Strategy for SEN 2007 - 2010

On 10th January, Members of the Children's Services Review Panel will consider our plans to develop and improve provision for children and young people with special and additional needs across Norfolk. The report, which outlines the ambitious long term strategy for special educational needs to be rolled out, initially over a three year period, follows widespread consultation during 2006, which secured significant public support from a broad range of stakeholders. A copy of the full report can be obtained by clicking here.

The strategy includes plans to transform existing and develop new provision for children and young people with special and additional needs to establish a range of provision, including complex needs schools and specialist resource bases. This will involve remodelling all current provision, including special schools and units attached to mainstream schools and relocating some existing provision to ensure an equitable distribution across the five areas of the County.

Plans to develop Complex Needs Schools are already underway following a successful bid in 2005 for funding to the DfES to build the new Complex Needs School in King's Lynn to replace the existing Ethel Tipple and Alderman Jackson Special Schools.

Specialist Resource Bases will be developed in each of the five areas, to support children and young people with autism, behaviour, emotional & social difficulties, learning difficulties, and language difficulties. Currently all of our provision for children and young people with sensory loss is located in Norwich. Due to the fact that sensory loss is a low incidence need it would not be viable for us to develop provision across all five areas of Norfolk. Therefore, Specialist Resource Bases for children and young people with sensory loss will also be developed in another area of Norfolk in order to address some of the issues regarding equity of access.

The strategy also includes plans to ensure that there is clarity and consistency around local decision making through the development of Area Special and Additional Needs Partnerships and the development and publication of a directory of services within each of the five Children's Services areas.

Members of the Children's Services Review Panel will be asked to refer the report on to County Council Cabinet for a final decision on 29 January 2007. Subject to Members agreement at Cabinet, the plan is to implement the strategy for SEN over two phases. The initial phase will begin in February 2007 with completion in 2010 and will ensure that provision is equitably distributed across the five areas of Children's Services. The second phase could extend for a further five years and proposes a significant increase in the number of specialist resource bases, which would ensure that provision for children with special and additional needs is available across the 13 localities of Norfolk Children's Services by 2015.

Further information and the latest edition of the SEN Strategy Update newsletter will be available on our website soon.

If you would like to discuss further please contact Michael Bateman, Strategy Manager, Special Educational Needs and Children with Disabilities or Suzy Leverett, SEN Strategy Project Manager by telephone 0844 800 8001 or by email.