Agenda item

The recommendations to be submitted to the Executive were:

a)    That awareness raising activities were undertaken to ensure that all of Middlesbrough’s schools and settings were aware of the Local Authority’s explicit offer of targeted inclusion support. There was a need for schools and settings to receive clear and concise information on what targeted support can be accessed, what is part of the “core” offer open to all schools and settings (without requiring a statutory assessment and plan), and the additional offer that settings and schools can tap into by using their own resources.

b)    That work is undertaken with Legal Services and the Data Protection Officer to develop an effective transition planning process for all stages of education, which addresses the restrictions associated with GDPR. For example, Durham County Council has developed an electronic process for primary school Headteachers to share the names of students who may require additional transition support into secondary education. Wording, informing parents that information will be shared to support transition, has been included in the admissions brochure, on Durham County Council’s website and in secondary application forms and offer letters.

c)     That the Local Authority links up with Middlesbrough College to provide placements for the college’s supported internships programme. Supported internships have been introduced at Middlesbrough College to give a greater focus on preparing young people with special educational needs and disabilities with the skills needed for adulthood and employment.

d)    That, to support continuous improvement, a regular cycle of SEND reviews takes place across all educational settings and outcomes are reported to the Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel.

e)    That SEND annual reports were published to demonstrate how data, intelligence and feedback has been used to support strategic planning arrangements and ensure that there is sufficient local provision and support.

f)      That work was undertaken with the Integrated Transport Service to explore and identify solutions to ensure children and young people with SEND were provided with travel assistance to enable them to access respite care.

g)    That, to further promote effective partnership working, a local area partnership agreement was developed, which outlines how partners would work together and sets out responsibilities and agreed working arrangements. Investing time in fostering relationships and partnerships, given their importance to the local SEND system, is highly important - as there was a risk that those relationships could change very quickly. 

h)    That the collaborative work undertaken by Education, Social Care and Health is commended and continues to drive further improvement in the SEND system. Given the increasing demand for provision to support those children and young people with SEND, it is vital that work continues to expand specialist provision and enable mainstream settings to provide support.

i)      That data/intelligence was collected, analysed and reported on to demonstrate the specific strategic approaches and practices that had been effective in supporting children and young people with SEND, enabling them to achieve the best possible educational outcomes and preparing them effectively for adulthood.

j)      That regular updates were reported to the Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel, on a six monthly basis, in respect of the progress made with implementing the above recommendations and the work undertaken to develop and sustain an effective local SEND system.

AGREED that the findings and recommendations of the Children and Young People’s Learning Scrutiny Panel be endorsed and referred to the Executive.