Agenda item

To receive an introductory presentation and consider the draft scope and project plan for the review.

The Select Committee received an introductory presentation setting out background and context for the review.

Key issues highlighted and discussed were as follows:

·         The responsibilities of the SEND (Special Educational needs and (Special Educational Needs and Disability) and Additional Resourced Provision (ARP) Service. The Service was responsible for executing the duties laid out in The Children and Families Act 2014 which stated that Councils were responsible for:

o    Identification, Assessment and Planning for Children and Young People 0-25 with SEND

o    Ensuring sufficient and suitable SEND and AP placements

o    Coordinate statutory EHC Needs Assessments, ensuring compliance with legal duty

o    Work with health, social care and parents collaboratively to co-produce services that meet the needs of the local area

o    Ensure that services are accessible to families, publishing a clear and informative local offer

·         The SEND and AP Service Structure

·         The review of ARPS in 2017 replaced the Enhanced Mainstream Schools (EMS) model owing to sufficiency issues, increasing demand and changes in need post COVID

·         4,216 children aged 3 – 16 were registered as SEND support and were largely educated in mainstream schools

·         2,650 children had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and required statutory interventions over and above what was available in mainstream schools

·         The introduction of ARP and SEND Units was part of strategic outcome 3 of the Local Area Inclusion Plan. The data revealed that too many children and young people were in specialist provision, some of which was out of the local area and the demand for this provision far outweighed availability. These placements were at exceptionally high costs and children and young people did not always meet their outcomes and expected progress. The reduction in the reliance of out of area placements would ensure cost savings on both high needs revenue and Council funds for community transport. This would ensure efficient use of high needs block funding that could be utilised locally to ensure that there were targeted investments and that this funding was being used to implement a preventative approach, such as CPD and capacity building in mainstream schools through the introduction of SEND units

·         The EMS review revealed that EMS was oversubscribed, the admissions criteria was not reflective of current cohort, funding was not enough to meet needs, the framework was too rigid in meeting needs and children were being placed incorrectly

·         In October 2024 consultation took place on increasing capacity in mainstream schools by transferring current EMS to ARP and SEN units. The proposals were well received with 64% of responses strongly agreeing with the proposals and 19% of responses agreeing. In January 2025 Cabinet agreed to the transfer of provision

·         In December 2024, The Department for Education (DfE) announced a £740 million investment to create 10,000 new specialist places for pupils with SEND, focusing on mainstream schools. This funding would help create more inclusive environments and address the gap in provision, with a particular focus on SEN units and resourced provisions within mainstream schools. The Council received a proportion of this capital funding although there had not been a need for capital investment in the schools that had applied for ARP

·         Details of the primary and secondary schools that had come forward were presented. Although there had been a lot of interest from the primary sector, interest from secondary schools had been disappointing. Currently there were only five secondary schools on board for September and no secondary schools had expressed an interest in having a SEN unit

·         ARP provision would cater for additional needs and a turnaround speech and language ARP would be available at one primary schools

·         SEN units would cater for mixed and significant learning needs

·         Placements were opening in September 2025:

o    Children had to have an EHC Plan to access

o    Places were additional to school’s PAN (Pupil Agreed Number)

o    Parents were able to preference the provision

o    Funding was in additional to the recommended funding from DFE

o    The admissions criteria was co-produced with schools

Following the presentation and discussion, the Select Committee reviewed the scope and project plan for the review. The purpose of this scrutiny would be to receive an update on the implementation of the transfer from September 2025 and engage with the secondary schools to secure additional applications from the secondary sector and fully understand the barriers to the schools becoming ARPS, identifying ways in which we might overcome this to secure the provision required for children and young people in the borough.

AGREED that the presentation be noted and scope and project plan for the review be agreed.