Agenda item

The Board considered a report of the Strategic Director, Children and Young People, which noted that in 2003 the Executive Board supported the development of a Strategy for the Inclusion of Pupils with SEN. It was reported that the strategy sought to realign the development of SEN resources across the infrastructure of funding formula, structural arrangements, service structures and critical identification and assessment processes to ensure that those children and young people with special educational needs had their needs identified and addressed earlier.

 

The Board was advised of the significant progress that had been made in implementing the Strategy and that the implementation of the strategy posed significant challenges, not least in addressing long standing practices across agencies, within schools and within local authority services also.

 

Outlined in the report was a review of the Strategy that summarised progress to date and set out the strategic direction for the next three years. Key achievements over the preceding three years were noted as follows:-

 

·        A reduction in the reliance upon Statements of SEN as the means to securing additional resources for children;

·        A reduction in the % of children with Statements of SEN;

·        Release of resources earlier without the need to recourse to a Statement;

·        Performance in the top quartile in the issuing of proposed statements within 18 weeks;

·        A reduction in the number of children being educated in special provision out of the Borough;

·        A re-cycling of fees saved from out of Borough placements to schools to meet the needs of pupils with SEN earlier; and

·        Continued evidence of narrowing the gap in attainment for the most vulnerable learners, particularly at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4.

 

Members were advised that Halton Borough Council was in the top quartile in the country for completion of draft statements within specified timescales.  Detailed within the report was the progress Halton had made to deliver the programme. In particular it was noted that Halton had ensured the saving of £427,645 had been re-cycled to meet the needs of pupils with SEN earlier. Moreover, this money had been distributed to those schools identified as having the greatest need. It was also noted that Halton Borough Council had signed up to the Every Disabled Child Matters pledge and, furthermore, from a recent Ofsted inspection praise was given for the support provided to pupils with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD) in the majority of schools in Halton. Some had been described as outstanding. A high percentage of schools graded as good or outstanding by Ofsted for progress of pupils with LDD.

 

Members discussed various issues such as whether the funding would be allocated on a termly basis,  whether funding would cease once the child had made good progress and was there any information available on a ward by ward basis in relation to teenage pregnancies and alcohol consumption.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1.      the Board considers progress made to-date; and

 

2.     the Board supports the continued direction of the Strategy as a key lever to narrowing the gap in learning outcomes for children and young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.