Agenda item

Officers provided an overview of the SEND & AP Strategy update. The strategy was approved in December 2023 and this update report covered the achievements over the past year. Officers noted the Ofsted inspection of SEND provision in April 2024, which led to the creation of an improvement plan. The strategy aligned with the areas identified in the Ofsted inspection, focusing on strengths and weaknesses. Officers emphasised the successful embedding of the strategy across partners, schools, and services within the Council, and expressed pride in the progress made and acknowledged the ongoing work needed.

Officers highlighted the rebranding to "SEND Local Area Partnership" and the emphasis on a local area partnership involving education, health, voluntary sector, young people and families. There had been a review and strengthening of the governance structure. There were ambition groups that reported to strategic boards, with multi-agency representation.

Officers noted the increase in SEND support data, indicating better identification of needs. In Autumn 2023, SEND Support was 11.8%. In Autumn 2024, the figure was 12.1%. Officers discussed the reshaping of the SEND Advisory Service to provide holistic support to teaching staff and the creation of new roles such as educational psychologists and improvement advisors.

Officers noted the significant work on annual reviews, focusing on improving quality and timeliness. Officers also noted the development of various pathways for early identification, including the multi-agency early years panel and the newly developed assessment centre at Ruislip Gardens for children with complex needs. This panel was working well. There had been an improvement in the timeliness of Education, Health and Care assessments, with compliance with the 20-week statutory deadline improving from 54% to 85%, and then achieving 100% in the last month.

The team was stable, and the core EHCP team was now fully permanent. This was important as it provided consistency.

Officers discussed the development of SEND reviews for schools within the SEND Advisory team and the higher uptake this year.

To further support schools, Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) had been reviewed and updated in collaboration with schools. This was guidance to support children within the mainstream settings and would be published at the end of this month.

There were some challenges with some schools appearing to be magnets for SEND and efforts were underway to establish more consistent approaches across settings. There was a focus on a training offer for the workforce, including education, health, and social care partners around SEND.

Officers noted the introduction of exceptional funding to support schools with a higher percentage of children with SEND. Through the Phase Transfer process, officers and schools had collaborated in supporting students with EHCPs in Year 7.

There had been some success in involving young people through the SEND Youth Forum, which had co-produced a charter, logo, and local offer website page. Young people would be part of the governance and strategic boards, ensuring their voices were heard in the implementation of the strategy.

Members thanked officers for their work and asked about the recruitment of young people to be included in the strategic boards. Officers noted that there was a focus on ambition group 4 – preparation for adulthood, involving young people from mainstream schools, colleges, special schools, and supported internships. Hillingdon had a rich offer and a high number of young people accessing supported internships. The recruitment was voluntary, aiming for 10 permanent members, and adjustments were made to ensure inclusivity. Person-centred recruitment was important, as was representation of young people who may not have the ability to represent themselves.

Members asked about partnership working to ensure consistency of delivery across the borough and how parents' concerns were being addressed. Officers described a tiered approach to collaboration, involving representatives from various agencies in ambition groups, and task and finish groups. The improvement plan, which was underpinned by the strategies, had 105 strategic actions. Officers emphasised the importance of multi-agency collaboration and co-production with schools and other stakeholders including non-SEND partners. Officers worked closely with social care and were now working closer with health colleagues. There was a strong partnership with Hillingdon Parent Carer Forum and efforts to involve parents' voices in consultations. Officers were also working with schools to develop parental involvement outside of this forum.

Members commended the progressive improvement shown in the report and asked for an example of what significant improvement may look like in the next year. Officers noted several ongoing projects expected to be completed, including the OAP review, preparation for adulthood guidance, and the implementation of a banding model for special schools, which had been co-produced with schools. Officers highlighted the goal of improving the quality of EHCPs and annual reviews, and increasing the number of plans ceased due to young people achieving their outcomes. Multi-agency involvement in the annual review process was important, as was improving professionals' understanding of statutory advice. Officers were also hoping to see more ceasing of plans, where appropriate, due to young people achieving their outcomes over the next year. Officers added that a key aspiration for the year was to support schools in consistently supporting children with SEND, and acknowledged the variance in provision and support across schools. Officers emphasised the importance of building relationships with schools, being transparent about data, and sharing census data with schools to highlight disparities. The SEND team had been renamed as the EHC team to reflect their specific role and the focus on building in-person relationships with schools.

