Decision Maker: Cabinet
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
In October 2021, the government announced it
will invest £2.6bn between 2022 and 2025 to support Local
Authorities to deliver new places and improve existing provision
for children and young people with SEND, particularly those with
more complex needs, and for those pupils who require alternative
provision. The aim of the funding is to meet the capital costs
associated with providing new places and improving existing
provision, for: -Children and young people with complex needs, who
have Education, Health and Care plans (EHCPs), and where
appropriate other children and young people with SEND who do not
have an EHCP; -Pupils who require alternative provision (including
children in Alternative Provision settings without an EHCP).
-Funding is predominantly intended for school aged children, but
Local Authorities can spend it across the 0-25 age range, including
in special post-16 institutions or other further education (FE)
settings. The funding is intended to address the need for places in
academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25, but it is not time-bound.
Staffordshire County Council is proposing to use this capital
investment to support the Vision and Priorities outlined in the
Staffordshire Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Strategy 2021-2026 The SEND Strategy Vision is: “All children
and young people with SEND are given the opportunity to achieve
everything that they can. They engage with the right support at the
right time from their parents/carers, the community and the
professionals that work with them to make this happen.” Key
areas of focus within the strategy are: - Children and young people
are given the opportunity to be educated in their local mainstream
education setting whenever it can meet their needs - Wherever
possible children will access education placements that are close
to home to help develop friendships in their local community and
promote independent travel. - Staffordshire County Council is
therefore proposing to use the High Needs Provision Capital
Allocation funding on projects which will increase: 1/ Access to
mainstream placements for children and young people with high needs
(who might otherwise require more specialist provision) with the
development of resource bases. 2/ The local availability of high
needs places to help reduce the requirement for out of area
placements/placements at independent special schools.
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“We want all children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to be able to reach their potential by receiving the right support at the right time in their own communities, at their local school or nearest suitable place of education.
Supporting these projects will allow schools to make extra provision and increase their capacity to provide support where it can make a real difference”.
Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Education (and SEND) |
Reasons for the Decision – To consider proposals for the utilisation of High Needs Provision Capital Allocation funding within Staffordshire Educational settings.
Decision – (a) That approval be given to the utilisation of the funding within Staffordshire Educational settings to:
(i) Increase access to mainstream placements for children and young people with high needs (who might otherwise require more specialist provision) with the development of resource bases.
(ii) Increase the local availability of high needs places to help reduce the requirement for out of area placements/placements at independent special schools.
(b) That the Director for Children and Families be given delegated authority to allocate the funding to the individual capital projects at educational settings.
Report author: Debbie Nash
Publication date: 20/10/2022
Date of decision: 19/10/2022
Decided at meeting: 19/10/2022 - Cabinet
Effective from: 26/10/2022
Accompanying Documents: