Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Deputy Leader (including Children, Education and Young People’s Services)

Forward Plan Ref: 2022/046

Contact: Kate Bradley, Head of SEND, 07584 262422

Report by Corporate Director for Children’s Service (CA8).

A Local Area SEND Strategy was co-drafted over a period of 4 months by a governance group of representatives from Local Authority Education, Social Care (Children’s and Adult), Health, Education Setting and Parent/Carers.  Public consultation ran from 10 January to 10 March 2022.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to approve publication of the Local Area SEND Strategy.

Recommendations agreed.

Cabinet considered the Local Area SEND Strategy which was co-drafted by a governance group of representatives from Local Authority Education, Social Care (Children’s and Adult), Health, Education Setting and Parent/Carers.

Before discussing the report the Chair agreed to a request to speak.

Councillor John Howson stated that he looked forward to seeing the implementation plans and reminded Cabinet to place Members at the heart of decisions.  The national Schools Bill was disappointing with no provision for SEND pupils because a national strategy has yet to be formalised.  The government was not doing enough to help local authorities to provide for children with SEND coming into the county.

A recent report noted that the government had laudably raised parental expectations but had not provided the funding to meet those expectations sustainably.  He believed that it was wrong that Ofsted reports did not include measures of SEND inclusion.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Young People’s Services agreed that central government had not grasped this issue.  There was a White Paper on schools and a Green Paper on SEND but she did not believe that they were working in the same direction.

In the development of this strategy there were fifteen engagement sessions that included children, parents, sector partners and the community and voluntary sectors.  Going forward it was agreed that the People Overview & Scrutiny Committee will be consulted on the implementation plan and the intention is to keep up the high level of public engagement.

The Chair emphasised that the recommendation was to approve the document with the list of amendments made following consultation.

RESOLVED to approve publication of the Local Area SEND Strategy.