Find out what was discussed at the latest Warwickshire County Council Cabinet meeting.
Improving lives through education, particularly for children and young people with SEND, as well as improving transport options and reducing emissions were among the key areas of focus under the spotlight at today’s meeting of Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet.
Cabinet approved nearly £40m of its education capital to be spent on the building and repurposing of schools around the county.
Among the more significant allocations were funding for new builds at Lighthorne Heath and Shottery Primary Schools, which will create in excess of 600 new places. Additional money was allocated for the completion of the Myton Gardens Primary School, the expansions to Stratford-upon-Avon School and the George Eliot Academy.
In the cases of all primary school allocations, these include money to provide in-school SEND provision, keeping children in mainstream schools in their local communities and reducing the need for expensive transport to schools away from their homes or even out of the county.
Funding from the Capital Programme to enable Specialist Resource Provision was also agreed for Nicholas Chamberlaine School in Bedworth, Park Hill Junior in Kenilworth and St Paul’s CofE in Nuneaton.
Cabinet endorsed the pillars of the Delivering Better Values for children and young people programme. In line with that, it approved adaptations to numerous schools within the county to increase or establish Specialist Resourced Provision enabling young people with SEND to remain on the site of the mainstream school in their communities and receive their educations there.
Another area of focus covered by Cabinet was improving transport options. New proposals for allocating Government funding for improved public transport were agreed and will provide services to areas where communities are at risk of being isolated and ensure that bus transport enables access to economic opportunities. Additional bus services will also encourage a shift in how people travel around the county, in a push to continue to reduce carbon emissions.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “Today at Cabinet, our children and young people were very much at the forefront of the discussions. We considered a lot of work that will now happen that will give us the necessary facilities – buildings, classrooms, dedicated spaces and resources – to give all of Warwickshire’s children the best start in life.
“The decision to allocate funding towards specialist resources for children with SEND along with the recommendations put forward to address the gaps in educational attainment are clear signs of the council’s commitment to improving outcomes for every single one of our children and young people.”
The meeting can be viewed here.