Following a city-wide review of funding for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Leicester City Council is consulting on a proposal to withdraw the funding provided to Ash Field Academy to support its residential education services.
The withdrawal of this funding is very likely to force Ash Field to close its residential setting. Ash Field does not receive sufficient funding from other sources to maintain the service without it. There are no comparable services offered by any other state-funded education setting in the city. This will have a devastating impact on the highly vulnerable pupils who attend, all of whom have complex special educational needs. It will also cause enormous upset and stress for their families and communities, and represent an immeasurable loss to the education landscape in Leicester.
We believe that the withdrawal of this funding is a grave error. We call upon Leicester City Council to reconsider their proposal, and work with Ash Field and its stakeholders to preserve this badly-needed service.
