Declares that the Government should take actions to construct a new special school in the town of Biddulph in the Staffordshire Moorlands so that children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities from there and the nearby surrounding areas have access to a local specialist school; notes that this follows discussions with parents and local councillors who have formed a support group and shows that there is a legitimate need for this kind of facility at a local level; further notes that mainstream schools do not have adequate resources to provide the specialist support that these students need and require; further declares that the number of students needing specialist education is increasing; furthermore there are also issues with lack of transport should this be needed for out-of-area travel, which can, on occasion, be both stressful and daunting for the children who are requiring specialist education.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to take into account the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to construct a new special school in Biddulph.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Karen Bradley, Official Report, 20 April 2023; Vol. 731, c. 473.]
[P002826]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Claire Coutinho):
This is a matter for Staffordshire County Council, since local authorities are statutorily responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient good school places for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for children and young people with SEND under review (including its sufficiency), working with parents, young people and providers.
In March 2022 we announced high needs provision capital allocations (HNPCA) amounting to over £1.4 billion of new investment to support local authorities to deliver new places for academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25 and to improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require alternative provision (AP).
This funding forms part of the £2.6 billion we are investing between 2022 and 2025 and represents a significant, transformational investment in new high needs provision. It will support local authorities to deliver new places in mainstream and special schools, as well as other specialist settings, and will also be used to improve the suitability and accessibility of existing buildings.
Staffordshire has been allocated a total of just under £13.3 million through high needs provision capital allocations (HNPCA) for financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. This funding will help the local authority to create new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with SEND or who require AP. Prior to that, the local authority received just over £2.4 million through its 2021-22 HNPCA funding announced in April 2021.
The Department for Education has also announced plans for up to 60 new special and AP free schools. Local authority applications for new special free schools closed on 21 October 2022. Staffordshire did not submit an application. Where local authorities identify the need for a new school, they can seek proposals to establish an academy through the free school presumption process. As of January 2023, there are 92 open special free schools and 51 open AP free schools, with a further 49 special and 6 AP free schools due to open in the future.