ESSEX County Council is investing a further £1,710,000 over the next three years to improve educational outcomes and experiences for pupils.

The new money will be used to deliver a programme of work focused on education inclusion. This includes developing an early intervention and prevention ‘inclusion offer’ for mainstream schools.

It comes following pressures on the education system nationally. These include the pandemic, increases in children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) and significant financial pressures.

These challenges have negatively impacted on educational outcomes and experiences for children, young people, and their families across the country.

The new programme will enable mainstream schools and settings to support pupils, whether they have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or not. It will also mean needs can be identified and support put in place for pupils more quickly. 

It follows the pilot of an inclusion framework in 2021 and the publishing of the Essex education inclusion strategy last year. The strategy sets out the council’s vision and commitments to inclusive and equitable education across the county. 

The aims of the new programme are to:

• increase take up of the inclusion strategy in schools across Essex
• continue to work with parents, carers, schools and settings to develop effective early intervention approaches
• ensure there is a clear and comprehensive support offer for schools, with a focus on workforce development
• develop recommendations around future commercial viability and income generation

It is also aligned to the council’s wider work within education to improve statutory services. This includes the commissioning of agency education psychologists and the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) additional assistance plan. 

These measures have been aimed at addressing the backlog of Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNA) and improving wait times.  

The £1.7 million funding will enable continuation of the work arising from the inclusion strategy

Councillor Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “We have been open about the work we are doing to improve education outcomes, particularly around inclusion and the local SEND system. It is important that every pupil has the right support for their needs and that schools and settings feel confident in putting appropriate measures in place for them.

“I am satisfied these improvements will build on the work and learning carried out to date and deliver on our commitment to achieving educational excellence and high standards for all children and young people.”

The funding decision is subject to call in until 5pm on Monday 30 September.