Agenda item

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

Recommendations:-

1.      That approval be granted to the increase in education provision by 111 places to be achieved by September 2020.

2.      That approval be granted to utilise the £1.186 million available capital funding to create the additional infrastructure required to deliver the projects as set out at paragraph 2.8.

Further to Minute 147 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 20^th May, 2019, consideration was given to the Local Authority’s proposals to utilise capital funding to increase the sufficiency of school places for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Rotherham.

Consultation had now taken place with schools and settings in accordance with Department for Education guidance and a number of projects have been identified across Rotherham to meet the needs identified within the 2019 SEND Sufficiency Strategy given that there was increased demand for specialist placements for children and young people in Rotherham with special educational needs. Insufficient places within Rotherham increased pressure on the already challenged High Needs Budget and resulted in young people being placed outside Rotherham in high cost independent special schools. 

The creation of additional in-borough provision would, therefore, lead to a longer term saving on high needs funding as in-borough placements cost on average £30k per annum less than out-of-authority placements. 

There was a clear particular need in Rotherham to respond to increased demand for places within mainstream schools for children and young people with a range of autism spectrum conditions, moderate learning difficulties and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Initially the parameters of the consultation were fixed to the proposals to increase places by fifty across Rotherham. However, the response from schools and post-16 providers was both creative and enthusiastic, resulting in realistic proposals to increase education provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities by an additional one hundred and eleven places within the funding parameters available.

This approach would, therefore, allow the Local Authority to advance forward planning in relation to the next stage (phase 3 SEND sufficiency) to meet further future need due to demographic growth and support activity to reduce the deficit of the High Needs Budget.

This report, therefore, sought approval to utilise £1.186 million of available capital funding to create as part of Phase 2 one hundred and eleven additional school places in Rotherham starting from 2020, for children with special education needs and disabilities.

It was pointed out, however, that Phase 2 was not about disrupting good placements it was about making sure that there were more placements in the Authority moving forward for people who were coming into the system.

This report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board as part of the pre-scrutiny process who were in support of the recommendations.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the increase in education provision by one hundred and eleven places to be achieved by September 2020 be approved.

(2) That the £1.186 million available capital funding be utilised to create the additional infrastructure required to deliver the projects as set out at paragraph 2.8.