Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) proposed an additional recommendations which was seconded by the Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (Leader) to:

Report back to Cabinet with a plan for implementation of the SEND provision.

Cabinet agreed:

1.    The SEND Sufficiency Plan 2024-2030 which sets out the proposed options for expansion of special educational provision within Plymouth to meet increasing demand.

2.    That a report is prepared for Cabinet with includes a plan for implementation of the SEND provision.

Councillor Sally Cresswell (Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships) introduced the item and highlighted:

a)    Welcomed parents and carers from Mill Ford School and thanked them for their presence, understanding and the way they had worked with the Council;

b)    The plan was about every individual child and was something she was very passionate about;

c)    Her 30 year teaching background meant she was well placed to understand both the importance and the urgency for this work;

d)    There had been an increase in the city of children who had an education and health care plan (EHCP) and forecasts were expected to be on the lower side of actual numbers;

e)    Analysis indicated that Plymouth would be short of at least 105 special school places by 2030;

f)      Due to capacity pressures within the Plymouth special school estate, students had had to be placed into Independent Special Schools (ISP’s);

                      i.        There were 376 children and young people in ISP’s with an additional estimated cost of £43,422 per year per student when compared to children placed in a school within the Plymouth school estate;

                     ii.        The total cost of placing students in ISP’s for financial year 2023/24 was £8.6 million;

g)    Expansion within Plymouth would ensure that more children were able to attend school closer to home which would reduce the pressure on the home to school transport service budget. Children  travelling outside of the city, the costed the council £1.177 million;

h)    Plymouth City Council received funding from the High Needs Capital Allocation Grant (HMPCA) which could be used to increase the number of special educational places available in the city;

i)     There was no additional funding available, but the Council would continue to lobby Central Government and the Department for Education to request additional funds for SEND and provision for children in Plymouth;

j)     The plan outlined a range of options to expand the special educational provision which would be delivered and funded from the available £13 million HMPCA;

k)    With no indication that provision for school age children needed to be increased at Woodlands School, available space could be turned into special provision nursery, supporting early intervention which would benefit children and their families, as well as having a cost saving;

l)     Resource provision for students within mainstream schools was integrated creating a more inclusive setting and more children would be able to stay within the schools that were within their own communities;

m)  Mill Ford School was in need of total refurbishment and full structure and condition surveys were underway to identify any underlying issues that would prevent refurbishment;

                      i.        Funding to rebuild the school had been explored was not possible with existing funding;

n)    A building had become available next to Longcause School and the option to purchase was being explored, and if successful would offer up to 100 additional places subject to refurbishment;

o)    Any refurbishment works would be carefully planned to minimise disruption to students and staff;

p)    Children were the future, and it was important that they had an environment in which they could thrive;

q)    Councillor Cresswell thanked parents, school staff, and Council officers who worked so hard to deliver the best for the city’s most vulnerable children.

In response to questions, supported by Lisa Linscott (Service Director for Education, Participation and Skills) and Amanda Paddison (Head of Access to Learning), the following was discussed:

r)    Great inclusive practices across all schools in Plymouth would require a very strong ordinarily available approach, and graduated approach, in all schools, and the SEND sufficiency plan sat alongside this;

s)     A governance framework had been established to support the delivery of the project;

t)     A region-wide demonstration by parents and carers of SEND children had led to helpful discussions and SEND provision was a priority for the administration.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) proposed an additional recommendation which was seconded by the Councillor Tudor Evans OBE (Leader) to:

u)    Report back to Cabinet with a plan for implementation of the SEND provision.

Cabinet agreed:

1.    The SEND Sufficiency Plan 2024-2030, which set out the proposed options for expansion of special educational provision within Plymouth to meet increasing demand;

2.    That a report was prepared for Cabinet with included a plan for implementation of the SEND provision.