Decision details

Background information:

This is the first time that KCC has produced a Sufficiency Plan for Special Education Needs (SEN) Provision. Most Local Authorities now produce an analysis and plan that sits under their SEND Strategy and feeds into their Education Commissioning Plan and capital strategy for education provision.

Kent’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision has included a section on Special Education Needs Provision; however, this has always been a high-level summary based on limited analysis and forecasting.

Options:

Commissioning recommendations for this first plan are limited by the need for the Special School, Specialist Resource Provision and Early Years reviews to complete. The outcomes and recommendations from these reviews will be key to informing future commissioning decisions. Commissioning recommendations from the SEND Sufficiency Plan will be reflected in Kent’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision 2024 to 2028.

For post-16, actions are underway to meet demand regarding place planning, with engagement from all FE groups as part of multiple projects around access for students to mainstream settings.The phases of implementation of the SEND Sufficiency Plan will be influenced by the medium and longer-term commissioning decisions that result from the data presented. 

Cabinet agreed the Special Educational Needs Sufficiency Plan 2024-2028.