Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services

Recommendations:-

1.           That the proposal to develop a SEMH Educational provision and re-build Newman Upper School, as required to deliver both Rotherham SEND Sufficiency and Social Emotional Mental Health Strategies, is approved.

2.           That Cabinet approves the acquisition of  ...  view the full agenda text for item 72

Consideration was given to the report which outlined proposals to address current and future Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) sufficiency issues that have been highlighted by SEND data and identified in the Rotherham SEND Sufficiency and Social Emotional Mental Health Strategies.

Rotherham currently had two key issues in relation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 72

Cabinet Portfolio: - Children's Services and Neighbourhood Working

Strategic Directorate: - Children and Young People’s Services

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 23 November 2020 in respect of the SEND Sufficiency Development Phase 3. The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Neighbourhood Working, the Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services and the Joint Assistant Director - Commissioning, Performance and Inclusion attended the meeting to present the report.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Neighbourhood Working in introducing the report noted the report and recommendations would address two key issues that were faced in Rotherham in relation to sufficiency of education for children with special education needs and disabilities that were:

·       The lack of designated social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) educational provision in the Borough.

·       The Newman Special School building being in need of extensive work in order to bring it to the required standard to effectively deliver education for children and young people with disabilities. 

The Joint Assistant Director - Commissioning, Performance and Inclusion noted that the current proposals were the part of the Council’s ongoing SEND Sufficiency Development Strategy, and advised that Phase 3 and subsequent phases would continue to deliver on the Council’s commitment to improve outcomes for children and young people across the Borough while also ensuring the provision of services were financially sustainable into the future.

The Joint Assistant Director noted the current challenges of increased demand for services, the lack of suitable specialist educational provision in the Borough and the physical limitations of current facilities created for the effective provision of education for children with special education needs and disabilities. The Assistant Director advised that following an in-depth analysis of the current situation, four different options had been identified as potential ways forward to address the need to develop and improve specialist educational provision in the Borough. The Joint Assistant Director summarised the strategic appraisal of the different options that had been considered. The full strategic options appraisal was included in the officer’s report. Members were assured that the appraisal process had been robust and thorough in its execution.

The Joint Assistant Director advised that following the options appraisal it was proposed that the option that would best support children and young people with special education needs and disabilities to achieve improved outcomes  was through the development of new, modern, and well-designed provision on the former Dinnington College site, noting that the site had sufficient space and resources to meet the needs of the children who would attend there.  The Joint Assistant Director advised that the former college buildings would provide the opportunity to open a new special school that was dedicated to educating children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs, and would also provide safe, modern and well-planned new buildings for children and young people who attended Newman Special School to receive their education in. It was also proposed that the upper school at the Newman School would also move to the Dinnington  ...  view the full minutes text for item 250