July 2025 Kirklees SEND Newsletter | Kirklees SEND Newsletters

Woodley Rebuild update

Exciting work to expand and rebuild Woodley School and College – which is for pupils with complex autism – has moved on to the next stage.

Kirklees Council is leading the project to relocate Woodley to a new, improved site in Fernside Avenue, Almondbury, and increase the number of pupil places to around 180.

The site at Almondbury is now being cleared by demolition experts so that the new school can be built. It will feature state-of-the-art facilities and help a higher number of autistic children and young people to be educated within Kirklees. Importantly, pupils themselves have been involved in the designs.

You can find more details on the Kirklees Together website (opens link in new window)

Have you heard about REAL Employment?

REAL supports adults into work if they have learning disabilities, autism and/or additional needs.

The team seek out job opportunities which match people’s skills and they also work closely with employers in the local area. Jobseekers need to meet certain criteria, such as living in Kirklees and being aged 18-plus, but the advisors at REAL will explain this if you aren’t sure.

There’s lots of information online, including personal stories from people who were successful in their employment journey. Simply visit the REAL Employment page on the Kirklees Council website (opens link in new window).

School improvements

Kirklees Council is investing over £5.4million in improving school buildings and also creating more places for children with additional needs.

Part of the plans will see works take place at New Mill Infants School and New Mill Junior School, enabling more places for pupils with complex communication and interaction needs.

This would provide the right conditions for an ‘Additionally Resourced Provision’ (ARP) – an environment giving specialist support. A final decision on creating the ARP at New Mill will be made by the Department for Education.

The full story is on the Kirklees Together website (opens link in new window).

There are more details about ARPs on the Local Offer.

Local Offer Live!

Just a reminder that the next Local Offer Live is taking place in October – and everyone is welcome to attend!

The event, provided by Kirklees Council and PCAN (Parents of Children with Additional Needs), will bring together a vast range of information about SEND support in Kirklees. It is at the Accu Stadium (formerly known as the John Smith’s Stadium), Huddersfield, on Thursday, October 23^rd.

The list of providers who have already booked a stall is on the Local Offer website and there are still more to come. If you are a service or activity provider who would like to attend, visit the booking page.

Stall holders booking link (opens link in new window)

Early Years staff honoured at House of Lords

Staff from the Kirklees Council Early Years SEND team have been honoured for their great work in supporting young children.

They work in partnership with early years settings and a national charity, Dingley’s Promise, to ensure local under-5s with SEND can access the best sort of learning environment. As a result, they were invited to the House of Lords in London.

There are more details on the Kirklees Together website (opens link in new window)

SEND The Big Plan

A document has now been published which looks at ensuring the right sort of learning places, including for pupils with SEND, are available in Kirklees. It is called the ‘SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2025-28 – Enough of the right stuff’.

The plan is aimed mostly at SEND professionals, but anyone can read it. If you would like to see the document, it can be found on the council website (opens link in new window)

Local Area inspection update

As you may be aware, Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission have held a Local Area SEND inspection in Kirklees.

The inspection looked at how effective local partnerships are in identifying children and young people with SEND, assessing and meeting their needs, and improving their outcomes.

Local children and families played a key role in the inspection, along with a wide range of professionals. There will be an update after the report is published, which is likely to be in August.