Plans put forward to create specialist SEND early years provision in Penhill

To create the extra provision, a plan has been put forward which would see £600,000 invested into a former nursery on the site of the Everleigh Centre, in Everleigh Road, Penhill.

Currently, The Saltway Centre in Middleleaze is the only place in Swindon which provides specialist early years SEND provision, run by the Council, and the new site would make it much easier for a large number of families to access the support for their children.

A review of early years provision for children with SEND showed there was a lack of inclusive early years provision in Swindon, with approximately half the number of children with SEND accessing their full early years entitlement of 15 hours of childcare, compared to their peers without any additional needs.

The Penhill nursery building has been empty for four years and is a former children’s centre, which was originally built as an early years’ education provision. It is also located in an area of high deprivation with the highest percentage of children with SEND in the Borough.

The nursery will operate during school term-time, but the service will offer specific SEND stay and play sessions for children and their families with a large outdoor space able to support children’s physical development.

There are plans to run an out-of-school provision and a holiday club for children with SEND as part of the Holiday, Activities and Food (HAF) programme when the nursery will be closed.

The Council would also host part of its portage service at the centre, which is a home visiting service for parents and children with complex needs.

If approved by councillors, the new centre would be open in September next year.

The proposals also support all three of the Council’s missions to Reduce Inequality, Build a Better Swindon and Achieve Net Zero.

Councillor Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “I am really pleased to be able to bring this proposal to Cabinet as we know that children with SEND are far less likely to access their full entitlement of early years provision compared to their peers.

“By creating this additional provision in Penhill, we will ensure that more children with SEND are able to access more of their early years’ entitlement through either inclusion outreach or through specialist early years places.

“It will also make it even easier for families who may struggle to get to our only current centre at Saltway in West Swindon.

“If we can provide support at the very start of a child’s educational journey, we will be able to give parents the support they need to navigate complex and unfamiliar SEND processes, while also helping to improve educational attainment and outcomes for children.”