The Panel considered a report
giving an update on the
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Transformation presented
by Jo-Anne Sanders, Service Director for Learning and Early
Support.
Jo-Anne Sanders highlighted the
following key points:-
- In March 2019 Cabinet
received a report in relation to parent / carers perspectives
regarding SEND and work had developed since then as a
partnership.
- A SEND inspection
took place in February 2022, of which the outcomes was still to be
provided.
- There was a clear
SEND strategy in place and the vision across the partnership was
that every child with SEND aspirations were no different from any
other child and they should have the best start in
life.
- There had been
challenges during the pandemic which had affected the ability of
schools to provide education, however, wrap around support had been
provided across the partnership.
- Additional help had
been sought from an improvement partner INPOWER to help co-produce
inclusive ambitions that had underpinned the transformation
journey, which were:
- Collaborating at the
earliest opportunity
- Building trust with
parents, carers, young people
- Inclusion, removing
barriers to ensure inclusive practice for families
- Thriving in education
but also in life and in hopes and aspirations
- Co-produce with
families to have clear aspirations for adulthood and the longer
term.
Jo-Anne Sanders highlighted
page 11 of the report and the context relating to the number of
children / young people educated across Kirklees and those
receiving additional help or support and advised the Panel
that:
- Demand had grown at a
national level and the response was to be open in terms of
challenges
- The SEND
transformation plan had been co-produced with partners.
- There were 5 key
areas, practice, systems and processes to be learner focused and
person centred, inclusive, orientating the system to early
intervention, clear on what needed to be commissioned and
transition through to preparing for adulthood.
- The ambition was to
be bold, innovative and invest heavily in change.
- There were strong
collaborative relationships with the parent / carer forum who
provided support and challenge to get things right.
- In terms of
improvement there was a refreshed Local Offer and an Inclusion
Support Officer (ISO) had been introduced. This was to offer early
advice and support to professionals.
- Work had been
undertaken with professionals in schools to develop revised
guidance in relation to the graduated approach which was due to be
launched in April 2022. The co-production made it a valuable
resource.
- Work had been
undertaken with INPOWER to develop and trial a tool called
‘valuing friend’ which
helped to understand the needs of children / young people early and
provide holistic support.
- An external review
was commissioned of specialist and alternative provision which had
helped shape the sufficiency strategy and identified what was
needed to support the needs of children.
- In October 2021
significant investment of 36 million was approved for the
development of schools and to increase school place so young people
could be educated locally.
- A Joint strategic
assessment had helped provide a shared understanding of the needs
of the children / young people.
- There was a robust
sufficient strategy so people were clear about the needs of
children / young people and how these could be supported
locally.
- SEND were inspected
in February 2022 by OFSTED and Care Quality Commission which was
very robust and had been a busy period.
- The inspection
provided an opportunity to share a self-evaluation, being clear on
strengths and opportunities for development.
- It also provided an
opportunity to share the SEND transformation plan, the key
strategies and policies document and included the parent / carer
voice.
Jo-Anne Sanders advised the
Panel that she would be keen to bring back the outcomes of the SEND
Inspection for the Panel to consider at a future
meeting.
The Panel acknowledged and
praised the work that had been undertaken in relation to ensuring
the voice of the child / young person was heard and how it
contributed to better decisions being made.
The Panel acknowledged that it
was pleased more resources and attention had been being given to
SEND services and acknowledged there had been a 100% increase in
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP’s) since
2015.
The Panel highlighted the
difficulty children / young people faced in getting an EHCP and
questioned how we ensured that children / young people who needed
an EHCP were properly assessed. Jo-Anne
Sanders advised that this could be achieved by looking at data and
making sure that the right support was provided for children /
young people when they needed it and as early as possible. Jo-Anne
Sanders further advised that there were robust processes in place
to consider the needs of children / young people and that it was
about the quality of information and the right professional
support.
The Panel shared its intention
to visit PCAN (Parents of Children with Addition Needs) in the next
municipal year to talk to parents / carers about their experiences
and gain their feedback on the SEND transformation plan.
RESOLVED:
The Panel noted the update on
the SEND Transformation and thanked Jo-Anne Sanders for her valued
contributions.
- The Panel agreed to
consider an update on the outcome of the SEND inspection at a
future meeting.
- The Panel agreed to
visit PCAN during the 2022-23 municipal year