SPECIAL educational needs and disabilities (SEND) facilities are to be improved in a West Somerset school as part of a programme being rolled out across the county from September.

Somerset Council is creating SEND pupil units in 15 schools, including Knights Templar Community Church School and Nursery, in Watchet.

The new unit will deliver between six and eight SEND places to help them to have a more mainstream education.

Headteacher Laura Weaver said: “The new unit will be a separate facility outside of the school’s normal class structure, run by specialist members of staff and fully funded by Somerset Council.

“It will allow children the specialist educational support they require within their local area rather than having to attend a school further away from home.”

Mrs Weaver said the unit would be on ‘a spare area of the school site’ and she wanted to hear the thoughts of parents by April 4 before she holds a public consultation later in the year.

Council education director Amelia Walker said: “Somerset has in excess of 500 children and young people with agreed education, health and care plans (EHCPs) accessing education in independent settings at significant additional cost, when compared to the cost of a State-maintained specialist place.

“The rise in pupils in all age ranges diagnosed with autism, social and emotional needs, or physical and neurological needs has seen increasing numbers of parents requesting EHCPs naming special school placements for their children, reporting that local mainstream schools are not equipped to meet their needs.

“As a result of this demand, Somerset’s special schools are full to capacity, and some have exceeded their number of commissioned places in order to help meet the needs of children assessed as requiring specialist provision, or to accommodate children whose parents have successfully acquired places through the direction of tribunal.

“The council has not had the regulatory power to open new schools.

“In addition, the Department for Education has been unable to deliver new special schools to keep pace with the level of demand.

“This increase in demand and lack of available places has also had a negative effect on the council’s preferred ‘local first’ approach to school placements, leading to long commutes for children, some of whom travel past other special schools where their needs could have been met if spare places were available.

“We will create more capacity within the existing infrastructure in the State sector through the creation of a number of specialist units on mainstream school sites that have spare accommodation.”

The council will deliver the new SEND units through the ‘high needs provision capital allocation’ within the authority’s capital budget, with just under £16.8 million being available for the project.

It has not confirmed the specific costs of the SEND units, but said their creation would save between £13.7 million and £17.1 million a year which would otherwise have been spent on transport costs and other measures.

The authority said more schools could be added to the programme at a later date if finances allowed.