New Specialist Resource Provisions in Kent
As children return to school, new and expanded Specialist Resource Provisions are being developed across Kent. We explain what an SRP is, who may benefit and what families need to know about securing a suitable placement.
Returning to school can bring excitement, uncertainty and significant change. For families of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), September may also bring questions about whether their child’s current school can provide the support they need.
Kent County Council has announced that new and expanded Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) are opening in mainstream schools across the county. The wider programme is intended to create hundreds of additional specialist places over the coming years.
SRPs can provide an important bridge between ordinary mainstream support and specialist-school education. However, an SRP will not be the right placement for every child, and the opening of new provision does not automatically guarantee that a suitable place will be immediately available.
What is a Specialist Resource Provision?
A Specialist Resource Provision is based within a mainstream school but provides additional specialist support for pupils with a particular type of SEND. Children remain members of the mainstream school community while receiving a more individualised combination of specialist teaching, intervention, environmental adaptation and supported access to mainstream lessons.
The precise model varies between schools. Some children may spend most of their day in mainstream lessons and use the SRP for targeted support, regulation or particular activities. Others may require a greater proportion of their learning to take place within the specialist environment.
Placement should be based on the individual child’s strengths, needs, outcomes and ability to access learning—not simply their diagnosis.
How is an SRP different from mainstream or special school?
September 2026 update
New provision at The Downs Primary School in Deal
Kent County Council has confirmed that a new SRP called The Lighthouse is opening at The Downs Church of England Primary School in Deal.
The provision is being developed within the former Blossoms Children’s Centre building and will offer places for up to 14 children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs).
The building has been adapted to create larger teaching spaces and connect it to the main school site. Plans also include a dedicated sensory room.
The stated aim is to enable pupils to receive specialist support while continuing to participate in the wider life of the mainstream school.
Another confirmed development
New SRP at St Edmund’s Primary School
Kent County Council has also approved a new 20-place Specialist Resource Provision at St Edmund’s Church of England Primary School in West Kingsdown.
The provision is intended for pupils with autism and/or speech, language and communication needs and was approved to open from September 2026.
These are part of a wider programme of new and expanded SRPs across Kent. KCC says the programme will create hundreds of additional specialist places over the coming years.
Important: “Hundreds of additional places” refers to the wider programme over the coming years. It does not mean that hundreds of places are immediately available for allocation this September.
What types of needs do Kent’s SRPs support?
Kent has SRPs supporting different broad areas of need. These include:
Each provision has its own designation, age range and admissions criteria. A child will not necessarily be eligible for every SRP simply because they have an EHCP or a diagnosis.
Does a child need an EHCP to attend an SRP?
In Kent, a child or young person will generally need an Education, Health and Care Plan to be considered for an SRP placement.
The evidence should demonstrate that the child needs a high level of ongoing and flexible specialist support to participate in learning or activities within a mainstream setting.
Evidence may need to describe:
- The child’s strengths and individual profile of need.
- The barriers affecting access to learning and participation.
- The support and reasonable adjustments already provided.
- The child’s response to previous intervention.
- Communication, interaction and sensory needs.
- Learning, emotional-regulation and independence needs.
- Relevant professional assessments and recommendations.
- The specialist provision required to achieve the child’s EHCP outcomes.
Is a diagnosis enough to secure a place?
No. A diagnosis may help professionals understand a child’s presentation, but placement decisions should be based on the child’s assessed special educational needs and the provision required to meet them.
Two children with the same diagnosis may need very different levels and types of support. Equally, a child can have significant SEND without yet having a formal medical or neurodevelopmental diagnosis.
An SRP placement should be based on assessed need and required provision—not diagnosis alone.
How does a family request an SRP placement?
Parents can express a preference for a particular school or type of setting during the EHCP process or at an annual or emergency review. However, SRP admission is not normally managed through an informal application directly to the school.
The local authority will consider the child’s EHCP, the suitability of the provision, available places and the school’s response to consultation.
Families considering an SRP can:
- Review whether the current EHCP accurately describes the child’s needs.
- Check whether Section F specifies the provision the child requires clearly and precisely.
