A new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) strategy, which looks to ensure children in the borough get the support they need, has been approved.

At a meeting of the council's cabinet committee on Monday, September 18, the new five-year strategy was given the green light.

It will aim to make sure every family's experience of the borough's SEND services is positive and that all children are given the support they need to fulfil their potential.

In June last year, Oldham's SEND provision was inspected by regulator Ofsted, with inspectors finding failings in SEND services that need to be addressed by the council and local NHS.

The new SEND strategy was drafted before the inspection and Ofsted said in their letter following that inspection that the new strategy was ambitious, well thought out, reflective of the current needs within Oldham and could have a positive impact on improving services.

Parents and carers from across the borough were involved in shaping the plan, helping to chose the key priorities.

The main priorities include working with communities to identify needs early so that support needed can be identified quickly, enabling children and young people to get involved in their local community, working to identify where specialist support is needed, improving access to education and securing better outcomes for children with autism.

Other priorities include identifying the needs of children and young people with speech, language and communication needs at the earliest stage and making sure every experience a child has with a SEND-related service is positive.

Cllr Mohon Ali, cabinet member for education and skills at the council, said: "This strategy is a crucial step in building the services our children and families need and deserve.

"It's our responsibility to ensure that children and young people with SEND receive the highest amount of care and attention and this plan sets out just how we plan to achieve that.

"I'm proud that this strategy was produced in collaboration with parents and carers as we need their valuable input in order to design and deliver the best possible services. I'd like to thank all of them who contributed their valuable time and knowledge in order to get this plan together."