Extra £500,000 of funding for secondary school pupils with autism in Brighton & Hove - updated summer 2019
The Department for Education (DfE) has committed extra capital funding for local authorities across the country to help them create new school places and improve existing facilities for children and young people with SEN and disabilities (SEND), in consultation with parents and providers.
For Brighton and Hove, the DfE has offered £500,000 over the next three years. It is designed to ensure there are sufficient, high quality school places for children and young people who have Education, Health and Care Plans.
Brighton & Hove City Council, the Parent Carers’ Council (PaCC) and Amaze have worked together to submit a plan for this capital funding which will provide additional places for secondary-aged children with autistic spectrum condition (ASC).
Our plan is based on our wider SEND Review consultation and the feedback we have received from parents and carers on the type of provision they would like to see developed in the city.
A 20-place specialist support unit for children and young people with autistic spectrum condition (ASC) has been proposed for Brighton & Hove and we are currently working with the NAS and Cullum Centres on the provision to be provided at a secondary school in the city. We anticipate that design work will start in earnest in September 2019.
The new special facility would offer four places in each of the year groups, from Year 7 to Year 11, ensuring opportunities to access mainstream provision whilst also being fully supported by experienced staff using a dedicated space.
The new special facility is due to open in September 2020 and expects to begin by offering four places, gradually building up to 20 in the future, ensuring opportunities to access mainstream provision while also being fully supported by experienced staff using a dedicated space.
The development of this specialist facility will improve the quality and range of provision available to pupils. The first phase of the unit is due to open in September 2020, with additional phases opening in September 2021 and September 2022.
This is an exciting project that is the result of very clear views expressed by Brighton and Hove parents and carers. Updates on our plan will be communicated directly through various means, including ongoing discussions and opportunities for co-production with parents and carers, Amaze/PaCC newsletters and events, Brighton & Hove’s Local Offer and other newsletters.