Decision details

Proposed decision

  (i).        Release £200,000 of capital funding from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget to enable works to be completed to open the SRP;

 (ii).        Authorise the Director of Education on behalf of the County Council to enter into capital and revenue funding agreements with the Turner Schools Trust; and

(iii).        Authorise the Director of Education to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.

Background

The number of children and young people resident in Kent with an Education Health & Care Plan (EHCP) was 18,930 as at January 2023.  This was a 6.8% increase on the previous year.  4.2% of 0-25 year olds resident in Kent have an EHCP, compared to 3.1% nationally.  This demand continues to place pressure on the specialist provision available within the County. 39.7% of EHCP learners in Kent (2023) are educated in special schools, compared to 34.8% nationally.  The position is unsustainable.

Kent is now part of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Safety Valve programme. This programme supports local authorities to reform their high needs systems and SEND services for children and young people while ensuring services are sustainable. A significant element of this is to reduce demand for special school places by improving the ability of mainstream schools to support children and young people with SEND. To that end, KCC has developed its first SEND Sufficiency Plan.  This forecasts a further increase in the number of children and young people with EHCPs linked to their ASC.  One gap in our provision is in Folkestone where there is a primary phase specialist resourced provision for children with autistic spectrum condition (ASC), but no pathway into secondary school.  This leads to a demand for special school places, rather than maintaining support in a mainstream setting.  Accordingly, the Plan recommends commissioning a 30 place secondary SRP at Folkestone Academy from September 2024. 

What is planned

The proposal is to commission a 30 place SRP for secondary aged pupils with ASC at Folkestone Academy.  This can be operational from September 2024.  6 places will be offered in the first year, incrementally rising to 30 across the five statutory age groups.

The proposal will support Priority 1 of Framing Kent’s Future 20222-26:

·         the commitment to maintain KCC’s strategic role in supporting schools in Kent to deliver accessible, high quality education provision for all families; and

·         to make significant improvements in educational attainment, particularly for deprived communities in coastal areas so that they improve faster than the rest of Kent to reduce the gaps.

The proposal will support Supporting Kent’s Future Objective 2:

·         The proposal is included within the SEND Sufficiency Strategy which is ensuring the right mix of placements are available. 

·         Having SEND provision closer to where it is needed will reduce the distances families are required to travel to secure an appropriate specialist place and a consequential reduction in SEND transport costs.

·         The capital costs of the project are far lower than expanding existing specialist provision. 

·         The revenue costs per place are lower for an SRP than the average per place paid to special schools.

KCC, as the Local Authority (LA), has a statutory duty to ensure sufficient school places are available.   The County Council’s Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2024-28 is a five-year rolling plan which is updated annually.  It sets out KCC’s future plans as Strategic Commissioner of Education Provision across all types and phases of education in Kent.  A copy of the plan can be viewed from this link:

democracy.kent.gov.uk/documents/s121946/Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2024-28.pdf

As Leader of Kent County Council, I agree to:

(i).      Release £200,000 of capital funding from the Children’s, Young People and Education Capital Budget to enable works to be completed to open the SRP;

(ii).      Authorise the Director of Education on behalf of the County Council to enter into capital and revenue funding agreements with the Turner Schools Trust; and

(iii).     Authorise the Director of Education to be the nominated Authority Representative within the relevant agreements and to enter into variations as envisaged under the contracts.