Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs S Prendergast and Mr M Whiting.

There were no Declarations of Interest.

A Member asked for clarification about which Committee would take on the scrutiny responsibility of the SEND Sub-Committee if this was disbanded.

Mr J Cook (Democratic Services Manager) clarified that the decision of whether the SEND Sub-Committee should continue its activity or be disbanded rested solely with the Scrutiny Committee and that, should the SEND Sub-Committee be disbanded, the main scrutiny functions would return to the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED that the minutes be approved as a correct record, subject to the inclusion of Ms B Hannon in the attendance list. Also, Dr Sullivan wished that the minutes recorded that she voted against the motion.

1)    Mr G Romagnuolo (Research Officer - Overview and Scrutiny) introduced the report. He provided an overview of when the Sub-Committee was established, its main functions and its evidence gathering process.

2)    Mr Rayner moved, and Mrs Bruneau seconded, a motion that “the SEND Sub-Committee approve the Annual Update Report of the SEND Sub-Committee, including relevant amendments agreed during the course the of the meeting”.

3)    With regard to Paragraphs 1.6.11 and 1.11.7 (Paragraphs 2.2.11 and 2.7.7 in the revised version of the report) - where the report indicated that: the number of EHC plans issued by East Sussex in 2022 was 518; in Kent it was 2,314 in 2022 and 2,005 in 2023 – a Member asked whether the report could include the percentage of these plans in comparison to the student population of each local authority (including the percentages in Kent both in 2022 and 2023), as this data would help with making a comparison, given the population difference between the two local authorities.

4)    Given the significant public interest that the inquiry received, a Member asked that the report included the number of webcast viewings in each of the meetings of the SEND Sub-Committee. 

5)    The Chairman asked that, Paragraph 1.15.6 (2.11.6 in the revised version - which listed areas that required further exploration or clarification) included:  The provision and support afforded to families for whom their child(ren) with an EHCP (or awaiting an assessment) and/or SEN have been excluded or removed from a school setting.

6)    Ms B Hannon (Co-Chair, Kent PACT) said that she wished to thank the SEND Sub-Committee on behalf of parents and carers of children and young people with SEND for giving them the opportunity to be represented in the Sub-Committee and contribute to the enquiry.

a)    She indicated that a vast amount of work had recently been done by KCC officers and Kent PACT to improve SEND provision in the county. She pointed out that the Accelerated Progress Plan’s Areas 1 and 3 (that is, Area of weakness 1: A widely held concern of parents that the local area is not able, or in some cases not willing, to meet their children’s needs. Area of weakness 3: That parents and carers have a limited role in reviewing and designing services for children and young people with SEND) were specifically around parents and carers, because their discontent was such that it was reflected in the Improvement Notice that was issued to KCC in March 2023.

b)    She pointed out that, despite the vast amount of work, there had been little impact yet in these areas because it would take time before the full positive impact of many interventions and initiatives would be tangible.  

7)    A Member asked whether the CYPE Directorate could provide a briefing note to shed some light on the direction of demand for Kent services dealing with ADHD, autism and dyslexia, as it was unclear whether the demand for each of these services was increasing or decreasing.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.