Cumberland Council (the local authority) has a statutory duty under the The Education Act 1996 Section 14(1) to ensure that there are a sufficient number of school places for all children and young people who are resident within Cumberland. The Authority has specific duties to ensure that there is sufficient specialist provision available for children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), where their EHCPs determine that their needs should be met in specialist provision.

Cumberland has experienced a significant increase in the number of children and young people with EHCP's requiring specialist provision, to ensure they are able to have their complex needs fully met and receive the specialist support that is required for them to thrive. It is projected that demand for specialist places will continue to grow across all sectors.

This report sets out the analysis process that we undertake to enable the local authority to plan and ensure the sufficiency of specialist places across Cumberland and provides an overview of the following information:

• the current specialist provision available
• the number of children and young people with an EHCP
• the most prevalent primary needs of the children and young people with an EHCP
• the projected growth of children and young people with an EHCP based on local and national data
• whether or not there are sufficient specialist places for particular primary needs within each area, to meet current and projected demands
• the type of provision that is projected to be required such as resourced provisions or special schools

This report highlights the scale of growth and the number of specialist places required to meet projected increase in demand. In order to assess and ensure that there are sufficient specialist places  for statutory school aged children, this report predominantly looks at school aged children and young people with an EHCP.

The eight Community Panel Areas have been used to plan and forecast SEND provision as they have established geographical boundaries. Whilst some of the Community Panel Areas are significantly smaller in area, they do have similar populations.

SEN support

Children and young people on SEN Support require additional or different help from that provided as part of the school's usual curriculum. The class teacher and SEN Coordinator (SENCO) may receive advice or support from outside specialists. These children and young people do not have an EHCP.

Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)

A pupil has an EHCP when a formal assessment has been carried out. The EHCP is a formal document that sets out the child's needs and the additional help that they should receive.

Types of specialist provision

Cumberland offers a range of educational provision to meet the needs of children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This includes provision in both Local Authority Maintained Schools and Academies including:

• mainstream schools
• special schools
• resourced provisions

Mainstream schools

Local authority maintained (including foundation schools). This includes nursery schools, primary and secondary schools which are maintained by a local authority.

Academies are state-funded independent schools that are accountable to thee Secretary of State for the management of the school through a legally binding Funding Agreement.

Free schools are local schools funded by the Government, but have greater freedoms than local authority run schools, and have freedom over things like the length of the school day, the curriculum and how they spend their money.

An independent school is one which is neither maintained by a local authority nor is in receipt of grants from the Department for Education and funding is primarily from fees charged to local authorities and parents for pupils placed there.

Alternative Provision (AP) or Pupil Referral Unit (PRU): A pupil referral unit (PRU) is set up under the Education Act 1993 to make provision for pupils who are out of schools for reasons such as exclusion or illness.

Special schools

A special school is specifically organised to provide special educational provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. These can be Local Authority (LA) maintained, academies or non-maintained special schools. In Cumberland there are both local authority special schools and academy special schools.

Resourced provisions

Resourced Provisions (RPs) are within a mainstream school or academy, designed to provide specialist and targeted support for children and young people with an Educational, Health and Care Plan. Children accessing a RP will be on the roll of the mainstream school and will be fully supported by the specialist staff and the staff of the mainstream school working in partnership. The children and young people have access to both mainstream provision and the Resourced Provision dependent on individual needs and will therefore be eligible to access all activities and opportunities available to all school pupils.

The RPs have dedicated space within the school which is for the sole use of the children and young people accessing the provision. It is important to understand that they are not separate to the school, nor are they special schools or units. Their purpose is to offer specialist support to enable the children and young people to access a mainstream education.

All of our resourced provisions are led by the individual schools and are therefore staffed and managed by the school or academy.

Current distribution of Cumberland specialist places

Refer to page 5 on the document for a map of the specialist provisions providing specialist places across Cumberland

Number of specialist places and type of provision

• special school all through: 72%
• RP primary: 13%
• RP secondary: 9%
• other provision: 6%

'Other provision' refers to 40 specialist places that are delivered for children and young people with SEMH needs in both West Cumbria Learning Centre and Gilford Centre PRU. These places are for children and young people aged between 7 to 11 years.

The local authority has a statutory duty to constantly review the specialist provision available for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), whilst also ensuring there are sufficient specialist places available to meet the needs of the growing SEND population.

Cumberland has experienced a significant increase in demand for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision over the past decade. It is projected that demand will continue to grow across all sectors, despite the decrease that we have seen in the birth rate locally, regionally, and nationally, the number of children and young people with an EHCP continues to rise.

