Agenda item

Briefing Note of the Director of Children and Education.

The Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2) considered a Briefing Note and a presentation of the Head of SEND and Specialist Services on the planned process that is underway, to coproduce a new Local Area SEND and AP strategy, which will reflect both the local and national context of increased demand and complexity of needs.

Officers summarised that the joint strategy would have a clear focus on the Government’s anticipated direction of travel, workforce capacity, sufficiency of specialist provision, joint commissioning and preparation for adulthood within a financially sustainable envelope. Most importantly, it will be coproduced with children, young people, their families and all partners.

The briefing note updated Members on the background and national context to the strategy with the current SEND statutory system being enacted in 2014. In 2019 an All Party parliamentary committee published its report, concluding that the system was not fit for purpose. In response the Government committed to a major review. Consultation on reform to the system began in March 2022, “SEND Review: right support, right place, right time” and a SEND and alternative provision improvement plan was published in March 2023.

In December 2024, the current Education Committee launched a new enquiry, focused on “finding solutions to the crisis in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision.

Officers therefore stressed that system reform will take time. Within this context demand for support across the system, but particularly for children and young people with an Education Health and Care Plan; continues to grow significantly year on year both nationally and locally. As a consequence, the SEND system has become financially unsustainable and increased demand for both service and provision has created sufficiency challenges.

The Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, alongside the Director for Education and Children, both indicated the challenges in this complex area. They also recognised the importance of co-production with children and young people as well as partnership working with schools to design a strategy that works for everyone.

In considering the Briefing Note and presentation, the Board questioned officers, received responses, and discussed matters as summarised below:

·  SEND training for school drivers and the involvement of the NHS and safeguarding officers to ensure children with health care plans have a comfortable journey to school.

·  Difficultities in quantifying the SEND offer through reports and figures alone.

·  Community inclusion in the SEND offer – criticism received from young people to enable them to do everything their peers do, and exploring avenues of a SEND ‘safe spaces’ initiative for and in co-production with the children and young people of the City.

·  The success of the supported internships program.

·  The involvement of Speech and Language UK in the provision of the SEND strategy – their role in growing the skills of especially nursery staff, how they’re supporting school programs, and the impact they have on school budgets.

The Cabinet Member thanked the Board for their wide-ranging questions and support.

RESOLVED that the Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Board (2):

1)  Considers the information provided to comment and/or raise questions.

2)  Recommends that the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills considers a SEND ‘safe spaces’ initiative for and in co-production with the young people of Coventry.