Hello to everyone in Bracknell Forest. The temperatures have certainly dropped recently - winter has arrived, and Christmas is just 3 weeks away!
It’s an important time of year for many people of faith and it’s also an exciting time of year, especially for our younger residents. The council strives to give all children in Bracknell Forest the best possible start in life.
Children are at the heart of our ongoing SEND improvement journey. Every positive step we take forward is for them, their families, and their future.
The council is making steady and sustained progress with our SEND provision for children and young people. The number of Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) completed on time has improved and we have cleared a backlog of EHCPs. The voice of parents and carers has strengthened through the Parent and Carer Forum, which has almost doubled in size over the past 18 months. We also have an ambitious multi-million pound investment plan to increase the number of SEND school places in the borough. This includes building a new school and specialist resource provisions within existing mainstream schools.
Through this investment, we will have created new capacity for specialist SEND provision of up to 25 places at Sandhurst School this year, and we’re creating up to 25 places at Edgbarrow School from September 2025. We are also progressing plans for a new autism free school for 100 children in Buckler’s Park and a new social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) school for 50 children in Warfield.
The council is working closely with schools and services across Bracknell Forest to make sure the support for children, young people and their families is in place, and can be accessed at the right time. We’re making great strides towards improving support for children who are becoming young adults and want an independent and bright future. We’ve also invested more than £1 million in extra staff to help support the extra demand for EHCPs.
These improvements will take time to embed. It also takes partnership working and collaboration. Our sustained progress continues to be regularly endorsed and monitored by independent and outside authorities like the Department for Education.
We will continue to work hard for the best possible service and outcomes for our SEND children, young people and their families. We want to make sure all children in the borough feel like they belong and have an opportunity to thrive.
Best wishes,
Cllr Mary Temperton
