What we do - Have your say! - Other local and national surveys and consultations

Wiltshire Special Education Provision Consultation

Following the Special School Discussion sessions WPCC organised before Christmas in 2017, progress has been made as a result of what parents fed back during these sessions. One of the outcomes of the sessions has been an agreement by Wiltshire Council Cabinet to go to public consultation to consider proposals for meeting the growing demand on special school places.

Wiltshire Council has shared the following information with the WPCC:

'Wiltshire Council has been collaborating with schools on how to improve special education provision and this has now reached the stage of going out to consultation with everyone next month. The consultation will help decide the future of three of its special schools. It will be live on the Wiltshire Council website and we will be sharing the detail of how you can have your say as soon as this is available.

Wiltshire needs an additional 220 places by 2026 for children and young people with special needs and/or disabilities. There is also a need to address where the schools are placed to ensure sufficient spaces are available for different needs in the north and south. Some pupils currently have to travel up to 90 minutes to attend school.

The three options are to develop a single school, develop two schools or develop/continue three schools in Chippenham, Trowbridge and Rowdeford. The results of the consultation will be considered by Wiltshire Council for any further action including the possibility of publishing statutory notices for formal consultation on any specific proposal.'

Further information can be found [here] on the Wiltshire Council website and the WPCC will promote information about how parents can participate in the consultation when the information is available.

Martins Croft Play Area Project Colerne – share your views on play equipment

Martins Croft Play Area Project is a volunteer run project aiming to improve the play area in Colerne for children with disabilities and/or additional needs. They have charitable funding for some equipment already and are keen to hear your views. Anyone from anywhere is welcome to come and use the play area. So please give your feedback where ever you live in Wiltshire.

As Colerne is at the point Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire meet they are extending their survey to those counties to hear from families with children with disabilities and/or additional needs. They can then use the results to ensure they buy equipment that best suits the needs of the children locally. It isn't a large play area but they hope to fill it with great equipment. All funding is coming from charitable sources.

Click on the following link to complete the survey: [Martins Croft]

The survey will close at the end of May 2018

Contact - Petition in Response to Cuts to Universal Credit

Under [Universal Credit], payments for a disabled child are to be cut by more than 50 per cent for most disabled children. Consequently, many families with a disabled child will be worse off. Families whose caring responsibilities prevent them from working and who qualify for the lower disability element appear certain to be worse off by at least £1,600 per year. It seems certain that the number of families with disabled children who will be worse off is likely to be significantly more than 100,000. Many of these families are already struggling to afford basic essentials such as food and heating. The impact of a further cut of more than £1,600 a year for many is likely to be increased debt, stress and ill health. Contact is therefore calling on the Prime Minister to reverse cuts to child disability payments under Universal Credit.

More than 4,000 people have signed Contact’s (formerly Contact a Family) petition so far. This is an invitation to join them and help stop cuts to payments for disabled children under Universal Credit, by [signing the petition] today.

More information about Contact’s campaign against cuts to Universal Credit can be found [HERE].