Neil Wilby Media

After yet another week of political controversy in a famous old East Lancashire mill town, mainly around the plans to locate a satellite Eton College in Oldham (read more here), more universally welcome news has been announced by the local Conservative Group. One of the most deprived boroughs in the UK, Oldham is to receive major funding for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) from the government.

The Department of Education has announced that the town will be part of a ground-breaking new programme to test and refine reforms to services for children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disability and their families.It will bring together education and health services, as well as parents/carers to develop an inclusion plan that sets out how they will deliver local services.

The project will see £5.8million in additional funding, across the Change Programme Partnership, to test the new ways of working.

Details of Oldham Council’s present range of SEND services can be found here.

Councillor Mohon Ali, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills said: “I’m very pleased that we’ll be receiving this funding and for what it will mean for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

“It means we can focus on what is right for us and what is important for Oldham and also aligns with our SEND & Inclusion Strategy, which has been closely developed with parents and carers.

“I look forward to seeing the funding put to work and the impact that will have on lives.”

Long-serving Labour Party grandee, retired schoolteacher and education specialist, Jeremy Sutcliffe, says:

“As Chair of Governors at both an Oldham Special School and a mainstream Primary, that news is more than welcome”.

Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.

Page last updated: Tuesday 5th September, 2023 at 10h45

Thank you for reading and a polite request: If you feel this article is of value and in the public interest, and wish to make a contribution to the running costs of this website, it would be very much appreciated. Donations can made securely (and anonymously if required), via Buy Me A Coffee at this link or via PayPal at this link.

Corrections: Please let me know if there is a mistake in this article. I will endeavour to correct it as soon as possible.

Picture credit: Barley Fields Primary School

Right of reply: If you are mentioned in this article and disagree with it, please let me have your comments. Provided your response is not defamatory it will be added to the article.

© Neil Wilby 2015-2023. Unauthorised use, or reproduction, of the material contained in this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from, and links to, the article (or blog) may be used, provided that credit is given to Neil Wilby Media, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.