A £3.174m investment to support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), has been approved by Central Beds Council.

The increase to the 2026/27 Children and Families Capital Budget was approved by Full Council on Thursday (16 July), with the council saying it will create more early years places, expand childcare provision and increase specialist support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The funding is fully supported by Government grants and developer contributions, meaning there is no change to the council's net capital budget.

The investment includes £824,000 for two early years projects at Rainbows at St Andrew’s Primary in Biggleswade and Stanbridge Lower School. Funded through Section 106 developer contributions and Department for Education (DfE) capital grant funding, the projects will increase both early years capacity and school-age childcare provision, supporting the national early years expansion programme.

Central Beds Council has approved extra funding of £3m for early years and SEND education provision

placeholder image — Central Beds Council has approved extra funding of £3m for early years and SEND education provision

A further £450,000 will be invested through the Early Years School-Based Nursery Capital Grant programme. Three maintained schools, Shefford Lower, Moggerhanger Primary and Mary Bassett Lower in Leighton Buzzard have each been awarded approximately £150,000 in DfE funding to create additional nursery places and help meet growing demand for high-quality early years provision.

The largest element of the package, £1.9 million, will support the development and expansion of Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs) and specialist SEND provision across Central Bedfordshire.

The funding will be used to adapt, refurbish and enhance existing educational settings, creating additional specialist places and providing more local support for children and young people with SEND.

The investment forms part of the council's wider SEND sufficiency strategy, which aims to ensure more children can access the specialist support they need closer to home.

Executive Member for Children and Families, Cllr Gareth Mackey, said: "This investment is excellent news for children, young people and families across Central Bedfordshire.

"By securing more than £3 million of external funding, we are able to increase early years and childcare capacity, while also expanding specialist SEND provision, without placing any additional pressure on the council's budget.

"These projects will help more children access high-quality early education, give families greater childcare options and ensure more young people with additional needs can receive the right support in the right place.

"Creating opportunities for every child to reach their full potential is one of the council's key priorities, and this investment represents another important step towards delivering that ambition."