Agenda and minutes

There were no disclosable pecuniary interests.

(a)  To agree the Minutes from the meeting of Cabinet held on 17 March, 2026.

(b)  Matters arising

The Minutes of the meeting held on 17 March, 2026 were agreed and signed as a true record.

There were no matters arising.

Report of the Director of Children’s & Education Services

Note: In accordance with Paragraph 11.3 of Part 3E of the Constitution, Councillor R Singh, Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, has been invited to attend the meeting for this item of business to agree the need for urgency such that call-in arrangements will not apply.

The reason for urgency being the timescales involved, as the Local SEND Reform Plan must be submitted to the Department for Education by 19 June 2026.

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Children’s and Education Services which indicated that, since the reforms introduced in 2014, the national SEND system has been under sustained pressure. This has led to overstretched services and unsustainable financial positions. Despite these challenges, it is recognised that many local area partnerships have shown leadership and innovation, improving local services. The government’s commitment is to collaborate and scale what works, investing in inclusive and sustainable systems. Each local area must take full responsibility for robust action plans that demonstrate ownership, ambition, and accountability.

The Local SEND Reform Plan is expected to be revised annually as reforms are rolled out over a 3-year period initially. Delivery occurs within the current statutory framework, and no implementation of policies under consultation or awaiting legislative change is required in this first iteration. The plan must build on existing foundations and lay the groundwork for reform.

The three key components / expectations of the first iteration of the reform and local plan are:

Inclusive Mainstream System: Most children and young people with SEND should thrive in mainstream settings via high-quality teaching, inclusive practice, and targeted support. Multidisciplinary professional support will be commissioned efficiently at a group level.

Specialist Support: Specialist settings continue to serve those requiring individualised approaches or curricula not available in mainstream education.

Efficient Local Delivery: Investment in health, care, and education will support joined-up, place-based provision. This includes delivery of additional support called Experts at Hand. Collaboration with ICBs will commission multi-disciplinary support across all settings, easing pressure on school transport and ensuring children access education closer to home.

The Department for Education (DfE) will evaluate the submitted Local SEND Reform Plans to monitor ongoing performance throughout the reform period. In instances where acute performance concerns exist, officials will apply heightened scrutiny to ensure all available actions are undertaken for effective implementation of reforms. Throughout the development and implementation of these plans, continuous support and challenge will be provided by government officials, SEND Advisers, and Financial Advisers. Regular progress updates will be required including the potential to revoke the licence to deliver SEND services in cases of persistent failure.

In line with the national position, Coventry has also seen significant demand increase over the last 10 years. The number of children and young people with Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plans has more than doubled and currently there are over 4,000 children and young people with EHC plans.

Coventry’s HNB DSG allocation for the 2026/27 financial year is £81.5M and expenditure is projected to be £90.6M. This projected in-year overspend will be funded from the positive DSG reserve balance (which totalled £16.1M as of 31st March 2025).

Despite now facing financial challenge Coventry is well-placed to deliver on the Reforms as a result of well-established partnership working in place across the local area and work that is already in place, which aligns with the government direction of travel (e.g. continued investment in specialist provision across the city – specialist schools and enhanced resource provision,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

There are no outstanding issues

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of urgent public business.