Headteachers’ unions have welcomed the plans.
However, the school leaders’ union NAHT says investment in buildings is only one part of the picture, and that there would need to be sufficient teachers and leaders “with the right level of specialist training”.
At Ninestiles, an academy in Birmingham, just under 50 students with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) – a legal document outlining the support that a young person is entitled to – spend around 70% of their time in mainstream lessons.
The rest of the time, they take part in bespoke lessons to support their needs, where they get access to specially-trained staff and a tailored curriculum.
Demand for these places is high and the government says the extra investment means councils would be able to meet local need faster.
But Principal Alex Hughes says “the devil will be in the detail” and in “what it translates to” for individual schools.
Student Brendan, 14, who attends Ninestiles has access to the full curriculum but also can attend the resource hub, where he is supported by teachers.
He has the “best of both worlds”, according to his mum Laura Jerram who says the pastoral support he has received has been “the key to keeping him in the school”.
But Brendan’s journey to get to this point has been “really difficult”.
He missed a lot of primary school before he came to Ninestiles and the process of getting an EHCP was “a horrible journey”, Ms Jerram explains.
“It’s a bit of a bun fight [to get an EHCP] and the most resourced families tend to come out on top, unfortunately.
“I feel that for Brendan, if he’d had support much earlier on, he may not have fallen out of education the way he did.”
