Helen Edward welcomes £2,473,293 of Conservative Government funding to support children with SEND across the Royal Borough of Kingston.
Every child deserves the chance to succeed in life, which is why the Conservative Government has increased the high-needs budget by over 60 per cent since 2019-2020 to over £10.5 billion in 2024-25.
Building on this strong track record, the Conservative Government are giving councils across the country a record £850 million cash boost to ensure pupils with SEND have school places that meet their needs.
Helen has welcomed the news that RBK is set to benefit from nearly £2.5m of funding to ensure children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision (AP) receive an education that meets their needs in high-quality environments for the years to come. The Conservative Government are investing a record annual £850 million in councils to create new places for young people with SEND and AP in mainstream and special schools.
This will provide specialist support for children with autism, learning difficulties, mobility difficulties, and more to meet their extra needs. Since coming into office, this Conservative Government has opened 108 new special schools,with a further 92 on the way, so every child can access the right support at the right time, and benefit from a world-class education.
This marks a tripling in previous levelsof investment with this £2.6 billion package from 2022 to 2025. This Government is delivering 60,000 more special needs places since 2010 to ensure no parent has to fight for the right support for their children.
Helen Edward said: “I want every child within my constituency to have the same opportunity to meet their potential, so it is vital that children with SEND and AP get the support and resources they need.
"I'm looking forward to meeting the head at Spring School from the Ambitious about Autism Trust in a few days and hearing all about their ethos, values, curriculum and plans for a new home in Chessington.
“I am, therefore pleased to see that the Conservative Government are investing nearly £2.5m in the Kingston Borough, which will deliver the education that meets the needs of children with SEND, as the Conservative Government sticks to the plan to deliver on their promise of a brighter future for this generation and the next.”
Commenting, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said:“Today we are taking another step to ensure our education system provides all children with the very best start in life.“We are making sure no parent has to battle to get the right type of school to meet their needs, and improving the school estate so all children are taught in the best classrooms for generations to come."
Keir Starmer’s VAT raid on private schools will mean children with special needs will be disproportionately discriminated against, and displaced from their school. Leaders of independent special schools have said that Labour are refusing to meet to defend their education tax, despite fears that this policy would displace thousands of children and force many schools to close.
