COUNCILLORS in York have approved £8m plans to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in the city.

City of York Council has found that recent data shows an increase in the number of children with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH), across the country, including in York.

Following this, the council executive were asked to approve schemes to meet the needs of the growing SEND provision at their meeting earlier this week.

This included proposals for five capital projects, which will enable more children and young people to be supported in mainstream schools and ensure that current provision can evolve to meet the changing needs of children and young people with SEND.

Councillor Andrew Waller, the council’s executive member for children, young people and education, said: “These capital projects are important to ensuring schools across the city can continue to meet the changing needs of children and young people with SEND in York now and in the future.

"Crucially, this work will enable us to have the right provision in place to support most children in mainstream schools, where they can learn and develop alongside peers from their local communities, supporting our aim to ensure that all children in York have a better start in life.

“We will continue to work with parents and schools to respond to requests for more support and make the case to central Government that this service receives the necessary funding.”

The approved capital schemes include a £1.2m investment developing St Paul’s Nursery Enhanced Resource Provision. This will create an early years support hub focused on communication and interaction needs.

A £1.4m improvement of Haxby Road Enhanced Resource Provision will develop a new facility, which will run as a ‘second site’ to the existing enhanced provision at Haxby Road Primary School.  

A three-year £1.8m project at Huntington School will create accessible facilities for young people in the mainstream secondary school with complex communication and interaction needs, particularly those with autism and anxiety disorders.

At Applefields School, a three-year £2.1m project will continue to develop and enhance existing provision, adapting and restructuring classrooms and upgrading the hoist and hydrotherapy pool.

As well as this, a consultation with education providers in January will look at ways of providing local, specialist support to the very small number of children and young people who have been permanently excluded from their school. Creating a more localised solution will enable the existing mixed-use facility at Dansegate to focus solely on providing specialist support to children and young people with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH).

Councillors said it is hoped that the projects will enable most children and young people with SEND to get the support they need locally.