Richmond Council is to allocate £123,000 to support children with special education needs (SEN) in nurseries.

The money comes in response to recommendations made by a task force set up to review the quality of SEN provision in the borough.

The funding, from the early intervention grant, is for children who access maintained nursery provision and who have the highest level of need.

The action is just one of many responses to recommendations from the task group created to consider and respond to a Government consultation on local special education provision.

The task group found local provision for children and young people with SEN to be good, but made 25 recommendations to improve services. These will be heard at September’s cabinet meeting.

The task group also recommended the release of funds to expand the learning needs team so it can continue meet the needs of young people with literacy and numeracy issues at the earliest stage.

This could mean Richmond Council sharing services with Kingston.

Deputy mayor Councillor Lisa Blakemore, who chaired the task group, said: “It is the council’s duty to ensure that all children and young people receive the highest standards of education, especially those with special educational needs.

“Therefore it is crucial that the council does all it can to offer the best possible service.”