The total number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPS) for 0 to 25 year olds across Cumberland were recorded as 2656 in January 2024 (SEN2 Return).

The number of requests received for Education, Health and Care Assessments (EHCA) was 452 in 2022 rising to 570 in 2023, a significant increase of 26%.

Education, Health and Care assessment requests

In 2022, 452 requests were received and 374 agreed to assess.

in 20223, 570 requests were received and 428 agreed to assess.

EHCP population by age group January 2024

• under 5: 189
• age 5 to 10: 982
• age 11 to 15: 956
• age 16 to 19: 457
• age 20 to 25: 72

Of the 2656 children and young people with an EHCP, 73% are of statutory school age compared with 69.1% nationally.

Percentage of children and young people with an EHCP by gender

In Cumberland, 71.70% of them are male and 28.30% of them are female.

In England, 71.30% of them are male and 28.70% of them are female.

Percentage of EHCP population by age group

Percentage of children and young people with EHCP in Cumberland is:

• under 5: 7.10%
• age 5 to 10: 37%
• age 11 to 15: 36%
• age 16 to 19: 17.20%
• age 20 to 25: 2.70%

Percentage of children and young people with EHCP Nationally is:

• under 5: 4.60%
• age 5 to 10: 32.7%
• age 11 to 15: 36.40%
• age 16 to 19: 20.10%
• age 20 to 25: 6.20%

Where are our children and young people (EHCP - 0 to 25 years)

Below is the number of children and young people with EHCP and the type of provision they are in:

• mainstream school or academy: 1512
• special schools: 470
• special independent: 80
• independent: 10
• post 16: 333
• mainstream resourced provision: 35
• alternative provision or PRU: 31
• other: 149
• elective home education: 36

The 'other' category in the above list includes the following:

• not in education or training
• not in education statutory school age
• other arrangements by LA
• other arrangements by parents
• NEET
• non-maintained Early Years

The percentages of our children and young people aged between 0 to 25 with an EHCP and the specialist places they are accessing are shown below:

• mainstream school or academy: 56.93%
• special schools: 17.70%
• special independent: 0.38%
• independent: 3.01%
• post 16: 12.54%
• mainstream resourced provision: 1.32%
• alternative provision or PRU: 1.17%
• other: 5.61%
• elective home education: 1.36%

Refer to page 10 for a line graph that illustrates the number of children and young people within Cumberland with an EHCP  who are electively home educated (EHE). The data shows the academic year 2023 to 2024. There has been a steady increase throughout the year with 73% more EHCP pupils being educated at home by the end of July than at the start of the academic year (22 in September 2023 and 38 in July 2024).

National figures as of January 2024 (taken from DfE statistical release)

The list below shows the percentage of all children and young people in schools in England who were recorded having an Education, Health and Care Plan:

• January 2019: 3.1%, no difference from previous year
• January 2020: 3.3%, 0.2% difference from previous year
• January 2021: 3.7%, 0.4% difference from previous year
• January 2022: 4.0%, 0.3% difference from previous year
• January 2023: 4.3%, 0.3% difference from previous year
• January 2024: 4.8%, 0.5% difference from previous year

The data shows that there has been a steady increase year on year of the number of children and young people in schools in England who have an EHCP.

The list below shows the percentage of all children and young people in schools in England who were recorded as being on SEN Support:

• January 2019: 11.9%, no difference from previous year
• January 2020: 12.1%, 0.2% difference from previous year
• January 2021: 12.2%, 0.1% difference from previous year
• January 2022: 12.6%, 0.4% difference from previous year
• January 2023: 13.0%, 0.4% difference from previous year
• January 2024: 13.6%, 0.6% difference from previous year

The data shows that there has been a steady increase between 2019 and 2024 of the number of children and young people in schools in England who are on SEN Support.

The most common type of primary need recorded for pupils in England with an EHCP is for Autistic Spectrum Disorders. For pupils with SEND support the most common type of primary need recorded is for speech, communication and language needs.

In England, SEND is more prevalent in boys than girls and the number of children and young people on SEN Support both nationally and in Cumberland is displayed below:

• in Cumberland there are 59.7 males and 40.3 females
• in England there are 62.0 males and 38.0 females

January 2024 figures for Cumberland (taken from DfE statistical release)

Refer to page 12 for a chart that shows the percentage of all children and young people in schools in Cumberland and England who were recorded as having an Education, Health and Care Plan.

The data shows that there has been a steady increase year on year of the number of children and young people in schools in Cumberland who have an EHCP, this follows the national trend.

Number of children and young people with an EHCP (0 to 25 years) for the three most prevalent primary needs

Refer to the table on page 12.

