Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director for Children’s Social Care and Education

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director for Children’s Social Care and Education that proposed the establishment of a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Resourced Provision.

Appendix A to the report set out the Public Notices and Proposal for the Establishing Resources Bases.

Decision(s) Made:

That

(1)      the proposal as detailed in the statutory notice to establish the four SEND Resourced Provisions with effect from 1 September 2023 be approved; and

Rule 27

(2)      It be noted that the proposal was a Key Decision but had not been included in the Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions. Consequently, the Leader of the Council and the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Children's Services and Safeguarding) had been consulted under Rule 27 of the Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Constitution, to the decision being made by Cabinet) as a matter of urgency on the basis that it was impracticable to defer the decision until the commencement of the next Forward Plan because if consideration of the matter was deferred to comply with the Forward Plan timetable, then the implementation datewould not be able to be met.

Reasons for the Decision:

The local authority had the power to consider all options including expanding a school following the statutory process detailed in the report.

The proposal would build on the good standards for teaching and learning already in place at the schools. The development would provide places for children and young people with SEND within the Resourced Provision. All four schools were judged by Ofsted to be providing good quality education.

This development would not have any negative impact on other schools, academies, and educational institutions in the area.

The proposed resource base would not replace existing provision but would supplement and improve provision across the Borough.

The addition of the Specialist Resource Base to the school would not have a direct impact on admissions or provision at other schools within the area.

Long-term value for money would be achieved by pupils having their needs met within appropriate mainstream provision with specialist support rather than in special school provision. This would free special school places for pupils with the highest level of needs and provide the opportunity to place high need pupils within the Borough, rather than in out-of-Borough provision.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Failure to provide sufficient places for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) in the Borough would result in additional costs for the Council through more expensive specialist placements.