Mayor Lutfur Rahman supports children with special needs

AN INVESTMENT OF £4.8 million is headed for Tower Hamlets schools to help them support pupils with special needs. The money will fund a range of measures designed to make schools more inclusive.

Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman has long been committed to improving life for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). “Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive in a supportive and inclusive school close to home,” he said. “This investment will make a real difference to children and families across our borough by improving facilities, strengthening inclusion and helping more young people with SEND flourish in mainstream education.”

Cllr Faysal Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Life Chances, explained how the money would be spent. “This programme is about delivering practical improvements that schools have told us they need – from sensory spaces to adapted classrooms,” he said. “By investing in inclusive environments, we are helping schools to support a wider range of needs and ensuring more children can learn in settings that work for them.”

This is a far cry from the old Labour days, when Labour Mayor John Biggs cut spending on the Council unit that supported teachers and parents to give SEND children the best start in life. Biggs also closed down the borough’s last three daycare nurseries, which had supported some of the youngest children with SEND in their pre-school years – including a specialist unit which supported children with hearing impairment.

Mayor Lutfur Rahman is beginning to undo that damage. In March, a new state-of-the-art autism resource provision opened at Hermitage Primary school. As the Labour Government is talking about removing specialist support from primary schools and expecting teachers to support younger children with SEND in mainstream education, this kind of specialist support will be especially welcome.

The Mayor is also investing £1.4 in helping young people with SEND transition from being supported by Children’s Services to being supported by Adult Services – and, in particular, to finding suitable employment.

Children and young people with SEND are often last in the queue for resources. It makes a welcome change to see them as a visible part of the Borough’s education service.

●For more information about SEND education in Tower Hamlets, go to:
SEND in Tower Hamlets

●Read more about it:
Four days left to tell Biggs to stuff his SEND cuts
Mayor Rahman’s Free School Meals help 38,000 students