Agenda item

A report from Carolyn Godfrey, Corporate Director for Children & Education, providing the outcome of the consultation on the Review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision that was held from 22 February to 24 May 2010. The report makes recommendations for decisions on future provision based on the matters considered in the Review.

On 8 June, the Children’s Services Select Committee resolved to undertake two rapid scrutiny exercises looking at the Review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, as follows:

1. Rapid scrutiny of the Review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision consultation process

2. Rapid scrutiny of the Review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision consultation results

Members will therefore be asked to consider the report of the Rapid Scrutiny Exercises alongside the Review of SEN Provision Post Consultation Report.

At the Committee’s June meeting, members requested that a Rapid Scrutiny Exercise be arranged to consider the Review of SEN Provision 2010 consultation process and consultation results. This was undertaken on 15 July. A copy of the Rapid Scrutiny Group’s final report was circulated, together with the post-consultation report to Cabinet detailing the outcomes of the Review.

Members of the public who had provided questions on this item were requested to present these. Details of the questions raised by Mrs Ruth Greening and Mrs Annette Griffin, plus the responses provided by Trevor Daniels, Head of SEN, are detailed in the Appendix to these minutes.

Mrs Kemp, SEN Parent Governor Representative, introduced the Rapid Scrutiny group’s Final Report. She stated that members had found the Exercise very helpful in providing an opportunity for detailed discussion with officers and the Cabinet Member. She noted that the majority of the Rapid Scrutiny Group’s recommendations addressed how Wiltshire Council consultations might be improved in future, as well as how implementation of the Review’s outcomes could be managed and monitored to ensure no child’s education suffered due to the changes proposed. Finally, she thanked the Cabinet Member and officers for taking part in the Rapid Scrutiny Exercise.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services was invited to comment on the reports provided.

(a)         The Cabinet Member commented that he considered the Review of SEN consultation comprehensive and successful. The consultation document had been widely circulated and all appropriate organisations had been involved.  Although the statutory minimum period for the consultation had been 6 weeks, the authority had extended this to 3 months. 

(b)         The Cabinet Member added that the responses received through the consultation process had led to the authority amending the Review’s original proposals.

(c)         Members requested clarification of how closing Special Learning Centres (SLCs) would affect SEN provision.  Officers reported that the Review addressed longstanding imbalances in SEN provision in Wiltshire and was a difficult step but one that needed to be taken. The proposed transport costs set out within the report were estimates but no increase in costs was anticipated.

(d)         Officers clarified that with the passing of responsibility for 16-19 learning from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to the local authority on 1 April 2010, the provision for the 16+ age group was being considered as a whole across Wiltshire and this would include SEN provision. The Select Committee had already resolved to consider establishing a task group looking at 16+ SEN provision in November.

(e)         Officers confirmed that under the final proposals to be considered by Cabinet on 27 July, the SLCs for Complex Needs at Malmesbury Primary School and Longleaze Primary School would be retained pending a review, starting in 2012, of all SEN provision in the North East of Wiltshire, including special school provision in the area adjacent to Swindon.

(f)           Members noted that when making decisions about matters as difficult and specialised as SEN provision, they were to some extent in the hands of the professionals and had little choice but to put faith in the officers’ judgement.

(g)         The Chairman acknowledged the work of the officers and the expertise provided.

Resolved:

That the Committee endorsed the recommendations of the Rapid Scrutiny Exercise and referred them to Cabinet for response and consideration when Cabinet made its final decisions regarding the Review of SEN Provision on 27 July 2010.