Cabinet members are to be updated on a strategy to improve educational provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Derby.
Derby City Council is working to strengthen the offer that young people and their families receive by providing the right support, in the right place, at the right time. The authority’s plan also aims to bring expenditure back in line with forecasted budgets over the coming years in the face of increased financial challenges.
Locally and nationally, the SEND system is experiencing increasing demand and is under significant pressure as the cost of provision outstrips funding provided by the Government.
The Council has worked in partnership with parents, education settings and other stakeholders to develop the Dedicated Schools’ Grant (DSG) Management Plan, which will continue to transform provision.
Cabinet members will be updated on progress made under the plan, and asked to approve the approach taken, when they meet on Wednesday 14 June.
Councillor John Whitby, Derby City Council cabinet member for Children’s Social Care, Learning and Skills, said:
The Council has been working to help improve provision for children and young people with SEND for some time and significant progress has already been made.
The Dedicated Schools’ Grant (DSG) Management Plan aims to bring expenditure back in line with forecasted budgets while securing quality outcomes for children and young people with SEND, ensuring they are able to live their best life.
Progress already made under the strategy includes improved support for schools through the DerbySAL advice line and a redesigned social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) offer. More special school places have already been created in Derby as a result of expansion at St Giles, Ivy House, St Andrew’s, Kingsmead and St Martin’s schools.
Work is now underway to further strengthen the local offer to ensure the right placement options are available. This includes the creation of additional special school places on mainstream sites through a ‘hub and spoke’ model across primary, secondary and post-16 settings and the development of a capital programme to add capacity to existing special schools, including St Clare’s School.
Support will also be provided to help children transition into mainstream education where appropriate. Together, these changes will mean more children will access the education they need within their own community, close to their family and friends, and reduce the need for placements outside the area.
Plans are in place for the second phase, with the aim of building on the work done during Phase One by further developing support for schools and improving the post-16 offer.
For more information about Derby’s SEND Local Offer see the Derby City Council website.