Agenda item

As part of the SEND transformation plan, approved by cabinet on 29 January 2019 a recommendation was made to provide more specialist school places in Surrey– in specialist provision in mainstream schools and in special schools – so that children with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND) could be placed closer to home.  Accordingly, officers have drafted a ten year place planning strategy, the aim of which is to provide a greatly improved environment for children with the highest level of specialist needs and increase their outcomes through more newly-built or refurbished state-funded, local provision. 

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Special Education Needs & Disabilities place-planning strategic approach for a ten-year period (2019 to 2029) be approved, in principle.

2.    That the 77 bulge places for September 2019 be approved.

3.    That future projects identified as part of the place planning strategy are, where appropriate, reported to cabinet or cabinet member for approval.

Reason for Decision:

Developing and maintaining the right Surrey specialist provision is vital in ensuring appropriate placements for the Surrey young people who require a specialist Special Education Needs & Disabilities placement.  The proposed place-planning strategy will ensure a significant number of extra specialist places are provided that offer good value for money.  This strategy is needed to make sure that activities in this area are coordinated and that there are a clear set of principles on which work will be based.  This strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Children, Families, Lifelong Learning & Culture Select Committee]

The Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning introduced a report which explained how as part of the Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND) transformation plan, more specialist school places in Surrey would be provided.  These would be in specialist provision in mainstream schools and in special schools – so that children SEND could be placed closer to home.  This will reduce travel time and enable children with SEND to be more a part of their local community, and, crucially, help to increase their progress, attainment and outcomes.

Officers had drafted a ten year place planning strategy, the aim of which was to provide a greatly improved environment for children with the highest level of specialist needs and increase their outcomes through more newly-built or refurbished state-funded, local provision.  The strategy was in two parts:

·         a four year plan, which was intended to provide an extra 883 specialist places, including 77 ‘bulge’ places, over that period. Each of these types of place provision will be reported to cabinet where appropriate as they are identified and require approval; and

·         a broader 10 year plan, which is less specific and will be developed depending on whether improved practice reduces the need for specialist provision compared with current forecasts through more places within mainstream schools, but which currently projects the need for 1,693 additional specialist places in the period.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Families asked if the presumption was that most children with SEND should be in mainstream schools in their own communities and that the report focussed only on those children that could not be served by mainstream schools.  The Cabinet Member for All-Age Learning agreed that this was the case and explained how children with SEND, when supported in their local communities, could better transition to adulthood.  She also went on the say that demand for specialist places far outstripped what the council could provide and that support within mainstream schools was important.  The report also included increased provision in mainstream settings so that specialist places were freed up for those who could not attend mainstream schools. She explained the investment proposals for 2020/21 for Early Years settings and the local learning fund from which schools could apply for funding to help reduce demand for specialist places.

Several Cabinet Members spoke in favour of the proposals.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the SEND place-planning strategic approach for a ten-year period (2019 to 2029) be approved, in principle.

2.    That the 77 bulge places for September 2019 be approved.

3.    That future projects identified as part of the place planning strategy are, where appropriate, reported to cabinet or cabinet member for approval.

Reason for Decision:

Developing and maintaining the right Surrey specialist provision is vital in ensuring appropriate placements for the Surrey young people who require a specialist SEND placement.  The proposed place-planning strategy will ensure a significant number of extra specialist places are provided that offer good value for money.  This strategy is needed to make sure that activities in this area are coordinated and that there are a clear set of principles on which work will be based.  This strategy will be reviewed on an annual basis.

The decision was unanimous.