Progress on Agreed Actions

The board reviewed the actions agreed at previous meetings. There are 3 actions still in progress. Two are due before the June meeting and one is due before the July meeting. The people responsible for these actions are making progress and will provide updates at future meetings. The board noted the progress being made.

Improving the quality of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

The board reviewed work to improve the quality of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). A revised Quality Assurance (QA) Framework has been developed.

This framework will help make sure EHCPs are completed to a consistent standard and provide better support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The board discussed:

• the need to be clear about the minimum information professionals should provide when contributing to an EHCP

• increasing training and learning opportunities for staff in the SENDSTART team

• reviewing SENDSTART staff training completed over the last 6 months and planning future training needs

The board approved the updated Quality Assurance Framework and agreed to oversee its implementation.

Progress updates from SEND workstreams

The board reviewed the latest SEND Dashboard and Priority Action Plan updates. These reports show progress against local SEND improvement work. Board members agreed that the reports were ready to be published on SENDLO, the Local Offer website. This means parents, carers, children and young people will be able to see the latest updates on local SEND services and improvement work.

SEND Reforms

Plans to improve SEND services in the future

The board reviewed the first draft of the Local SEND Reform Plan. The plan sets out proposed changes to improve support and services for children and young people with SEND.

Board members recognised the significant amount of work that had gone into developing the draft plan. The board discussed:

• positive early feedback on the plan

• making sure information about specialist education places, including post-16 education, is accurate and easy to understand

• resolving gaps in some of the data before the final version is submitted

• ensuring mental health services are fully considered in future plans

• carefully planning any increase in special school places because the local population is expected to fall

• providing training to help board members understand and support the reforms

• opportunities to simplify and improve existing services

The board agreed to:

• develop clear information about the SEND Reform Plan for different audiences, including parents and carers

• submit the first version of the SEND Reform Plan

The reforms aim to improve the way services work together and help make support easier for children, young people and families to access.

Next meeting: 30th June