Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

Mr Rayner proposed and Mr Sandhu seconded that Mr Cole be elected Chairman of the SEND Sub-Committee. No other nominations were received.

RESOLVED that Mr Cole be duly elected Chairman of the SEND Sub-Committee.

Mr Webb proposed and Mr Rayner seconded that Mrs Bruneau be elected Vice-Chair of the SEND Sub-Committee. No other nominations were received.

RESOLVED that Mrs Bruneau be duly elected Vice-Chair of the SEND Sub-Committee.

There were no declarations of interest.

Mr Rayner proposed and Mr Webb seconded a motion “that the Sub-Committee recommend that Scrutiny Committee amend the Sub-Committee’s terms of reference to include ‘Report to the Governance and Audit Committee on governance matters in relation to KCC’s SEND Provision’.

RESOLVED that the Sub-Committee recommend that Scrutiny Committee amend the Sub-Committee’s terms of reference to include ‘Report to the Governance and Audit Committee on governance matters in relation to KCC’s SEND provision.’

Mrs Chandler clarified that while the report detailed a change in portfolio responsibilities, there was still some overlap with Early Years education and disabled children services which remained within the Integrated Children’s Services portfolio.

Sarah Hammond provided an update on the progress of SEND Transformation, including KCC’s work with the Department for Education (DfE) since the Inspection Revisit.

She explained that the report set out the new governance structure around the SEND transformation journey, including the work around the Safety Valve agreement. The report also included a summary of KCC’s current position with the DfE in relation to its Inspection Revisit outcome. The DfE had invited KCC representatives to meet the following Wednesday, (29 March 2023) to receive the final Ministerial feedback. 

The report considered some of the current service transformation activities. These included:

·         Sufficiency – ensuring sufficient high-quality places are available in early years and education provision including post-16 and up to the age of 25.

·         Development of inclusion capacity in mainstream education settings.

·         Access to specialist services.

·         Improving statutory processes – This is concerned with statutory assessment, the completion and issuing of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), the annual review of those plans and supporting the transfer of children and young people between the different phases of their education.

·         Developing systems – with an area as extensive and complex as SEND having robust arrangements that underpin a well-functioning system.

·         Engagement and communication.

The report also discussed Programme and Project Management and how the Strategic Reset Programme provided an opportunity to bring collective support from across the whole Council and ensure a strong connection with Safety Valve.

Areas of focus and short-term improvement actions were also addressed in the report. Sarah Hammond explained that the CYPE Directorate welcomed views from Sub-Committee Members which could inform the content of future reports and supporting information. This could include a focus on the new statutory framework and on the expectations that the SEND system operates within, including the SEND Code of Practice, the Ofsted CQC SEND Inspection Framework and the SEND and Alternative Provision Review.

In reply to a Member’s concern about the communication delays and quality of the reviews of EHCPs in Kent, Mr Love said that this issue was linked to the substantial increase in the number of pupils obtaining EHCPs; current staffing levels were insufficient to deal effectively with this increase.

Mr Love pointed out that this was an issue for the whole Kent area - not just for KCC – and that this trend was also reflected nationally. He acknowledged that there had been shortcomings, and explained that further structural changes needed to be made and that it was important to provide the right level of support. He pointed out that there was a difference between a student’s gap in learning and a special educational need, and that it was important to make accurate assessments of young people’s educational needs so that they could be given the right level of support. EHCPs were designed for those with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.