WORKS COSTING £1.8M TO PROVIDE EXTRA SPECIALIST SPOTS AT CITY SCHOOLS SET TO BE FINALISED

FOUR Derby special schools are to get major upgrades to help provide hundreds of much-needed additional Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) places for city children.

- By NIGEL SLATER Local democracy reporter

A Derby City Council cabinet meeting will be held next week to finalise details of works costing around £1.8million.

This comes at a time when the Send system is experiencing "increasing demand and is under significant pressure as the cost of provision outstrips funding provided by the Government".

It comes following reports on how Derby City Council has been forced to pay thousands in compensation for not meeting Send deadlines.

Labour-led Derby City Council has statutory responsibilities in relation to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), that require the council to ensure that there is suitable provision to meet their needs.

To help improve the number of spaces for Send children in Derby, the council is developing upgrades to a number of schools.