A three-year plan to improve support for Norfolk's SEND children - and get around £195m of deficit wiped off Norfolk County Council's balance sheet - has been published.
Amid growing demand and costs to support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, Norfolk County Council has put together the Norfolk Local SEND Reform Plan to help the situation.
Norfolk has a higher proportion of children getting extra support for special educational needs than almost anywhere else in the country.
What would the plan do?
Significant parts of the plan are based around supporting SEND children to remain within mainstream schools.
That includes spending millions of pounds on more specialist resources bases - where children are taught in dedicated classrooms while still being part of mainstream schools.
Mainstream schools would also get an increased amount of specialist advice and support, as the council continues its efforts to reduce reliance on specialist schools, which can be costly and far from children's homes.
Another matter the plan aims to address is the issue of neurodevelopmental assessments and diagnoses for children, with conditions such as autism and ADHD.
Parents in Norfolk have long complained about lengthy delays in getting such assessments, against a backdrop of surging demand - up 130pc in five years.
The plan aims to reduce waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments to 18 weeks by 2028.
Sara Tough, executive director for children’s services, said: “We know the current system is challenging for families.
"This plan is about helping children and young people get the right support earlier, so they can succeed in their education.
“It will strengthen inclusion in mainstream schools, support staff and improve outcomes for all children as well as increasing the confidence, capability and capacity of professionals across the system.
“But it will only succeed with the right national support, including funding, workforce capacity and consistent regulation.”
Council leaders and officials have long lobbied the government because of the debts accrued in providing SEND support, with costs outstripping the money the government gives.
The new plan, if approved by the government, would ease that situation, with around 90pc of that deficit - some £195m - repaid, ahead of further SEND reform.
Concerns at lack of scrutiny
But there has been criticism of the process surrounding the submission of the plan.
The government gave a deadline for councils to submit their plans by Friday (June 19) and recent weeks have seen major changes at County Hall, with Reform UK taking control of the formerly Conservative-run authority.
That led to officers agreeing to submit the plan under what is known as a special urgency notice - so it has been sent off to the Department for Education (DfE) for approval without prior scrutiny by councillors.
Maxine Webb, leader of the 12-strong Green group at County Hall, said: "I support the overarching aims of creating a properly inclusive and resourced education system, and I’m grateful to officers for their work and for publishing the plans in full.
"But, this is a high level, complex report, and while the government’s submission deadline was undoubtedly tight, it’s inexplicable that a meetings timetable wasn’t programmed to enable the member oversight and scrutiny that plans this consequential demand.
"A scheduled cabinet meeting earlier this month was even cancelled. It means Norfolk’s plan - that will have huge implications to children, families and the council’s finances - has now been submitted to the DfE with no member scrutiny whatsoever."
Share