The three most prevalent primary needs recorded for children and young people with an EHCP in Cumberland are set out below in order of prevalence:

• the highest number is communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• the second highest number is for Speech, Language and Communication (SLCN)
• the third highest number is for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

Number of children and young people with an EHCP (statutory school age) for the three most prevalent primary needs

Refer to the table on page 13.

The three most prevalent primary needs recorded for statutory school aged children and young people with an EHCP in Cumberland are set out below in order of prevalence:

• the highest number is for communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders
• the second highest number is for Speech, Language and Communication
• the third highest number is for Social, Emotional and Mental Health

Occupancy of all specialist places

'Other provision' listed on the chart on page 14 refers to 40 specialist places that are delivered for children and young people with SEMH needs in both West Cumbria Learning Centre and Gilford Centre PRU. These places are for children and young people aged between 7 to 11 years.

In order to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND residing within Cumberland, it is sometimes necessary to place them within specialist provisions outside of our local authority. Whilst this may be required to meet specific needs, it is a costly option. 

• 179 (6.36%) of children and young people with an EHCP were recorded as accessing places outside of this local authority in September 2024
• 179 children and young people, 104 attend school in the Westmorland and Furness area
• 75 children and young people (2.66%) access places outside of the former Cumbria area
• in January 2024 (January census data) there were 51 pupils with an EHCP attending a school in Cumberland living outside of the Cumberland area

SEN Support

In order to accurately forecast the specialist places required across the district for children and young people with EHCPs, constant monitoring of all children is required, alongside all of the children and young people with SEN support.

Refer to the table on page 15 which shows the percentage of all children and young people in schools in Cumberland who were recorded as being on SEN support compared to the national figure.

The data shows that there has been a steady increase from 2017 to 2018 and 2023 to 2024 of the number of children and young people in schools from Cumberland with SEN support, this follows the national trend.

The data illustrates that the number of children and young people with SEND support in Cumberland decreased from 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022. However, over the past 2 years there has been a significant increase in the number of children and young people receiving SEN support so that the number as of 2023 to 2024 surpasses that of 2020 to 2021 and remains in line with the national figures.

The three most prevalent primary needs recorded for children and young people with SEND support in Cumberland are listed below in order of prevalence:

• Specific Learning Difficulty (SPLD)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Refer to the table on page 16 for special educational needs in England. 

• 10% increase between January 2023 and January 2024 for Specific Learning Difficulties
• 21% increase between January 2023 and January 2024 for Social, Emotional and Mental Health
• 9% increase between January 2023 and January 2024  for Speech, Language and Communication

Forecast

Our data clearly indicates that additional specialist places are required to be developed over the coming years in response to continued growth in the number of EHCPs.

As can be seen throughout the report, there are many variables that affect current and future projections of required specialist places in order to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND across Cumberland. Several of the below variables are referred to throughout this report:

• there are a significant number of children and young people across Cumberland on SEN support
• there has been an an increase in the percentage of the children and young people with an EHCP in Cumberland - we are now slightly above the national average
• 26% increase in the number of EHCA requests between 2022 and 2023
• 14.4% increase in the number of EHCA that we agreed to assess
• high level of occupancy in established specialist provisons

We forecast that once a child or young person has moved into the EHCP cohort they will remain in that cohort. By analysing the flow of children and young people across each stream of SEND provision it is forecast that there will be an increase in the number of children and young people that will require access to a specialist place.

Going forward, a growth model will be used to forecast for EHCP's based on an average seen over the past three year's data to project the following:

• the number of children and young people between 0 to 25 with an EHCP
• the number of statutory school aged children and young people with an EHCP
• the type of placement required

Conclusion

The number of children and young people with an EHCP within Cumberland continues to rise year on year. The high levels of occupancy of the current specialist provisions demonstrates that there is a need to develop more specialist provisions in order to meet current and future demand. The development of further specialist provisions will ultimately reduce the reliance on placing children and young people with SEND, within more expensive specialist provisions outside of our local authority and away from their families and local communities.

Given that the current occupancy of our specialist places stands at 98.2% and the projected increase of our statutory school aged cohort of children and young people with an EHCP, additional specialist places are required.

We are looking to create an additional 100 specialist places between 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 academic years. With these places being delivered across both the special school sector and in resourced provisions. This is the minimum number of specialist places required to be developed in order to meet demand and to control (and not increase) the reliance on more expensive out of authority placements.

