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Support for children with special needs

Some children may need extra help because of a range of special educational needs, such as:
  • Thinking and understanding
  • Physical or sensory difficulties
  • Speech and language difficulties
  • Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

The special educational needs and disability service works in partnership with parents, schools and other agencies to provide additional support and resources for children and young people who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

There is a wide range of services available in Blackpool for supporting children and young people at the various stages of their education and development.

Joint area SEND inspection in Blackpool

Between 28 February and 4 March 2022, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission(CQC), conducted a joint inspection of the local area of Blackpool to judge the effectiveness of the area in implementing the disability and special educational needs reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.

The inspection was led by one of Her Majestys Inspectors from Ofsted, with a teamof inspect ors including an Ofsted Inspector and a children s services inspector fromthe CQC.

Read the full report

Extra help in an early years setting/ school/ college

All settings will have a nominated person who can offer help and advice should you have any concerns.

In addition, there are a range of central services, specialist teachers for hearing, vision, autism, severe and complex needs, physical disabilities, dyslexia, early years teachers, the portage team and educational psychologists who can offer additional help and support.

Statutory assessment

This helps us gain information about your child's special educational needs and to determine the level of support needed.

This is usually needed when a child has severe and complex needs that can't be met by the resources normally available to schools and early years settings.

We make a parent support officer available as well as giving access to an independent parent partnership officer. The statutory assessment team officers and caseworkers also help to guide parents through the process of asking for a statutory assessment.

Local offer

All the information which relates to support for children with special needs is now found on Blackpool’s Local offer

Capital funding for special educational needs and disabilities 

Over recent years, the Department for Education has allocated funding to local authorities for the creation and improvement of provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 

This sets out how this funding has been used, or how it is proposed that it is used: 

Special Provision Capital Funding 

In March 2017, the government announced the allocation of capital funding over three years from 2018 to 2021 to help local authorities create new school places and improve existing facilities for children and young people with SEND. 

Blackpool’s original allocation of £500k was increased by further allocations announced in May 2018 and in December 2018, resulting in a total allocation of £849k. 

Following the publishing of the local authority’s plans, this funding was used as a contribution towards the cost of the major refurbishment scheme at Woodlands School that was completed in September 2018, delivering significant improvements in the fabric of the school’s buildings. 

High needs provision capital allocation 

In April 2021, the government announced this new funding stream to support local authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND, particularly those with more complex needs, and for those pupils that require alternative provision. 

The allocation for Blackpool is £500k, will be allocated to the following schemes: 

  • Creation of an additional classroom at Highfurlong School, to accommodate an increase in numbers (£190k)
  • Capital works at the Oracle building to enable the accommodation of Park Community Academy’s post‑16 students during a temporary increase in pupil numbers (£100k)
  • Contribution to the overall costs of capital works to create SEND Resource Provision at Thames, Boundary, Revoe and Marton primary schools (balance of £210k)

Contact 

SEND team

PO Box 4, Blackpool, FY1 1NA
Telephone 01253 476602