Minutes:
a. Mrs Fordham had undertaken visits to a range of primary, mainstream and special schools to understand how they were managing pupil transitions in the context of recent Government announcements and the anticipated Schools White Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) reform. Some mainstream schools were making good progress with inclusive practice, while others were experiencing capacity and staffing pressures and required additional resources. It was explained that special schools needed to focus on meeting the needs of higher needs cohorts and that a clear understanding of individual school populations and requirements was essential.
b. Mrs Fordham had visited Oakfield School in Tonbridge and the East Kent Colleges Group (EKC) on the Isle of Sheppey. The EKC model was highlighted as an example of wrap around provision, spanning from nursery to post 16. This included early intervention, structured transition support in reception, pathways into mainstream education at year 7 and a small junior college focused on vocational skills. It was acknowledged that this model would not be suitable for all children.
c. The School Funding Forum, which brought together sector representatives to consider funding and delivery through community of schools groupings, was still evolving and would be influenced by the forthcoming Government White Paper. Mrs Fordham welcomed Member feedback, which would be used to inform discussion at the Schools Funding Forum.
d. Mrs Fordham explained that the Government had published a new Ofsted inspection framework with an increased emphasis on inclusion.
e. Mrs Fordham highlighted that despite indications of potential budgetary changes, the delay to the White Paper had created uncertainty.
f. No uplift had been received for high needs funding and funding levels remained at 2025/26 baselines. As a result some proposals have been paused and would need to be revisited to assess the implications.
g. Mrs Fordham drew the Committee's attention to reports of a £30 billion capital allocation for special resource provision. It was clarified that this funding related to capital investments only, not staffing or revenue costs and that eligibility criteria had not yet been published. Also, the details of the announcement of £200 million of funding related to teacher training had not been announced. Mrs Fordham explained that these individual announcements made it difficult to develop a coherent strategic response in advance of the publication of the White Paper. The Committee would be provided with a update once further clarity was available.
h. Mrs Fordham shared that MPs had been invited to visit KCC and Kent schools, to have productive discussions about the issues that were being faced.
a. A Member raised concerns about capacity pressures at Five Acre Woods Special School, particularly relating to the number of pupils placed from outside Kent. The Member requested that this issue be raised at Mrs Fordham’s previously mentioned meeting with MP’s, given its significant impact on local residents and service users.
b. Mrs Fordham agreed to raise this issue and would provide the Member with feedback.
c. A Member asked that Mrs Fordham’s invitation to meet and discuss issues be extended to Members. Mrs Fordham encouraged Members to come to her office to discuss any issues related to her portfolio.
d. A Member raised an example of a recent security issue at a school in Kent. Also, highlighting the danger of unregistered and uninspected schools. Mr Adams, Interim Deputy Director for Education: Sufficiency, Effectiveness and Skills, explained that a school in Kent received a terror related threat over the weekend which was reported to Kent Police. Although initially assessed as not credible, further information prompted precautionary action to close the school while investigations were completed. Kent Police subsequently confirmed there was no credible threat and that the message formed part of a wider national issue. The Local Member shared that he had visited the school and spoke with staff and offered his support.
a. Mrs Palmer shared that she had attended the first KCC Youth Voice meeting following the county wide elections, which was attended by around 140 young people. The next meeting was set to take place in February and would elect a Leader and a Chair.
b. Mrs Palmer attended the Risk Outside of Home Conference in Maidstone, which was presented by Michelle McManus from Manchester Metropolitan University. The conference brought together experts in child exploitation and safeguarding beyond the home, Mrs Palmer shared that she found the event extremely informative.
c. Mrs Palmer provided an update on the forthcoming Best Start in Life Programme. She explained that it was expected to support earlier identification of developmental delays, enable earlier support for families and help reduce school waiting lists.
d. Alongside her Deputy Cabinet Member, Mrs Palmer visited the Imago young carers support service. They met with eleven children aged from eight to twelve. The visit was particularly emotional, hearing about the low levels of self esteem some of the children experienced. This reinforced the importance of the work and the strength of the frontline teams.
e. Mrs Palmer shared that two children’s home properties had returned in-house following planning approval.
f. An additional £1 million had been received from Public Health for family hubs, with details of the allocation still to be agreed.
g. There were to be contractual changes to the current contract with The Education People regarding care leavers.
h. Mrs Palmer had invited Fatima Whitbread to visit KCC to see the support provided to care leavers following her comments during her 2026 ‘Fatima’s UK Campaign’. Mr Kasaven, Director for Children's Countywide Services, had also been asked to invite Josh MacAlister, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Children and Families), to visit foster carers and discuss potential capping of independent foster placements in Kent. In Kent independent carers accounted for around 50% of all foster carers, compared with approximately 10% elsewhere.
a. Mrs Palmer clarified that Kent had its own foster care service, working with Kent foster carers and foster families. Independent fostering agencies operated privately and often placed children from a range of other areas in Kent. Therefore, it was important to promote Kent foster families in order to increase local capacity and enable more children to be supported within the county.
b. A Member queried the long term security of family hubs, welcoming the funding secured to maintain sites in Ramsgate, Margate and the Isle of Sheppey. They also raised concerns about the closure of a special education needs school in Broadstairs, Bradstow school, outside Local Authority control, and the impact on current pupils and their future arrangements.
i. In response to the question regarding family hubs, Mrs Palmer explained that funding for the hubs and the Best Start in Life Programme had been secured for the next three years. Ms Crisan, Director for Operational Integrated Children's Services, added that KCC operated 53 family hubs and that funding from Central Government for the Best Start in Life Programme along with the Public Health Grant had secured their operation for the next three years. Confidence was expressed in the council's ability to deliver these services throughout that period.
ii. In response to the question regarding the Broadstairs special educational needs school, Ms McInnes, Interim Corporate Director Children, Young People and Education, clarified that Bradstow School was maintained by Wandsworth Council. She explained that KCC had engaged in discussions with Wandsworth over several years in an effort to secure a safe and supportive environment for the Kent pupils attending the school, at an acceptable cost. The two councils were unable to reach an agreement for a range of reasons. Mrs McInnes confirmed that Kent had since secured suitable alternative placements for all pupils previously attending Bradstow School.
c. When asked about the services family hubs provided, Mrs Palmer explained that family hubs provided accessible services from birth, including maternity services such as midwifery support for pregnant women. A number of hubs also offered speech and language therapy and portage support for children. Mrs Palmer explained that these services were expected to continue to improve through the Best Start in Life Programme. Ms Crisan added that all family hubs provided the core offer focused on pregnant women, perinatal mental health and early support for children, including school readiness and early identification of special educational needs and speech development. In addition, a wider offer was available for the community, including support for adolescents, children with special educational needs and families who had experienced separation or conflict. A wide range of support was available both online and through family hubs.
d. When asked about the response from the ‘Run’ fostering promotional video, Mrs Palmer shared that positive feedback had been received. It had been shared many times, views of the video and fostering inquires had increased.
RESOLVED that the verbal updates were noted.