Issue - meetings

(Report by Mr G Ward, Director, Capital Programme & Infrastructure)

(1)   The Committee considered a report on the progress on work undertaken by the SEN Transport Informal Member Group (IMG), which included interviewing Mr Harlock, Head of Commercial Services and Mr Myers, Parent Governor of a SEN school and considering papers prepared on Manchester City Council’s concept of ‘Independence Training’ and the devolution of transport budgets to schools.

(2)   RESOLVED that:

(a) agreement be given to the concept of ‘independence training’ and how     it could be applied to benefit some of the pupils within our special schools, it is suggested that an independence scheme could be developed and piloted in Kent, with tailoring to meet the requirements of locality and pupil need;

(b) the devolution of transport budgets to schools be investigated as a viable means of both reducing the future costs of SEN student home?to?school transport and improving the quality of the service to the young people;

(c) the reduction of statements and the subsequent transport requirements be investigated: and

(e) the SEN Transport IMG Members be thanked for the work they had undertaken, which had now concluded.

(Following the meeting Mr Horne, Chairman of the SEN Transport IMG advised the Democratic Services Officer that he had attended the Bower Grove School, Maidstone, to speak with the Headteacher, Mr Phipps and to observe the children accessing and leaving the school by various modes of transport.  He wished the Members to know that the children accessing the transport were severely handicapped and the transport was used effectively.  Mr Phipps had advised him that he would be considering self management of the transport provision for Bower Grove school primarily because of the problems with the transition arrangements with new contractors)