Decision details

To capture and define the strategic objectives for the SEND team, enabling the Council and its partners, to plan initiatives to meet future needs, which in turn will improve the lives and opportunities for children and young adults.

i.       the progress made on implementing the SEND written statement of action

to improve services to children and families and the feedback received from the Department for Education and NHS England relating to the end of January 2023 is noted.

ii.     that the Council has secured £1m through the Government’s Delivering

Better Value in SEND programme and in its bid to build a new specialist Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) special school in the Borough, to improve further inclusive, local services for children and young people with SEND is noted.

iii.    the release of £350,000 from the Council’s corporate contingency included in the 2023/24 budget to fund additional short term staffing capacity within the SEND team is approved to ensure momentum is maintained to deliver the

identified service improvements.

iv.    the SEND Strategy 2023 – 2025, that has been developed through close working with professionals, parents, carers and young people is approved to provide a clear direction for the service in the years ahead.

i.       Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the local area’s

effectiveness of the area in implementing the special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) reforms as set out in the Children and Families Act 2014. In summary, the inspection raised significant concerns about the effectiveness of the area. As a result, Bracknell Forest partners – the council and the then clinical commissioning group (CCPG) were required to produce and submit a written statement of action (WSOA) to Ofsted that explains how it will tackle nine areas of significant weakness.

ii.     When the WSOA was produced it was agreed that the Executive would be provided with quarterly updates on progress made towards implementation of the plan, following each of the DfE and NHS England reviews.

iii.    Thrive in Learning, our existing Bracknell Forest SEND strategy, concluded in

December 2022. Our WSOA included an action to develop a refreshed strategy for SEND in Bracknell Forest. The strategy has been co-produced with a wide range of stakeholders including early years, school, and college leaders; professionals from education, health, SEND and care; as well as parents, carers, young people, and children. It reflects our collective ambition, priorities, and objectives for SEND so that children and young people achieve

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