More specialist SEND places needed in Dorset, say council bosses

More than thirty per cent of Dorset children needing an education and health care plan are still waiting longer than the 20-week statutory target.

The statements help open up special education need places for youngsters, together with other services: families often complaining that they are left in limbo for too long without the right support.

Corporate director for education and learning, Amanda Davis, says Dorset Council is continuing to strive to improve assessment times for Education Health & Care Plans, including taking on its own educational psychologists in their last year of training to ensure what she describes as a ‘home-grown’ supply of the specialists which are in short supply nationally.

She says the county is one of the best performers nationally for meeting the targets with other councils often coming to Dorset for advice.

Ms Davis told councillors that the whole area of special education provision is in need of systematic reform – something which she warned could take ten years to complete once Government guidance was clarified.

The Director told the council’s People and Health Scrutiny committee, that the authority’s own strategy, which is currently being updated, was making a difference to the lives of local young people and their families: “but we won’t be satisfied until all our children have a positive experience,” she said.

Ms Davis said part of the council strategy was to continue to have places where youngsters could be educated closer to home. Many still have to live outside the county, depending on their personal needs.

She said that another priority for Dorset is to identify needs as early as possible and then to match the child’s needs to a suitable package of support and education.

“Nationally we are one of the highest achievers in the 20 week deadline, but it’s still not good enough for where we want it to be,” she said, adding that latest figures showed 66per cent of EHCP assessments were completed within the 20 weeks, above the national average.

In response to questions from committee members she acknowledged that there are not enough specialist places available with136 children in mainstream schools who are probably better suited to specialist places, although those schools were being offered additional financial support.

Several schools in the county now have what are known as ‘inclusion hubs’ where enhanced training for staff and additional finance is made available. These include Bincombe Valley Primary in Weymouth (14 places); St Mary’s Primary Bridport (14); Ferndown Upper (10); Gillingham Secondary (14) and Wyke Regis Infants (14) with places being planned at Sir John Colfox Bridport (14); Wey Valley School Weymouth (14); All Saints Wyke Regis (14); Atlantic Academy Portland (28); Purbeck School Wareham (14) ; Sandford St Martin Primary (14) and Dorchester Learning Centre (6).

Verwood councillor Toni Coombs said while she welcomed the provision there did appear to be gaps in the north and east of the county – although was told there are longer term plans for those areas, including using the increasing number of vacant places in some schools as roll numbers continue to fall.