MP Bob Seely has met with new Children, Families and Wellbeing Minister, Claire Coutinho, to explain to her why she should support the Isle of Wight Council’s bid for a new school to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) on the Isle of Wight.
In the meeting, which took place on Monday 19 December, Bob specifically asked the Minister to make the Isle of Wight a priority for new SEND school funding.
Bob told the Minister that the number of children with Education Health and Care Plans on the Island had increased since the introduction of the Children and Families Act in 2014, and it was becoming increasingly challenging to serve the Island’s children with the current provision in place.
There are currently two maintained special schools on the Island – St George’s and Medina House - and both are full.
He said: “I made it very clear to the Minister that the Isle of Wight is short of SEND places and that we need a new SEND school here as a matter of urgency.
“The case for the Isle of Wight is strong because we also have practical reasons for needing additional places here with some Island families needing to send their children to the mainland to access SEND placements. For these families being further away from their children is not only upsetting but it is also inconvenient and costly for them. It is also costly for our local authority. The more placements we can create on the Island the better.”
Mr Seely said civil servants were due to report back in the New Year as to whether the bid has been successful.
