£3.27 MILLION BOOST FOR SEND PROVISION IN NORTHUMBERLAND

£3.27 MILLION BOOST FOR SEND PROVISION IN NORTHUMBERLAND

Northumberland County Council is set to receive £3,270,818.76 as part of a major national investment to improve support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The funding forms part of a record £860 million allocation the largest of its kind to begin delivering the government’s wider £3.7 billion programme aimed at transforming SEND provision across the country.

This investment will support the creation of more specialist places within mainstream schools, improve accessibility, and ensure that children can access the right support earlier, locally, and without unnecessary barriers.

Local Impact

The funding will help Northumberland:

• Create additional specialist SEND places within mainstream schools

• Develop Inclusion Bases to support a wider range of needs

• Improve school environments to ensure accessibility for all pupils

• Strengthen local provision so more children can be supported closer to home

Statement

Councillor Scott Dickinson MBE said:

“This is really positive news for Northumberland and for families who have been calling for better, earlier support for children with SEND.

For too long, too many parents have had to fight to secure the right education for their child. This investment is about changing that—making inclusion the norm and ensuring support is there when it’s needed, not after a long struggle.

By investing in local schools and creating more specialist provision within mainstream settings, we can support more children closer to home, in their communities, and with the right help in place from the start.

This is about building a system that works for families—where every child has the opportunity to achieve and thrive.”

National Context

The funding marks the first step in a wider transformation of SEND provision, with government plans to:

• Create 60,000 new specialist places nationwide

• Deliver a £200 million SEND teacher training programme

• Invest £1.6 billion in early, targeted support through mainstream schools

• Establish an ‘Experts at Hand’ service worth £1.8 billion, providing access to specialists such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists

Local authorities receiving funding will be required to commit to using it to expand inclusive provision and demonstrate clear, evidence-based need as part of wider SEND reform plans.

Looking Ahead

Further funding is expected in the coming years, with additional allocations planned through to 2030 to continue strengthening SEND provision across the country.