Agenda item - The New Special Educational Needs and Disability Strategy (SEND) 2021-2026

Report of the Assistant Director, Health, Special Educational Needs and Disability (copy attached)

RESOLVED - That the Board notes and endorses the new final SEND Strategy 2021-2026.

44.1    The Board considered the new Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) strategy which was due to be formally launched at the end of January 2021. The Strategy was being presented to the Board because of the significant health element embedded within the strategy and because there were a range of actions which were specific to adults who had learning disabilities.

44.2    It was noted that the city’s current Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) strategy had expired at the end of 2019 and that over the previous five years the SEND landscape had changed dramatically. Those changes had included the introduction of new national legislation and a code of practice and a significant redesign of special education provision in the city following the SEND review which had taken place, it had been timely therefore to produce a new ambitious strategy for the city.

44.3    The purpose of the new strategy was to deliver on a city- wide agreed vision for the commissioning and delivery of SEND services, providing a framework against which provision could be measured and improved. The strategy had been co-produced between a range of local stakeholders and partners; the Local Authority, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and local parent organisations PaCC and Amaze who had led on producing the final draft of the document.

44.4    Katie Chipp was in attendance from the CCG and referred to the joint Sussex wide work which was being undertaken on an ongoing basis particularly with the BAME community.

44.5    It was explained in answer to questions that the level of exclusions across the city was very low and that robust measures were in place to support those who had learning difficulties. The Chair, Councillor Shanks, asked whether there had been an increase in non-attendance during the pandemic especially amongst vulnerable children. It was explained that in instances where children were perceived to be particularly vulnerable measures were in place to seek to address this. Regular meetings took place in order to seek to ensure that remote learning was available appropriate to children’s needs. It was understood that there was a reluctance by some parents of vulnerable children to send them to school.

44.6    RESOLVED - That the Board notes and endorses the new final SEND Strategy 2021-2026.