Issue - meetings

To receive a report from James Carrick (AD Education, Schools and Children’s Services)

A report was presented by James Carrick (AD Education Schools and Children’s Services), on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities which gave an overview of the SEND provision for Enfield and described the challenges being faced in relation to capacity, and described what was being done in order to increase provision.

The following was highlighted

• Over the last five years there has been a significant increase in demand for high needs placements, particularly in the Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Social emotional Mental Health (SEMH) placements
• In the last five years the cost of out of borough special school placements has increased by £2.5 million.
• The aim is to expand existing specialist SEND provision for children within the borough in order that they may return/ remain within the Enfield area.
• Details of Special School expansions were listed in the report.

Councillor Levy referred to the work being done to accommodate the increased need for places and asked if this would be an on-going issue?  It was thought this matter was becoming under control – the numbers of learners applying for assessment has reduced from last year.  It was felt that when the demand for pupil places at primary schools was increased that the local authority should have looked to expand the number of places allocated for SEND provision at the same time.

Councillor Rye commented that the local authority had worked hard to increase the provision of school places in line with the increase in numbers and asked if it would be possible to restrict children from using out of borough special school places when this is available in Enfield?   An answer was given that this would be best revisited with parents when the pupil was at a transitional stage such as Years 6, 7, 9 and 11.  Families would hopefully prefer to stay in Enfield as there would be less travel involved and less need to use buses.  This situation would need to be monitored.