SEND Places Gloucestershire 2024-01-29
2024-01-29
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Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
In Gloucestershire, there are concerns about the number of special educational needs school places available for pupils.
What recent estimate she has made of the number of school places available for pupils with special educational needs in Gloucestershire?
Places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have increased in Gloucestershire since 2015. We estimate that there are 1,700 places, and the local authority opened two additional settings in 2022-23.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
In Gloucestershire, there are currently 120 pupils assessed as needing special school places but those places are not available. The number of needed places is expected to increase.
At the moment, 120 pupils have been assessed as needing special school places, but those places are not available. Over the next couple of years it looks like at least 200 more special school places will be needed in Gloucestershire. Can the Minister look at the situation urgently to see what he can do to help?
We are working closely with local authorities on this issue. We have allocated more than £1.5 billion of high needs capital allocations in the last two years for local authorities to create additional places. Gloucestershire County Council has announced a 200-place moderate and additional learning difficulties school for four to 16-year-olds, to be delivered through our free school presumption route in early 2026.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
There are limited specialist state-provided schools for special educational needs in Shropshire.
There are only three specialist schools provided by the state in Shropshire. Two of them are—
In addition to working with Gloucestershire, we work with Shropshire on its capacity. We have already announced 41 new special free schools with a further 38 in the pipeline.
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Assessment & feedback
The number and distribution of specialist state-provided schools in Shropshire was not addressed specifically, instead focusing on other regions.
Response accuracy