To receive a report on SEND and preparation for inspection from David Griffiths.

David Griffiths, Special Educational Needs Service (SEND) Manager (AfC), started off explaining that Education Heath and Care Plans (EHCP) were care plans for children and young people with significant and complex special educational needs. There were 1,179 EHCPs for children and young people aged 0-25 in 2023 so far in the Borough, a 10% increase compared to 2022. This followed a national trend of a 10% increase every year which would concerningly place additional pressure on the system.

The primary needs were the following:

·       41% for autism,

·       18% for social, emotional and mental health (SEMH),

·       16% for communication and language,

·       13% learning,

·       8% for physical and medical.

In terms of school attendance:

·       49% of children and young people with EHCPs were attending mainstream schools (i.e., maintained or academy),

·       32% attended a special school,

·       10% in further education (e.g., Sixth Form, colleges or specialist colleges),

·       9% attended other forms of education (e.g., elective home education, home learning package etc.).

·       16% of the Borough’s children and young people with EHCPs were placed outside of the Borough.

The first stage of a EHCP a 20-week-long assessment process; in which around 90% of EHC assessments were completed on time, compared to the national average of 50-60%. This was positive as it meant young people were properly receiving support as well as the Borough meeting its statutory duty.

David Griffiths then explained how the Borough prepared for SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) inspections, particularly as the timings were unknown and thus the Borough had to be always ready.

·       A SEN (special education needs) data dashboard was established to share data and figures internally and external partners, which also included regular review meetings.

·       A Self-Evaluation Framework (SEF) was being completed to test officers on questions from inspectors as well as compile supporting evidence.

·       A draft Quality Assurance Framework being reviewed to ensure the work was at high quality.

·       ‘50 Documents’ being drawn together in preparation for the inspectors’ arrival.

David Griffiths informed that the Borough had a SEND inspection six years ago (around 2017) which did not go well, resulting in the Borough being placed on an action plan. From there, the DfE (Department for Education) had been reviewing the progress of the action plan every six months or year. By March 2023, the DfE gave a positive response that the Borough had “demonstrated clear and sustained progress. This [meant] that [DfE] no longer [needed] to continue with formal monitoring.” However, this also meant that the Borough had to move into the SEND inspection framework.

The Chair asked what role parents had in the SEND inspections. David Griffiths answered that parents had a crucial role as they would provide input on the child’s live experience. The Borough had sought to engage with parents through parent engagement events and communication sub-groups. In addition, a partnership group called SEND Voices was established to further acquire parental input.

Alasdair Whitelaw added that it was important to get the voice of the child through the parents. One method of engagement was using photographs of the child who was being discussed about in a meeting rather than only presenting statistics.

Kelly Nash, Education Support and SEND Strategy Manager (AfC), added that an Inclusion Summit took place in February 2023 with the feedback from parents and carers was that they felt they could not participate and engage. Based on this, there were plans to have more parent-care engagement sessions in Autumn 2023 while having the Inclusion Summit in Spring 2024.

Councillor Wilson asked for an outline of the issues in which Ofsted had highlighted which needed to be improved upon out of formal monitoring. He also asked what AfC’s priorities were going forward. David Griffiths replied that one issue was the consistency in quality and practice with EHCPs, to which AfC sought to improve upon. While most of the improvements were made a long time ago, a lingering challenge was therapies from the NHS due to waiting lists. David Griffiths stated that AfC had been working closely with the ICB (integrated care board) and Berkshire Healthcare to address this as well as look into innovative methods; however, it would likely be a continuous challenge going forward.

Kelly Nash added that one of AfC’s priorities was a five-year SEND strategy from 2022-27, which included six priorities and was co-produced and consulted with all key stakeholders (including parent carers). She offered to return and present the six priorities in further detail.

Councillor Wilson suggested that the six priorities in the SEND strategy could be elaborated further in future catch-up meeting or in another meeting. The Chair agreed.

ACTION: Kelly Nash to present the six priorities in the SEND strategy in a future meeting.

The Chair asked about the number of EHCPs with the primary need being autism, namely whether they reflected national or local trends, more diagnosis or more parents applying for EHCPs. David Griffiths responded that autism being a primary need in the Borough were reflective of national trends and occurred in other local authorities. The reasons did include increased diagnosis as well as more accurate diagnosis to respond to needs. He added that EHCPs unlocked support resources, but schools were facing pressures to meet SEN student needs.

Councillor Wilson then asked whether there was a flexible adapt-and-respond approach to the strengths and weaknesses of individual children with SENs, particularly as some autistic children may be skilled in some areas but not in other areas. Kelly Nash replied that AfC had been working in response to this by supporting schools in conducting a needs-led approach to supporting students so that children did not require a diagnosis to receive support. In addition, AfC would support schools in conducting a strengths-based approach to focus on what a child could do rather than what they could not do. This approach was to benefit all pupils in a whole class approach.

David Griffiths added that support to SEN children was based on their presenting needs rather than diagnoses.