Agenda item

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submits a report to provide the Commission with an overview of the findings from a strategic commissioning review of Millgate School’s overnight respite / residential provision.  Millgate School is a school for children with special educational needs and specialises in provision for pupils with Social Emotional and Mental Health needs.

The Strategic Director of Social Care and Education submitted a report providing an overview of the findings from a strategic commissioning review of Millgate School’s overnight respite and residential provision.

Councillor Cutkelvin, Assistant City Mayor for Education, and the Director of Adult Social Care and Commissioning, presented the item. It was noted that:

·         Due to budget pressures, the spending on the High Needs Block was under review.

·         This review had made it clear that the level of spending per student at Millgate School was much higher than other Special Schools, in part due to the residential facilities provided by the school being funded by the Block.

·         Therefore, a review had been conducted into the provision. Staff, pupils, and parents were all included in the review.

·         A number of possible recommendations were proposed following the review. It was decided to recommend Option 3 that funding from the High Needs Block towards the residential provision be tapered off as it was found to be outside the remit of the Block.

·         The Council would work with the school to try to find additional funding to repurpose the respite facility and make it available for pupils of other schools.

In response to Members’ questions, it was noted that:

·         Millgate School had chosen to go to an academy model, but this had made no impact on the decision.

·         The residential provision was currently only available to Millgate pupils.

·         The money saved would continue to be spent in other areas relevant to the High Needs Block as the funding was ringfenced for this purpose.

·         Respite provision was a Care provision rather than Educational, and none of the children using the service had this requirement included in their  EHCP. Provision of respite from the Children’s Social Care budget was under review.

·         The pupils of Millgate would not have met the threshold to receive respite funding form the Children’s Social Care budget.

·         A wider funding of respite provision would be preferable but was not possible due to budget pressures.

Several Members of the Commission stated that it was regrettable that the provision could no longer be supported, and expressed disappointment that the High Needs Block funding was not more and that with the current funding the extra spending on the provision couldn’t be justified.

Councillor Moore was invited by the Chair to give her views as a member of the advisory board for Millgate. Whilst recognising the efforts of Officers and the Executive in this issue, she disagreed with the recommendation to taper funding for the residential provision. It was suggested that the provision did fall under the remit of the High Needs Block, as a link could be drawn between educational success and having good accommodation. It was also suggested that some who would lose the provision, may not be able to remain at the school if their behaviours escalated, which could mean them having to be placed in out of area, and at greater cost to the Council.

Other Commission Members agreed with Councillor Moore, and felt that Option 1, to review the operating model to rationalise the funding, would be preferable. It was felt that sufficient evidence had not been provided that there was no educational advantage to the respite provision.

Councillor Willmott moved that the Commission recommend that Option 1, to review the operating model to rationalise the funding, be supported. This was seconded by Councillor Crewe, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was REJECTED.

Members of the Commission agreed that there should be a comprehensive review of respite provision in Leicester, involving a full range of statutory partners.

The Chair moved that the Commission recommend that option 3, “Funding to be reduced from £400k to £300k from September – August 2021/22 A further reduction to £200k in 2022/23 and a reduction to £100k in 2023/24, no further funding from 2024/25.” put forward by the Executive. This was seconded by Councillor Riyait, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was APPROVED.

AGREED:

1.    That the Commission supported the recommendation “Funding to be reduced from £400k to £300k from September – August 2021/22 A further reduction to £200k in 2022/23 and a reduction to £100k in 2023/24, no further funding from 2024/25.”

2.    That the Commission requested that a comprehensive review be held into respite provision in Leicester.