Councillors and committees

Agenda item

Developing Local Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Provision in Surrey to Meet Demand in 2021/2022

Decision:

RESOLVED:

 

  1. That the use of SEND Capital Funding against the projects identified through the Expression of Interest (EOI) process with Surrey Schools for Phase 2 of the SEND Capital Programme to create 213 additional Specialist Planned Places in Surrey for academic year 2021-2022 be approved.

 

  1. That the use of additional SEND Capital Funding of £6.4m required to complete the Freemantle’s expansion, in addition to Phase 1 be approved.

 

  1. That the transfer of £36m of Capital Budget to the SEND Capital Phase 1 and 2 Programmes be approved.

 

Reason for Decision:

 

Under Part 3 Section 21 of the Children & Families Act, 2014 the Local Authority and its partners have a statutory duty to keep special educational provision under review, including planning, commissioning and monitoring. In carrying out the duties in the Children & Families Act 2014, local authorities and others with responsibilities under that Act, are also covered by the Equality Act, 2010. 

Developing and maintaining high quality specialist provision in Surrey is vital to ensure appropriate placements for the county’s most vulnerable children and young people who have complex SEND and require specialist educational provision.

The proposed schemes (SeeAnnex 1) ensure enough special school places are provided for secondary and Post 16 age children and young people who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, Communication & Interaction needs and Cognition & Learning needs. These are the 3 need-types where long-term deficits in planned places have already been identified.

Increasing local specialist provision assures high quality teaching (through robust monitoring protocols) in Surrey’s Good and Outstanding provision as graded by Ofsted, value for money at a more equitable cost per learner, the development of social value opportunities as well as employment in local communities. 

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

 

 

Minutes:

The report was introduced by the Cabinet Member for All- Age Learning who explained that this report would help meet demand in 2021/22 for specialist provision, stressing that this was a positive approach which is part of the councils transformation plan and SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2020-2025 which was approved by Cabinet on 29 January 2019. A recommendation was made to increase the specialist provision in mainstream specialist centres, special academies and maintained special schools in Surrey in order to reduce the reliance on Non- Maintained and Independent Specialist provision and out of county Independent provision. The recommendations are aligned with the local area’s 2030 Community Vision which received Full Council unanimous approval to support the aspiration that everyone achieves their full potential, contributes to their community and no one is left behind so that children and young people who have SEND and Education Health and Care Plans are educated in their nearest most appropriate setting and closer to home. The report speaks to the four key priorities identified in the Strategic Reset paper and will develop Surreys special educational needs strategy.

 

The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families stated that both her and the Cabinet Member for All- Age Learning received a lot of contact from families with children who have special educational needs and disabilities. The Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Families expressed gratitude in having Cabinets support through the capital programme with making better provision for children in the county. This report demonstrates our support to families. Attention was drawn to Annex 2 with over £5m having been spent on providing additional places and 119 places having already been delivered. The phased approach is necessary and will take the council forward into the future.

 

The Cabinet Member for Finance added that he supported the paper and that it met all the financial hurdles. The Deputy Cabinet Member for People added that this vital piece of work supported other important work in the service including transition services which she is responsible for.

 

RESOLVED:

 

  1. That the use of SEND Capital Funding against the projects identified through the Expression of Interest (EOI) process with Surrey Schools for Phase 2 of the SEND Capital Programme to create 213 additional Specialist Planned Places in Surrey for academic year 2021-2022 be approved.

 

  1. That the use of additional SEND Capital Funding of £6.4m required to complete the Freemantle’s expansion, in addition to Phase 1 be approved.

 

  1. That the transfer of £36m of Capital Budget to the SEND Capital Phase 1 and 2 Programmes be approved.

 

Reason for Decision:

 

Under Part 3 Section 21 of the Children & Families Act, 2014 the Local Authority and its partners have a statutory duty to keep special educational provision under review, including planning, commissioning and monitoring. In carrying out the duties in the Children & Families Act 2014, local authorities and others with responsibilities under that Act, are also covered by the Equality Act, 2010. 

Developing and maintaining high quality specialist provision in Surrey is vital to ensure appropriate placements for the county’s most vulnerable children and young people who have complex SEND and require specialist educational provision.

The proposed schemes (SeeAnnex 1) ensure enough special school places are provided for secondary and Post 16 age children and young people who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, Communication & Interaction needs and Cognition & Learning needs. These are the 3 need-types where long-term deficits in planned places have already been identified.

Increasing local specialist provision assures high quality teaching (through robust monitoring protocols) in Surrey’s Good and Outstanding provision as graded by Ofsted, value for money at a more equitable cost per learner, the development of social value opportunities as well as employment in local communities. 

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

 

 

Supporting documents: