15 Jan 2025
Council leaders decide to expand support for pupils in mainstream primary schools in Hertfordshire
Following the successful development of a suite of Specialist Resource Provisions across the county, providing additional support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to access a mainstream curriculum, two new facilities are proposed to open in primary schools in Stevenage and Hemel Hempstead from September 2025.
Hertfordshire County Councillors were presented with the findings from the initial consultations to open the SRPs at Cabinet on Wednesday 15 January 2025. They decided to authorise the Executive Director of Children’s Services to issue statutory notices to open specialist resource provisions at Featherstone Wood Primary School and Brockswood Primary and Nursery School. These will provide new places for up to 12 pupils at each site to receive additional support to thrive at school.
So far, nine SRPs across Hertfordshire have already opened. There are currently five attached to primary schools in the county; the two new ones will increase the spread of support for primary pupils with communication, speech, language and autism.
Support in SRPs is tailored to each individual pupil. The number of places are kept small, with higher ratios of staff, to allow this tailoring to happen. Support will look different for every pupil, and the aim for each pupil is to help them develop their social and communication skills and confidence, to allow them to increase the time they are able to access mainstream classes.
Cllr Caroline Clapper, Executive Member for Education at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “We want all children in Hertfordshire including those with SEND to have their needs met with a range of inclusive provision available through our mainstream schools, specialist resource provision, alternative and special school provision. We’re committed to providing the right education in the right place at the right time, and we know there is a need to create more provision in Hertfordshire so that our children and young people with SEND can attend the most appropriate education setting, and achieve the best possible outcomes, as close to their home and community as possible.”
Our recent video explains how pupils are supported in Specialist Resource Provisions across the county: https://youtu.be/pK4GorHjKko
More information is also available online: Specialist Resource Provision for Pupils with Speech, Language and Communication needs and Autism
Notes to editors
Existing SRPs around the county include:
Primary Schools
Avanti Brook Primary School - Bishop’s Stortford
Downfield Primary School - Cheshunt
Margaret Wix Primary School - St Albans
Sauncey Wood Primary School - Harpenden
Warren Dell Primary School - Watford
Secondary Schools
Avanti Grange Secondary - School Bishop’s Stortford
Bushey Meads School - Bushey
Longdean School - Hemel Hempstead
The Priory School - Hitchin
About Hertfordshire County Council
We are Hertfordshire County Council. We are responsible for delivering hundreds of services to the 1.2million people who live in the county.
When our residents pay their council tax, they trust us to keep them safe at home and out in the community, to act with care and compassion, and to make Hertfordshire a great place to live and work, where everyone feels welcome.
We support Hertfordshire residents from the earliest moments right through to the late stages of life.
To find out more about all the services we provide and what we deliver for our residents visit: www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/weare
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