Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director for Children and Young People’s Services.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the annual progress of the ‘Safety Valve Agreement’.

2.    Note the key risks and areas subject to review within the DfE monitoring of Rotherham progress against the ‘Safety Valve Agreement’.

3.    Note that a further Cabinet report will be submitted when proposals for the 10 additional mainstream SEN resource basis have been further developed.

Consideration was given to the report submitted which summarised that, as part of the Department of Education work to address long term challenges in the High Needs funding within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), a small number of identified local authorities including Rotherham, entered into a financial agreement known as a ‘Safety Valve Agreement’. The report provided an update at the end of year one (2022/2023) of the ‘Safety Valve Agreement’ and the associated actions attached to the agreement and confirmed that the Council had received a substantial amount of capital investment due to positive progressions against its strategic and financial plan. 

In November Cabinet supported the development of the SEND Sufficiency Phase 4 which would provide an additional 10 resource units in Rotherham based within mainstream schools. The investment would reduce the need of high-cost independent school places outside of Rotherham. The programme of activity would be delivered across the next 3 academic years.

The recommendations were then proposed and seconded.

Resolved: That Cabinet noted:

1.     The annual progress of the ‘Safety Valve Agreement’.

2.     The key risks and areas subject to review within the DfE monitoring of Rotherham progress against the ‘Safety Valve Agreement’.

3.     That a further Cabinet report would be submitted when proposals for the 10 additional mainstream SEN resource bases have been further developed.