Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Wendy Brackenbury

RESOLVED that:-

The minutes of the meeting held on 2^nd February be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

At the Chairman’s invitation the Executive Director for Children’s Services introduced this report (copies of which had been previously circulated) stating the Council was developing a new Special Educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Strategy for North Northants in partnership.  The Parent Forum was at the centre of the strategy.

The North Co-ordinator for the Parents North Forum stated they had undertaken the work and designed the charter through a series of workshops which had included representatives from the voluntary sector, social care and parent forums.  They had reviewed what had worked well, how things could be better and how they could make a difference.  They had 8 workshops in all localities and additional parents and services had become involved.  The Motto was adopted of ‘No Decision without you’. 

The Assistant Director for Education stated the documents had been produced over a period of time and that the principle that sat within them had guided them so co-production had been at the heart of everything.  Making good practice, common practice.  The Charter had grown through the workshops which had had an honest exchange of  .  At moments the workshops were challenging but everyone who had taken part had felt they had been considered and the workshops had been very honest.

The head of SEND stated the documents reflected everything in the Government Green paper and included the latest guidance.

In answer to queries on the report the following was confirmed:

• They already employed some outreach workers from special schools who could go in and guide mainstream schools.  Outreach services assisted with the transition from primary to secondary school which could be a pupil’s most vulnerable time.  They checked a pupils social and mental health and undertook a lot of work to ensure the pupil transitioned as smoothly as possible.  It was critical for the outreach teams to ensure reviews were undertaken at the correct time and ensure a multi-agency approach was taken with all teams working together.
• In secondary schools they were piloting a nurturing service with early help providing more resources to assist schools.  Progress on this could be reported at a later date.
• Sitting alongside the 2 documents provided was a data dashboard which included targets.  Part of the North Co-ordinator for Parents North Forum role was to report on these and explain where key performance indicators weren’t met. 
• Accurate figures stating how many children had been assessed during the transition phase could be sent following the meeting.  The SEND team had undertaken a lot of work to ensure pupils had suitable placements.  </AI2>

• Not all of the families agreed with what the council suggested and families tended to be very vocal when things worked badly as they just wished to have the best experience for their children.  They worked with families and collected their voices which were fed back to monthly meetings with the Assistant Director for Education.

It was also noted that when discussing SEND the advisory panel may wish to have some of the North  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

At the Chairman’s invitation the IEP/SSS North Northants Manager provided a presentation (copies of which had been previously circulated) which provided details of the team that supporting children who were missing from education, how they tracked children and the process of Elective Home Education.

In answer to queries on the presentation the following was confirmed:

• The IEP/SSS North Northants Manager would provide details of the primary and secondary school pupils who were currently elective home education.
• After a child had been out of school with no explanation for 10 days the school would then inform the team.  If after a further 10 days the child still can’t be found the team informed the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).  Because of the need to be careful of safeguarding issues they do not inform MASH immediately of the child being missing, although they may already be known to MASH.
• There were approximately 30 children waiting for provision so were classed as elective home education.  They also had a number of children waiting for a special place.  As of September 2022 there were approximately 615 Elective Home Education children.
• Parents were asked to provide a plan for how they would home educate their children, although the team also informed parents that children were best served in school. 
• When looking for a child they knocked on doors with leaflets and talked to social care and other agencies who may work with children. 

<AI3>

</TRAILER_SECTION>

<LAYOUT_SECTION>

1FIELD_TITLE

FIELD_SUMMARY

</LAYOUT_SECTION>

<TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

2FIELD_TITLE

</TITLE_ONLY_LAYOUT_SECTION>

<HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION>

</HEADING_LAYOUT_SECTION> They spoke to HMRC asking for a family address. 

• whWhen a child went abroad and did not return the team tried to ask neighbours or the school if they are aware of anything.  They try to ascertain why a child went abroad.  The team tries to ascertain whether they had gone for a holiday or for good.  Often they return after an extended holiday and the tried to work with parents so that they understood that education was good but at the end of the day parents make their own choice.
• Checks are undertaken to ensure parents have the ability to undertake home education.  They have to submit an acceptable plan and if it isn’t acceptable they are spoken with to ensure it is.  They can issue an attendance order which states the parent is not suitable to provide home education.  A long conversation is held with them to ensure they know their responsibilities and what they will have to do.  The Local authority does not offer home tutoring to a child. 
• For children who have been excluded or are waiting for a school which is suitable for their needs the authority attempts to get them into the appropriate placement as soon as possible.  The school needs to review the support it requires and they then come back to the local authority to say what support they require.  There is also alternative provision for those who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The following items were agreed for the July meeting:

• Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE)
• Youth Justice Annual Plan

The following items were agreed for the September meeting:

• Early Years Update
• Education Health Care Plans

RESOLVED that:  the Executive Advisory Panel Future Communities agreed

Future items for its meetings.

There being no further business, the Chair thanked Members and Officers for their attendance and closed the meeting.