Agenda item

To receive the report of Neil Best, Head of Strategic Resourcing & Partnerships and Barbara Thurogood, Head of Special Educational Needs.

Peter Nathan, Director of Education introduced the report which provided an update on special educational need placements, current pressures, and activities to increase the number of places within Enfield and to reduce out of borough expenditure. The report also highlighted current and projected demand for SEND places, current provision both in-borough and out-of-borough and the related costs to the Council and sets out proposals for the introduction of large scale SEND provision.

Barbara Thurogood, Head of Special Educational Needs also provided an additional PowerPoint presentation, providing further information on SEN population, timeliness, increased provision, Delivering Better Value (DBV) Government initiative, opportunities, workstreams and the Change Programme.

Questions were invited from Members:

In response to questions about the Change Programme Officers explained in more detail the three-tier model for alternative provision which included targeted support in mainstream schools, time limited placements and transitional placements.

Further details were provided to Members on the proposed SEN projects within the Schools Capital Programme. This included information on Fern House School, Winchmore Secondary School, Swan Annexe and Oaktree School.

In response to Members’ questions regarding the realistic timescales for the opening of the Portcullis Lodge site, Officers explained that the DfE will be responsible for design and construction of the new school building which is subject to further development work. Officers are supporting this process and the Council will be expected to fund early site preparation works and the costs of these works is currently being estimated. Other factors will also come into play such as ecological and access issues, however once planning has been finalised it is a good site for building on. The DfE have indicated that the Secretary of State will announce the successful academy trust in January 2024. Following a statutory consultation period pre-start work will begin between the Trust and the DfE to develop proposals for the new school but it is hoped that it will be completed in 2026, with September 2026 being a more realistic date. It was hoped that there would be an update on the build completion projection in December which would then be shared with the Panel.

Action: Neil Best, Head of Strategic Resourcing & Partnerships.

Further discussions took place on prospective projects. A second application to the DfE SEND Wave for provision at Addison House in Southgate was unsuccessful as funding any works through allocated DfE grant funding was not possible given commitments within the agreed Schools Capital Programme. The option of the Council funding this development directly through borrowing has also been deemed unaffordable given the Council’s financial position and other priorities. A review of the Capital Programme is now underway to ascertain whether funds can now be made available to bring forward a project at Addison House. The revised School Capital Programme is to be presented to Cabinet in December.

Members sought clarification on the DfE Delivering Better Value Programme (DVB) and Officers provided further information. Participation in the programme enables local authorities to apply for a £1m grant to deliver innovative programmes to support children and young people and to optimise their financial position. Enfield have been successful in their application to the DfE and have been awarded the grant to deliver six strands.

In respect of the introduction of a new SEN support pathway for early years SEND children, it was confirmed that this will mean that EHCPs will no longer be necessary for needs to be met. This change will result in children receiving more timely and appropriate support and it is expected that by 2024/25, the number of Early Years EHCPs will decrease by 5-10%. The pathway will also be expanded to allow children to access Speech and Language Therapy without an EHCP, and it is anticipated that this expansion will significantly reduce the number of EHCPs that will need to be issued. This change will not only decrease the number of EHCPs required but also ensure that support can be provided more promptly.

In response to questions from Members regarding the Change Programme Partnership Officers advised that this is a new government initiative which is a response to the SEND Green Paper. The plan sets out a clear roadmap to transform the SEND and AP system and make it sustainable over the long term. Thirty-one local authorities have been selected by ministers to pilot key SEND reforms through a £70 million ‘change programme’. Barnet Local Authority will be the lead supported by Enfield, Camden, and Islington. This will allow for a more consistent approach and all boroughs will have the same offer, making the system less confusing for parents, therefore enabling them to make informed choices for their children and young people.

The Chair thanked Officers for a very thorough report.

The panel agreed:

I.               To note the report

II.             That a build completion projection update for Portcullis Lodge be circulated to the Panel once this information became available.