Summary of the April 2025 Board Meeting

This is the 13th meeting of the Local Area SEND Partnership Board.

There were no updates from the subgroups this Board meeting. Instead, the Board approved a restructure of the subgroups. This will make sure that they are working in the best way to deliver the new priority plan. The Board will review the priority action plan during the Board meeting in May. This meeting will also review the new structure of the subgroups.

1. Case Studies

Board members heard two presentations from education partners. Colleagues shared case studies to show how children with SEND experience the system.

Members heard the journey of one child who did not receive an emergency annual review at the right time. The Board saw the consequences of this in the experiences of the child and their family.

Members also heard about how Heswall Primary School developed resource provision. This helped them to support five children with complex needs. The presentation showed the challenges they faced on this journey. It also highlighted the success and development of the children.

2. Implementation Plan for new Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) model

Board members reviewed the report. They agreed to the attached business case. The Board asked for an update on the plan in the September Board meeting.

The business case outlines the challenges to providing SALT in Education, Health and Care plans. It sets out the resources needed to meet the demand. Plus, the financial costs of this.

3. Local Area SEND Inspection outcome

This report gave Board members a summary of the Local Area SEND inspection and findings. It also outlines the next steps following the publication of the inspection report.

The report recommended that the Board:

• Note the outcome of the inspection.

• Agree to review and sign off the priority action plan on 20th May. This will include new terms of reference for the Board and the subgroups.

• Agree to the proposed stakeholder engagement activity.

The Board agreed to all recommendations.

4. Board Member Appraisal Outcomes and Recommendations

This report gave the Board an overview of the appraisals that took place in March. Board members took part in a questionnaire and face to face meetings. The appraisals helped members to see how far the Board has come from being a new structure to becoming strong governance.

The report recommended the Board to:

• Note the contents of the report and highlight any areas for action.

• Note the refresh of the Board governance structure based on the feedback received from members. This includes the changes to the subgroups.

• Approve more of the leadership walks. Members found these helpful as they saw first-hand how people experience SEND services.

The Board agreed to all recommendations.

5. Wirral SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2025-2029

The report set out the reasons for developing this strategy. The report recommended that the Board:

• Approve the strategy (attached as Addendum 1).

• Agree to review the governance of the Board to make sure that the Local Area SEND Partnership can deliver the strategy successfully.

The Board noted that the strategy is in draft form and is not yet in an accessible format. The Board agreed the strategy. This will now be made accessible and will be circulated to Board members for final approval.