Lancashire County Council plans to expand SEND provision for secondary school pupils in Burnley
Plans to expand special needs provision in Burnley schools have been considered by Lancashire county councillors.
Burnley has been identified as a priority district for a Secondary aged provision, following the existing Primary units for speech, language and communication already in place in the area at Brunshaw Primary and Barden Primary.
Lancashire County Council is currently working with local schools in the area to identify a suitable mainstream secondary school in which to develop this provision.
The county council’s cabinet members have looked at the SEND Capital Plan for 2026/27, which sets out plans to increase SEND provision for children and young people across the county.
It aims to ensure education places are available for children and young people with SEND, and as close to home as possible, in the wake of a critical inspection last year.
As part of its SEND Strategy and the Priority Action Plan, the county council has seen a rapid turnaround in SEND efficiency since May.
County Coun. Matthew Salter, cabinet member for Education and Skills, said: “I am pleased that serious investments will be made to improve inclusion and better meet the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
“We want to build much needed capacity across Lancashire, with funding for SEND units and opportunities for mainstream schools and maintained nurseries to improve inclusion, and increasing special school provision through expansions and new schools to serve Lancashire children. This is all based on a thorough analysis of the needs within Lancashire and a clear strategy to meet those needs.”
The move means that a range of provision such as new special schools, expansions of existing sites and post-19 settings, and more SEND units across Lancashire could be in the pipeline in future.
Funding will come from the DfE's high Needs Provision Capital Allocation (HNPCA), a government grant for supporting places for children and young people with SEND.
With £4.5m. of the existing Lancashire allocation already funding current projects, it's estimated that the proposed new batch would cost a total of £30m., subject to feedback from formal consultation and costings.
At the meeting, councillors approved the start of a consultation process, with the proposals returning for final consideration by cabinet in July this year. If approved, it's hoped all the new provision will be up and running by late 2028.
Meanwhile, schools and nurseries across the 12 Lancashire districts will also be able to bid for a slice of £2m. from the DfE's HNPCA fund for Lancashire, aimed at funding infrastructure improvements to support mainstream settings.
Maintained nursery schools, and mainstream primary and secondary schools (both local authority schools and academies) are welcome to apply for up to £50,000 to boost inclusion, and this applies right across Lancashire's 12 districts.
Work can include projects like sensory regulation spaces, therapy areas, quiet pods, acoustic and lighting improvements, adaptive recreation areas, hygiene suites and measures like assistive technology and mobility accessibility such as ramps. Schools can apply for this funding from March 1st until April 23rd at 5pm.
In the meantime, the council will also be working closely with the Lancashire Parent Carer Forum to ensure that views of parent carers are heard as part of the consultation process.