Agenda item

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report detailing the SEND pupil place planning model, which was refreshed for 2022.

The Strategic Director submitted a report providing details of the SEND Pupil Place Planning Model 2022

The Assistant City Mayor Cutkelvin for Education introduced the report, advising in terms of service sufficiency that the work done was quite advanced compared to other local authorities and officers had developed a sophisticated model of doing that. The new process looked at SEND projection and the work done was being held up as best practice.

Members welcomed the report, and the ensuing discussion included the following points:

Regarding the data contained within the report showing children’s primary needs and the main characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder, (ASD) and the categories of need that depended on medical diagnosis it was queried whether that medical diagnosis was evidenced or based upon a parent informing. It was advised that the figures referred to were taken from school census information but for a “confirmed” diagnosis there would need to be seen a medical diagnosis.

It was clarified that the Resource Allocation Panel made decisions about what placements and funding should be made of an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

In terms of discussions with Dept. for Education (DfE) about using this model currently there was no requirement to include a SEND place planning return to the government, however from next year that would become a statutory requirement, so the service was already ahead of that in terms of being able to provide the information. The service had developed this model and it wasn’t yet known what the DfE model would be so there may have to be some adjustment although at moment this was the best way for the service to be projecting SEND place need and gave power to look and forecast for the future rather than get to a crisis point and react.

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education commented that the DfE had clearly indicated that the number of EHCP’s in a local authority area and the number children in special schools was a factor when determining the High Needs Block grant therefore the modelling was especially helpful as well as being several steps ahead nationally.

The Chair enquired whether the service was convinced that the SEND forecasting model being imposed from 2023 would improve the results of the model currently in use. In reply it was felt that the current model provided more information than the DfE were likely to be asking for, certainly in the first year and it was probable that both models would be used so that comparisons on accuracy could be made and to identify if there was a better model.

There was concern that paragraphs 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 suggested the block funding deficit would rise to £9.3 million in 2 years and queried whether the government would bridge that gap. Officers replied that if children were identified as having a specific need on their EHCP then the council had a statutory duty to provide for that need, however the Higher Needs Block was ring fenced and meeting that need from within that provision was a challenge hence the spending review that had taken place as referred to in the earlier discussion and at present there was no indication of further funding from the government.

The Chair thanked officers for the update and indicated that this topic item would remain on the work programme to come back for a progress report in 6 months.

AGREED:

That the contents of the report be noted, and a progress report be brought to a future meeting in 6 months.