place for September this year, the council said.