A NEW three-year plan to improve provision for pupils with special educational needs has been submitted to the Government.
It has been drawn up by Staffordshire County Council, parent and carer representatives, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board, early years providers, multi-academy trusts and further education providers as an official response to proposals to reform the SEND system.
Cllr Janet Higgins, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for education and SEND, said the plan would set out how the different stakeholders planned to work together to improve support for children and young people.
"It goes beyond structural reform, to a change in the partnership culture ensuring children, their parents and carers are included in plans for their children and that our communication with parents and carers is more timely and regular.
"It builds upon what we were already embracing in Staffordshire, including moving towards earlier intervention, education closer to home and putting support in place for mainstream schools to use without having to wait for formal processes to be completed."
The county council said the plan focuses on a more consistent standard of services across Staffordshire, with a timetable for the first 12 months and a delivery plan for the second and third years.
Progress will be reviewed regularly, with the Parent Carer Forum part of that process.
Cllr Higgins said:
"We know from what parents and carers have told us that, where possible, they want their children close to home and educated alongside their friends but with the right support in place."
Once the plan is approved by the Department for Education, the Government will – up to April 2026 – pay 90% of debts arising from SEND overspends caused by demand outstripping funding in the last decade.
For Staffordshire, that figure amounts to £90million, but still leaves a debt of more than £10million.
Cllr Higgins added:
"Successful delivery of SEND support rests upon the provision of sufficient funding from central government to meet demand – and that will remain a key issue as we implement this plan.
"Schools, early years providers and health partners all have a vital role to play if we’re going to get this right for children."
