I’ve secured more than £2.6million for SEND services in South Tyneside
The Jarrow and Gateshead East MP has secured funding to support SEND services in the borough.
Kate Osborne, the Member of Parliament for Jarrow and Gateshead East, welcomed the government’s plan to investment at least £3 billion into making sure that children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) can go to a school closer to home.
Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, announced that the funding will create tens of thousands of specialist places in mainstream schools, alongside bespoke facilities to enable children with additional needs to achieve and thrive.
It will allow for SEND pupils to have the right tools and support in tailor-made spaces, while also being able to mix with other classes for subjects or parts of the day that are appropriate for them.
Following the announcement, Ms Osborne has revealed that she has worked to secure more than £2.6million for funding for SEND services in South Tyneside.
She said: “I am pleased as your Labour MP to have secured £2,604,000 of funding for local SEND services.
“After lobbying Ministers for investment in local SEND provision, Labour is unlocking the money that was put to one side and I’m asking South Tyneside Council to make sure it is used to the benefit of families in Jarrow and Gateshead East– not in the distant future, but right now.
“That will mean we get more investment into SEND and more specialist places more quickly. Local parents know support is needed urgently, and Labour has listened and has acted.
“As well as bringing forward this crucial investment, our wider reform of the broken SEND system we inherited from the Tories will make sure every child in Jarrow and Gateshead East can achieve and thrive with the right support, earlier.”
The Education Secretary has stated that the investment is part of transforming the school experience for children and young people with SEND.
She commented: “Every child deserves to be seen, supported and stretched. Every child deserves to achieve and thrive in their local school. And every child, regardless of their need, deserves to leave school ready for life and work.
“For too many families, the reality has been very different, but we will transform the experience for children and young people with SEND by making sure that their local school is also the right school.
“Ahead our reforms next year, we’re laying the foundations of a new system that shifts children with SEND from forgotten to included and earns the confidence of parents.
"This £3 billion investment will transform lives. It will open the door to opportunity for tens of thousands of children with SEND, giving them the chance to learn, belong and succeed in their local community.
“This is how we build an education system that works for every child.”
The cash boost, which will see see 2026-27 allocations issued in Spring, builds on £740 million already invested to create more than 10,000 specialist school places across the country.
The government’s full plans to improve the SEND system will be set out through the Schools White Paper early in the new year.