Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Education, Works & Skills.

The report provides an update on the current position and context of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Stockport. The report also provides an update in Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan Timeliness, pupils with Social, Emotional, And Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Alternative Provision (AP) and the SEND Inspection Framework.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to comment on and note the information and the current actions and to address distinct issues.

Officer contact: Geraldine Gerrard | geraldine.gerrard@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Education, Work & Skills submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the current position and context of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Stockport. The report also provided an update in relation to Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan Timeliness, pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Alternative Provision (AP) and the SEND Inspection Framework.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education (Councillor Wendy Meikle) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The proposal to provide additional Educational Psychologists was welcomed.

·         More needed to be done to support those children and families who were waiting for a formal autism diagnosis to ensure that they were ‘waiting well’.

·         Many parents had expressed frustration with the time taken to get an assessment, and it was noted that the longer it took to obtain an assessment, those with more complex needs became increasingly expensive to support once that had been completed.

·         The level of communication with parents and carers, signposting them to other services while awaiting an autism diagnosis was welcomed.

·         It was noted that the cost of external independent provision was significant, and in some cases was not always providing the desired outcomes.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That it be noted that the Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education would be writing to the Department for Education expressing concern in relation to the sufficiency of training places for educational psychologists.