As confirmed, the three most prevalent primary needs recorded for children and young people with an EHCP in order of prevalence are:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Speech, Language and Communication (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

The three most prevalent primary needs recorded for statutory school aged children and young people with an EHCP in order of prevalence are:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Speech, Language and Communication (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people (aged 0 to 25) with an EHCP and a placement within a special school are as follows in order of prevalence:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people of statutory school age with an EHCP and a placement within a Special School are as follows in order of prevalence:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)

The local authority’s data evidences a number of key pressure points. In order to address the key pressure points, we have identified that the following additional provision is required:

• additional primary resourced provision places for the most prevalent primary needs identified
• review of need for specialist provision for early years
• additional secondary resourced provision places for the most prevalent primary needs identified
• additional (all through) special school places for all primary needs

Please refer to the following individual constituency overviews for more detailed information

Border, Fellside and North Carlisle area currently has 2 schools delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Specialist provision within the Border, Fellside and North Carlisle Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 19.

There are 19 commissioned specialist places in the Border and Fellside Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Border, Fellside and North Carlisle Community Panel area are:

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Refer to the chart on page 20 which shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Borders and Fellside Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area of as November 2024 stands at 105%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

An additional 10 specialist places were created within this community panel area during this period.

Conclusion

There are a limited number of primary and secondary specialist places for children and young people within this area for the three most prevalent needs.

Once established, new provisions usually work on a slow growth plan until they reach full capacity, however Kingmoor, although a new provision is already over occupied showing a high demand in this area for primary specialist places for Communication and Interaction needs including ASD.

Given the high level of occupancy in both the primary and secondary resourced provisions, more specialist places are required in this area for both primary and secondary aged children with an EHCP for Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Speech, Language and Communication and Communication and Interaction needs including ASD, to meet demand now and in the future.

The Carlisle West Community Panel area currently has one school delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 22.

Specialist provision within the Carlisle West Area - November 2024

There is a total of 8 commissioned specialist places in the Carlisle West Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Carlisle West Community Panel area are:

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)

Refer to the chart on page 23 which shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Carlisle West Community Panel area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 125%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

No additional specialist places were created within this Community Panel area during this period.

Conclusion

This three most prevalent needs differs slightly in this area to the other seven community panel areas, with Severe Learning Difficulties replacing Communication and Interaction needs including ASD. The data collected is based upon where each child or young person resides, and therefore the high level of SLD within this area is not related to their being provision here for this primary need.

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the Carlisle West area for children and young people, both primary and secondary aged, with the three most prevalent primary needs in order to meet growing demand now and in the future. Although there is secondary provision for SLD within this area, the high level of occupancy shows a need for additional places.

The Fells and Solway area currently has 3 schools delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 25.

Specialist provision within the Fells and Solway Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 26.

There are 23 commissioned specialist places in the Fells and Solway Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Fells and Solway Community Panel Area are:

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

The chart on page 26 shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Fells and Solway Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 96%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

No additional specialist places were created within this Community Panel Area during this period.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the Fells and Solway area for children and young people, both primary and secondary aged with the three most prevalent primary needs in order meet demand now and in the future.

There is currently no provision for primary or secondary children and young people within this area for either Speech, Language and Communication, which is the most prevalent need or for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH).

Whilst there are both primary and secondary places for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), of the 23 places available only 1 is currently vacant.

The Lakes to Sea Community Panel Area currently has 3 schools delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 28.

Specialist provision within the Lakes to Sea Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 28.

There are 53 commissioned specialist places in the Lakes to Sea Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Lakes to Sea Community Panel Area are:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

The chart on page 29 shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Lakes to Sea Community Panel Area

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 96%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

A total of 8 additional specialist places were created within this Community Panel Area during this period.

Refer to the table on page 30.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the Lakes to Sea area for children and young people with the three most prevalent primary needs to meet demand now and in the future.

There is currently no provision for primary or secondary children and young people within this area for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) and no secondary places for Speech, Language and Communication.

Whilst there are both primary and secondary places for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), of the 47 places available there are no vacancies and there are currently 49 children and young people placed within these provisions.

Given the high level of occupancy in the primary and secondary resourced provisions for children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, this evidences that further provision is required for this primary need in both primary and secondary.

Ellenborough Resourced Provision has only recently opened and as such the numbers accessing this provision going forward will need to be monitored to assess the need in this area.

The Petteril Community Panel Area currently has 1 school and 1 other provision delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 31.

Specialist provision within the Petteril Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 31.

There are 37 commissioned specialist places in the Petteril Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Petteril Community Panel Area are:

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

The chart on page 32 shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Petteril Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 70%.

The 12 places at St Cuthberts Catholic Primary School were only recently commissioned and are now being consulted for places. The zero occupancy at this RP needs to be considered when looking at the occupancy data for this area.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

An additional 14 specialist places were created within this Community Panel Area during this period.

