Major shake-up planned in council education team

3 hours ago

Phil ShepkaCambridgeshire political reporter

Cambridgeshire County Council said it had seen significant increases in the demand for SEND support

BBC Back views of pupils in a secondary school classroom. They are a mix of boys and girls, sitting on red chairs and around tables. In the distance is a teacher using a pen on a white board. — Cambridgeshire County Council said it had seen significant increases in the demand for SEND support

A major shake-up has been planned for a council's education services that was told to make improvements by regulators to its special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it has been "experiencing significant increases" in demand for SEND support and has proposed changes to nearly a third of its 293 full-time roles, with a small number of job losses.

Last year, regulators said there were "inconsistent experiences and outcomes" for children and young people.

A council spokesperson said the plan "aims to ensure resources are better aligned" so children can be supported earlier and "wherever possible, educated in their local mainstream school".

The council said a consultation began in March for the proposals concerning the teams, which include SEND support, admissions and attendance, adding that "no decisions have been made".

"We are working to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible," it added.

"While the current proposals could mean that around 90 roles may be at risk, the proposals would also create new posts that would aim to offer suitable alternative employment for the majority of those affected.

"All colleagues are being supported to ensure they understand the potential impact of the current proposals."

The authority added: "The proposed restructure aims to integrate functions that are currently separate so that schools can access the right support more quickly on a locality basis."

Gordon White, regional organiser from the GMB union, said it was "actively engaging with our members across the service, as well as our fellow unions".

"We have been amplifying our members' voices at every stage to ensure the decision makers are fully aware of the scale and the value of the work done by the various teams, as well as the potential impact of the proposals.

"GMB is committed, as always, to ensuring the best outcome for our members."

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