Members acknowledged the significant work done before and after the Ofsted inspection. Members noted that some schools had reported concerns that other local schools did not share an inclusive ethos. Officers agreed on the importance of strengthening inclusion and noted ongoing work to create an inclusion framework. This framework was being co-produced with school leaders to develop a consistent understanding of inclusion across Hillingdon. There was a need for a common understanding of terminology and interventions. Joint meetings between the SEND Advisory Services and EPS were being implemented and there was a review of training to SENCOs. Members asked and officers agreed to provide an update on SEND reviews within six months.

Officers clarified that the map in the report showed the concentration of EHCP needs, not the concentration of where children attend schools. Officers suggested sharing census data to highlight variances in inclusivity. There was a need to focus on secondary schools, where inclusivity was lower compared to primary schools.

Officers noted the disparity in EHCP percentages between primary and secondary schools (primaries at 3%, in line with national averages, secondaries at 2.5%), and noted the significant cost difference for children with EHCPs in year 6 compared to year 7. There was a need to work with secondary schools to prevent children from being placed in specialist or independent settings unnecessarily. There was ongoing work with the Centre for ADHD and Autism to support transitions to secondary schools and the creation of the EHCP Plus team of three specialist officers to support mainstream schools with cases of more complex needs. This was also aimed at benefiting parents as parental confidence was lower with the move to secondary school.

Members asked about the impact of the improved annual review process on schools and the feedback received so far. Officers explained that the new paperwork for annual reviews had not yet been implemented, but improvements had been made in preparation for adulthood questions and liaison meetings between EHCP coordinators and schools. There was an importance of collaboration and planning for annual reviews. There was ongoing work to ensure that the paperwork reflected the aspirations of young people and the pilot programme for preparation for adulthood from early years. Officers were going to introduce a task and finish group related to the quality assurance framework.

There were three pathways, primary, secondary and post-19. There had been an improvement in the post 16 phase transfer, which showed an increase of young people in the more vocational courses. A number of placements had been secured at Harrow College and officers were looking into more bespoke packages for young people with more complex needs based on their aspirations and ambitions.

Members commended the progress being made in meeting the 20-week timeframe for EHCPs but noted the 12% of cases not meeting the deadline. Members asked about the additional timeframe for these cases, and whether the 20-weeks target was a national figure. Officers explained that the 20-week time frame was a statutory duty and that Hillingdon's performance was above the national average of 50%. Delays were minimal, often just a few days or weeks, and were closely monitored. There had been improvements in consultation processes with schools to ensure timely responses.

Members complimented the quality of the report and the strategy. Members asked about the distribution of primary diagnoses in the area and whether it raises questions about the diagnostic process. Officers clarified that primary needs in Hillingdon were similar to other London authorities, with autism and social, emotional, and mental health needs being the most common.

Members commended the ambitions as clear and laudable, and asked about the impact of cost pressures on the ambitions for SEND provision. Officers acknowledged the challenge of balancing costs with aspirations. Officers emphasised that the strategy incorporated targets from the safety valve agreement, aiming for cost-effective provision while delivering strong outcomes. Officers highlighted the dedication and retention of the team working towards these goals.

Members asked about the strategy's approach to critical transition phases, such as moving from primary to secondary and preparing young people for adulthood and employment. Officers described the co-production of the preparation for adulthood guidance, focusing on community, health, employment, and housing. Officers noted various initiatives, including transition panels, inclusive travel training, and supported internships. Officers had developed a carousel vocational offer with educational providers. Young people were involved in developing the strategy and there was a focus on bespoke packages for post-16 transitions. The SEND Youth Forum could be used as an avenue for feedback.

Members raised concerns about the lack of alternative provision for primary age children who had been excluded and asked about progress in this area. Officers explained that ambition #5 of the SEND & AP Strategy focused on flexible interventions for children in alternative provision. Officers commended the Education team’s ongoing work to support settings and prevent suspensions and exclusions. Officers were developing support around emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA). Officers also explained the development of a dynamic purchasing system for alternative provision and the review of exclusion and suspension guidance including vulnerable learners support clinics. Officers emphasised the importance of early intervention and inclusion panels to provide support before suspensions occur.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the update