Refer to the table on page 33.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the Petteril area for children and young people with the three most prevalent primary needs to meet demand now and in the future.

There is currently no primary or secondary provision within this area for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or for Speech, Language and Communication which is the most prevalent need in this area.

Whilst there are both primary and secondary places for Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), the relatively low occupancy figure is due to the provision at St Cuthberts Primary School being opened only recently and as such it will take time for the places to fill. The occupancy of this provision will be monitored going forward. All of the 25 secondary places are occupied.

Given the high level of occupancy in the secondary Resourced Provision for children and young people with Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, this evidences that further provision is required for this primary need.

The South Cumberland Community Panel Area currently has 2 schools delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 34.

Specialist provision within the South Cumberland Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 34.

There are 16 commissioned specialist places in the South Cumberland Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the South Cumberland Community Panel Area are:

• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Refer to the chart on page 35 which shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the South Cumberland Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 50%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

An additional 8 specialist places were created within this Community Panel Area during this period.

Refer to the table on page 36.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the South Cumberland area for children and young people to meet demand now and in the future.

There is currently no primary or secondary provision within this area for Speech, Language and Communication, which is the most prevalent need in this area and Social, Emotional and Mental Health which is the second most prevalent need. There is also no secondary provision for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

Whilst there is primary provision for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders, the relatively low occupancy figure may be due to the provision at St Patricks Catholic Primary School being opened only recently and as such it will take time for the places to fill. The occupancy of the primary provision for this need will be monitored going forward. All of the 25 secondary places are occupied.

The Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel Area currently has 2 schools and 1 other provision delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 37.

Specialist provision within the Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 37.

There are 31 commissioned specialist places in the Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel Area are:

• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Refer to the chart on page 38 which shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Whitehaven and Coastal Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 74%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

An additional 8 specialist places were created within this Community Panel Area during this period.

Refer to the table on page 39.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further specialist places are required within the Whitehaven and Costal area for children and young people to meet demand now and in the future.

The 8 places at Hensingham Primary School were only recently commissioned and are now being consulted for places. The current low occupancy at this RP needs to be considered when looking at the occupancy data for this area. The further two provisions within this area are over 86% occupancy.

Whilst there are primary places for all of the three most prevalent primary needs within this area, there is currently no secondary provision for Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders or Speech, Language and Communication.

The Workington Together Community Panel area currently has 2 schools delivering specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Refer to the map on page 40.

Specialist provisions within the Workington Together Community Panel Area - November 2024

Refer to the table on page 40.

There are 11 commissioned specialist places in the Workington Together Community Panel Area.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people with an EHCP in the Workington Together Community Panel Area are:

• Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

Refer to the chart on page 41 which shows the distribution of specialist places for the three most prevalent primary needs in the Workington Together Community Panel Area.

Occupancy of current provision

The current occupancy of the specialist places within this area as of November 2024 stands at 73%.

New provisions or expansions between September 2023 and 2024

No additional specialist places were created within this constituency during this period.

Conclusion

As is illustrated in the data provided, further primary and secondary specialist places are required within the Workington Together area for the three most prevalent primary needs.

There is currently only one provision to meet the three most prevalent needs in this area and of the 4 places commissioned, this provision is currently at an occupancy of 125%.

There are currently three special schools operating from five sites across Cumberland providing specialist places for children and young people with SEND.

Two of the current special schools operate from split sites. This assists in increasing the geographical spread of the specialist places within special schools across Cumberland.

Refer to map on page 43.

Special schools delivering specialist places across Cumberland

Refer to the table on page 44.

The data above shows that there are 506 commissioned specialist places within special schools across Cumberland.

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people (aged 0-25) with an EHCP and a placement within a Special School are as follows in order of prevalence:

• Communication and Interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD).
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).

The three most prevalent primary needs for children and young people of statutory school age with an EHCP and a placement within a special school are as follows in order of prevalence:

• communication and interaction needs including Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).
• Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD).

Occupancy of the current provision

Refer to the chart on page 45 which illustrates the high occupancy levels of all the special schools within Cumberland, the total occupancy overall stands at 103%. 

Conclusion

Despite the commissioning of additional places at two of the special schools in 2022 to 2023, the occupancy level remains high at 103%. This is putting an enormous amount of pressure on our special schools presently.

With the data illustrating that the number of children and young people with EHCPs continues to increase year on year, it is clear that further additional places are required within special schools in Cumberland across all age groups.

The local authority will be working with our local special schools going forward in order to find effective solutions to relieve the current pressures that are being faced.