Issue - meetings

A report requesting support for the further establishment of SEND resourced provisions.

Cabinet Portfolio Holder – Councillor Kam Kaur

Councillor Kam Kaur introduced the report which she was pleased to be able to outline to Members. 

She explained that over a period of time, a number of resourced provisions had been agreed and the report outlined the strategic direction being followed.  Councillor Kaur gave an overview of the current situation in some mainstream schools and how there was evidence of a demand for resourced provision.  This provision allowed students to be educated near to home, with lessened travel time and had the added benefit of enabling students to remain in education in their communities and study with their peers.

Councillor Kaur highlighted some of the work undertaken this year and referred to the statistics shared at the Overview and Scrutiny meeting, which had included an increase in numbers of students needing EHCP’s.  Cabinet had previously endorsed the Delivering Better Value programme of work and one of the key workstreams was to expand the number of resourced provision places from 168 to 529 by 2028.

She highlighted the finances detailed at paragraph 2.3 of the report which, based on Department for Education announcements, would lead to a cumulative budget of £21million for the period 2024 to 2028.  It was hoped that this investment would help to future proof Warwickshire and the needs of its residents.

Councillor Isobel Seccombe welcomed the paper which built on the work that the Portfolio Holder had been carrying out with the department. 

In response to a query from Councillor Sue Markham, Councillor Kaur provided further information on the engagements undertaken with schools including monthly meetings and discussions with Chief Executive Officers of different consortiums and head teachers to share good practice.  The recent Headteachers Conference had highlighted the SEND challenges within schools and the pressures on the workforce.

Councillor Sarah Feeney raised a concern that smaller, village schools may become oversubscribed because they were consistently performing well at providing support.

The Leader agreed, citing a small school in her division that was in demand as they provided excellent support.  She reiterated the important part the local community played in enabling a child to thrive.

Councillor Jerry Roodhouse broadly welcomed the report and acknowledged the restrictions on local authorities to direct schools.  He asked if it was possible to know where there were schools that were not yet engaging as it would be useful for all elected members to know what was happening in their area.  He also asked for any more information on staffing and whether there were enough people coming through the system.

Councillor Kaur acknowledged the comments and assured that the Council was very mindful of the challenges and how to manage situations when the support did not work.  She felt that the Early Years Pathway was a tool to get the transition right from an early stage.  There was more detail that could be shared on workforce streams and although the EHCP figures were changing daily, she offered to share those to demonstrate how demand was increasing.  In relation to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3