- Ask the SENCO or local authority case officer about suitable SRPs.
- Research the designation and age range of each provision.
- Visit the school and ask how access to mainstream lessons is decided.
- Request an early review if the current placement is no longer suitable.
- Seek independent SEND advice if there is disagreement about the placement or EHCP.
Questions to ask when visiting an SRP
The presence of an SRP does not, by itself, tell families what day-to-day support will look like. Useful questions include:
- Which profile of needs is the provision designed to support?
- How many pupils attend, and what are the staffing arrangements?
- How much time do pupils spend in mainstream lessons?
- How is participation decided and reviewed?
- What communication support is available?
- How are sensory and emotional-regulation needs supported?
- Are speech and language therapy or occupational therapy provided?
- How are EHCP outcomes monitored and reported?
- How does the school respond to distress or behaviour linked to unmet need?
- How are transitions between the SRP and mainstream classes managed?
- How are parents involved in planning and reviewing support?
- What happens if the placement stops meeting the child’s needs?
Back to school: signs that a child may need more support
Some transition anxiety is understandable at the beginning of a new term. However, families should not be expected to wait indefinitely if a child is showing sustained signs that their needs are not being met.
Signs at school
- Increasing absence or difficulty entering school.
- Frequent removal from class.
- Shutdown, distress or dysregulation.
- Reduced access to learning.
- Repeated sanctions for SEND-related behaviour.
- Increasing dependence on individual adult support.
Signs at home
- Severe exhaustion after school.
- Meltdowns or withdrawal after masking.
- Sleep or appetite changes.
- Physical complaints linked to school.
- Escalating anxiety on school mornings.
- Loss of confidence or statements of hopelessness.
Difficulties at home can still provide important evidence about whether a placement is sustainable. A child who appears quiet or compliant during the school day may be using considerable effort to cope.
Keep a clear record during the first weeks of term
If concerns emerge, families may find it helpful to record:
- Dates and reasons for absence or late arrival.
- Incidents of distress, shutdown or dysregulation.
- Changes in sleep, eating, mood or physical health.
- Sanctions, exclusions or removals from class.
- Adjustments that have helped or made matters worse.
- Emails and discussions with the school.
- Whether the provision written into the EHCP is actually being delivered.
The purpose is not to build a case against the school. A clear record can help families and professionals identify patterns, review support and make better-informed decisions.
More SRP places are positive—but quality matters
Creating more specialist places closer to home has the potential to reduce long journeys, support inclusion and give children access to specialist input without separating them from their local communities.
However, the success of an SRP depends on more than a designated room or additional places. Provision must be supported by appropriate staffing, training, specialist professional input, suitable environments and clear arrangements for delivering each child’s EHCP.
Expansion should therefore be assessed not only by the number of places created, but by children’s attendance, participation, emotional wellbeing, educational progress and achievement of meaningful outcomes.
Understanding the whole child
How Lycali can support children, families and schools
Lycali provides neurodevelopmental assessment, speech and language therapy, psychological services and practical support for children, families and education settings.
Our work considers how communication, learning, sensory needs, emotional wellbeing and neurodevelopmental differences may affect a child’s access to education.
Depending on the child’s needs, support may include speech and language assessment, autism or ADHD assessment, school consultation, staff training, recommendations for reasonable adjustments and intervention linked to functional outcomes.
Independent assessment does not determine or guarantee an SRP placement. However, clear professional evidence can help identify a child’s needs, the barriers they experience and the provision that may be required.
The right support, in the right setting
Kent’s investment in new and expanded Specialist Resource Provisions is an important development for local families. SRPs can offer some children the specialist support they need while preserving access to a mainstream curriculum, friendships and community.
They are not, however, a single solution for every child with SEND. The right placement must be determined through careful assessment of the individual child, the provision specified in their EHCP and the setting’s ability to deliver that support consistently.
As the new school year begins, families should be given clear information, meaningful involvement and prompt opportunities to review support when a child is struggling.
Further information
Is your child finding it difficult to access school?
Contact Lycali to discuss assessment, speech and language therapy or specialist support for your child or education setting.
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