SEN Service Review Outline Business Case overview Compact 20 th June 2012

The legal background Rights and duties set out in Part IV of Education Act 1996 Described in the SEN Code of Practice 2001 (includes SENDA 2001) Local Authorities and schools …must have regard to it. They must not ignore it Somersets SEN Framework Equalities Act 2010

SEN Funding (1) SEN Funding is allocated through: –Individual Schools Budget (School Action and School Action Plus) –Central Schools Budget ( Support Services – includes some EPS, early intervention, management and administration, centrally managed resources – independent special schools) –Local Authority Budget (Educational Psychology Service, SEN Casework, therapies, SEN Transport, management and administration)

Outline Business Case(1) What services must the Local Authority provide? –Broadly those funded by the Local Authority budget SEN Transport Statutory assessment and monitoring of Statements of SEN (SEN Casework Team) Statutory work carried out by Educational Psychology Service Naming schools in Statements of SEN Quality assurance of SEN provision across the Local Authority Parent Partnership Service (could be outsourced)

Recommendation 1 The Local Authority continues to directly provide these services, recognising that this will be within future budget constraints on the LA budget.

Outline Business Case(2) What should the Local Authority, through the Compact arrangements, commission? Broadly those funded through the Central Schools Budget –Non-statutory Educational Psychology –Learning Support –Physical, Medical and Sensory Support –Autism and Communication Support (not Resource Bases*) –Independent/non-maintained special school provision *The Local Authority should work with host schools for ASD and Language Resource Bases to fund these directly through the ISB and new High Needs pupil arrangements from 2013/14

Options we are considering(1) These options refer to Central Schools Budget expenditure. and depend on the Compact taking decisions to; –Commission the Local Authority to deliver the services directly; or –Commission schools/groups of schools to lead and manage the Support Services; or –Commission the Local Authority to develop a whole service externalisation; or –Commission the Local Authority to prepare the services for a whole service open Tender These options will be considered alongside other Learning and Achievement Services as a single entity.

Recommendation 2 The Compact Executive should commission the Local Authority to develop a full business plan to: –Commission schools/groups of schools to lead and manage the Support Services, in line with proposals introduced in Children Who Need More

Questions for the Compact The reduction in LA budgets over the period 2011/12 to 2013/14 has impacted on a number of LA funded SEN services. In particular, the Compact may need to consider whether to fund the reductions identified below from CSB: 2012/13 2 EPs £100K 2013/14 (examples include) Further 4 EPs £186K Contribution to Integrated Therapy Service £190K

Questions to consider Do you have a view on whether schools/groups of schools would want to directly employ Support Services staff? What suggestions do you have for how school governance/management of Support Services might work in an area? How would you like to see Support Services evolving to better meet the needs of children and young people in Somerset? Any other comments on the development of Support Services in Somerset?