Decision details

Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director, Learning an Early Support, presented the SEND Sufficiency Strategy to the Board for information.  In summary, the Board was advised that the strategy reflects Kirklees’ ongoing commitment to ensuring sufficient and appropriate learning places, and where possible, for children and young people to be educated locally. The approach prioritises placing children in educational settings that best meet their individual needs, from early years through to post-16 opportunities, including employment and training.

The Board was informed that it is recognised that further work is required to strengthen provision for children and young people with social, emotional, mental health needs and those with autism. This is a priority area within the broader SEND Sufficiency Strategy, with ongoing efforts to ensure appropriate and high-quality placements are available to meet these specific needs.

The Strategy takes a long-term, data-informed approach to forecasting demand for learning placements. This includes using live data from Education, Health and Care Plans to anticipate future needs, enabling planning from early years through to secondary education and post-16 pathways. For example, understanding the needs of children currently in reception allows for forward planning as they transition through the education system.

The Board was advised that the SEND Sufficiency Strategy complements the ongoing work under the Safety Valve Programme, which is part of a government agreement. The strategy focuses not only on ensuring there are enough learning places for children and young people in Kirklees, but also on the quality of provision.

Progress has already been made, including the rebuilding of two new schools with modern facilities and increased capacity.  Work will be starting imminently on the Joseph Norton rebuild and work is beginning and planning permission has been received for Woodley School and College.

In addition, work is being undertaken with mainstream provision, working with schools in clusters to ensure they feel better equipped to meet the needs of the children and young people in mainstream local schools.  Focus has been on investing and growing additional resource provisions, which complement mainstream but give some additional capacity for particular types of specialisms. Included in the strategy is alternative provisions for children who might have medical needs which prevents them from attending school.  While there is still work to be done, it is important to look forward and the strategy sets the ambitions for the next three to five years.

Referring to the document, the Board was advised that the next steps it describes a SEND Sufficiency Group, which meets monthly. This group builds on the data underpinning the strategy to support future planning and commissioning. Towards the end of the document, a summary is provided to assist the system in identifying areas of need, highlighting where demand is increasing, where reductions may be appropriate, and where further development is required. This may include areas such as Alternative Resource Provision and specialist placements.

RESOLVED:

That Jo-Anne Sanders be thanked for providing an update on the Kirklees SEND Sufficiency for Kirklees 2025-2028.