Agenda item

To consider Report and PowerPoint presentation.

Note – The Chair will allow 45 minutes for this agenda item.

The Committee considered a report and received a presentation providing a progress update on Special education needs & disabilities (SEND) – improvement activity and Education, health and care plans (EHCP), providing a summary of the data, improvements, impact and ongoing challenges in relation to how the local area has continued to respond to delivering EHCP’s across Somerset since the reinspection of SEND services in November 2022. The Accelerated Progress Plan was signed off by the DfE in May 2023, there are monthly progress reports to the SEND Partnership Board, six-month reviews with DfE and NHSE.

The key headline is increase in numbers of plans and the number of annual reviews – there has been a decrease in number of tribunals registered (slide 5). Highlighted the situation re funding and placements and that following the recent funding consultation (presented to Scrutiny meeting in November ‘23) are developing proposals to allocate more high needs funding to schools without need for an EHCP and to make banding more equal between mainstream and special school (slide 6).

Highlighted position re SEND in Somerset schools (slide 7) and since 2018 there has been 2.6% increase in total pupil numbers and 78% increase in pupils in specialist settings.

Highlighted position re Annual Reviews / timeliness (slide 8) and referenced the LGCSO decision (slide 9). Performance against annual review timeliness will continue to challenge the LA as the number of EHC plans it needs to maintain continues to grow. The link to the Ombudsman report will be shared with the Committee.

The Committee agreed:

1.   To note the update on EHCPs and the ongoing challenges for teams across the Council and wider partners.

2.   To note the activities underway to support improvements:

•      Annual Planning Meetings offered (and monitored) to every school across Somerset to identify children requiring support from specialist LA teams.

•      Clarify expectations with schools to ensure that appropriate advice and support in advance of meeting.

•      Notes the additional staff in place to process Annual Review reports in a timely way.

•      The scrutiny committee to receive an update in 6 months on impact / uptake / number of reviews completed and so on (KPIs & training).

The Chair welcomed Dr Rob Hart, the Council’s Service Director Inclusion and Claire Merchant-Jones, the Council’s Head of SEND for this item.

The Committee considered a report and received a presentation which provided a progress update on special education needs & disabilities (SEND) – improvement activity and education, health and care plans (EHCP), providing a summary of the data, improvements, impact and ongoing challenges in relation to how the local area has continued to respond to delivering EHCP’s across Somerset since the reinspection of SEND services in November 2022.

The Accelerated Progress Plan was signed off by the DfE in May 2023, there are monthly progress reports to the SEND Partnership Board, six-month reviews with DfE and NHSE.

Dr Hart highlighted the following -

·      the key headline is the increase in numbers of plans and the number of annual reviews - there has been a decrease in number of tribunals registered (slide 5).

·      the situation re-funding and placements and that following the recent education funding consultation (presented to Scrutiny meeting in November ‘23) are developing proposals to allocate more high needs funding to schools without need for an EHCP and to make banding more equal between mainstream and special school (slide 6).

·      the position re SEND in Somerset schools (slide 7) and since 2018 there has been 2.6% increase in total pupil numbers and 78% increase in pupils in specialist settings.

·      the position re Annual Reviews / timeliness (slide 8) and referenced the LGCSO decision (slide 9) – the link to the Ombudsman report will be shared with the Committee.

·      performance against annual review timeliness will continue to challenge the LA as the number of EHC plans it needs to maintain continues to grow.

The Committee asked a number of questions and made a number of comments which were responded to at the meeting, as follows:

·      the number of EHC assessments refused, referred to in Table 3 of the report and what happens  - has been increase in the number of cases requesting assessment – the majority of requests for assessment are from schools, rather than from parents. Where the decision is taken to  refuse to assess, they can appeal and engage with the advisory teaching teams to work with the schools and their families to identify how best to support the child / young person; an EHCP should not be seen as ‘an end in itself’ and is – at best - a 20-week process; the number of plans issued is detailed in Table 4 of the report; the decision can be taken to assess and then not issue a plan – this is a small number and officers will provide the information on this.

·      Questions about the increase in SEND in Somerset schools (slide 7) and number of EHCP’s - the Chair asked Cllr Nicholson to send in her questions and so that responses can be recorded.

·      Having more plans in place means needing to undertake more reviews – have enough staff capacity to cope? – there is clear link with the education finance consultation and the aim to have more SEN funding in schools so get the right support without the need for an EHCP; annual review process highlighted and the actions underway to support improvements in this area (detailed in paragraph 3.9 of the report); there was turnover of staff historically – mentioned support in place.

·      Do know why the number of requests are increasing? – situation is complex and do not think there is asingle reason – could perhaps be because of the new legal framework; issues around funding; changes to curriculum and inspection regime in last 10 years; impact following the pandemic of children who have struggled to engage in school; national problem and system is not working for all stakeholders or achieving great outcomes for children & young people; the DfE is supporting 89 local authorities to help reduce the deficit.

The Chair thanked officers for the presentation and the Committee agreed:

1.   To note the update on EHCPs and the ongoing challenges for teams across the Council and wider partners.

2.   To note the activities underway to support improvements:

•     Annual Planning Meetings offered (and monitored) to every school across Somerset to identify children requiring support from specialist LA teams.

•     Clarify expectations with schools to ensure that appropriate advice and support in advance of meeting.

•     Notes the additional staff in place to process Annual Review reports in a timely way.

•     The scrutiny committee to receive an update in 6 months on impact / uptake / number of reviews completed and so on (KPIs & training).