Enhanced learning pathways for children with SEND approved
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are to benefit from additional bespoke education, known as enhanced pathways, following a funding decision by Oxfordshire County Council today, 25 February 2025.
The council’s cabinet approved over £2 million per year to fund a further 20 enhanced pathways and continue funding the 20 already in place, spreading support as widely as possible across the county.
The initiative, developed within mainstream schools, provides teachers with the ability to deliver small group support for children with SEND. They can offer bespoke and specialised curriculums that meet the social, emotional, sensory and academic needs of each young person.
Councillor Kate Gregory, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement, said: “More children with special educational needs and disabilities will now be able to access the right support at the right time, thanks to this commitment.
“We will be able to expand our dedicated provision and support, currently benefiting 260 children and young people in mainstream schools. We’re already seeing some really positive results among those pupils already on an enhanced learning pathway.”
The locations of the additional schools providing enhanced learning pathways will be decided in the coming weeks.
The initiative was first introduced in the 2021-22 academic year at around £500,000 per annum. Oxfordshire County Council increased this amount to £1 million a year last September when an additional eight pathways were created. Today’s announcement increases that annual funding to £2 million.
Jules Francis-Sinclair, Chair of Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF), said: "We welcome this investment in enhanced learning pathways, as parent carers consistently tell us how difficult it can be to find the right support for their children in mainstream schools.
“Many families find that small group and tailored provision makes a huge difference to their child’s ability to thrive. It is encouraging to see this initiative expanding, and we hope to see it embedded in more schools across Oxfordshire so that as many children as possible can benefit.”
Any parent wanting more information about available support should talk to their children’s school about its approach to inclusion.
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