Lisa Fraser, Director of Education  introduced the last item, an update on the progress delivering the SEND Improvement programme and readiness for the Area SEND Inspection, including performance against key measures such as the timeliness of EHCPs.

Pauline Maddison, Education Associate, noted that Tower Hamlets Council is one of two London authorities not to have had an inspection. This is set to be more intensive than the previous one in 2021, it could be held any time from now until the end of 2025 and is expected to include experiences of parents and children and Leap London’s alternative provision, which was rated outstanding.

Details of themes from recent inspections were shared with Members, including:

-      EHCP timeliness and quality; absence of child and young person voice.

-      annual review timeliness and quality; many EHCPs out of date.

-      long waiting times for neurodevelopmental and specialist health assessment.

-      lack of multi-agency working and information sharing.

-      fewer families benefitting from antenatal and 2-2.5-year-old review visits.

-      lack of effective preparing for adulthood support.

Members were then given details of how the Council are preparing for the upcoming inspection. This included establishing a multi-agency inspection preparation group, regularly updating the risk log, collating Annex A data, a multi-agency audit team confirmed with a trial run scheduled, a data led approach for both operational and strategic reporting and a pledge to a system based recording.

Ms Maddison then discussed the progress against Tower Hamlets Written Statement of Action, which outlined the improvements made since 2021. This included, in part, numerous meetings with the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England, the improvement in health statistics and engagement with parents and the ‘Let's Talk SEND’ events. 55 schools signed up to Verbo, a speech and language programme, where parents and schools can now track their children’s speech and language development.

Members were updated on the areas of focus, including a SEND Inclusion Strategy and a 12-month delivery plan, which will be submitted to Cabinet on 18 October 2024 and the Health and Wellbeing Board in December. A consultation on an inclusion framework will be circulated to parents with Educational Health Care Plans (EHCP) and SEND and also a SEND front door for information and support, which will allow parents to view the complete support pathways available. It was noted that the London East Alternative Provision was rated Outstanding by OFSTED.

Ms Maddison went on to note the impact the service is having and the number of plans achieved in 20 weeks. Work is required to improve the 34% figure. Tower Hamlets has the highest level of SEND inclusion in the country, with 6.8% of children participating and achieving above the national average. Similarly the SEND suspension exclusion rates are less than the national average.

Further to  questions from the sub-committee, Councillor Maium Talukdar and Officers:

·       Observed that the figures in the presentation only compare national local authorities EHCP’s, they do not consider internal exclusion rooms. OFSTED reports will usually indicate these numbers.

·       Clarified that a written Statement of Actions Plan will be forwarded to sub-committee Members for review.

·       Acknowledged that there are resource issues related to the high demand for EHCP’s which means that there are delays within the service. Additional staffing has been sought and the procedures around quality have been reviewed. A Task and Finish Group will also be established to provide additional resources to combat the increased demand.

·       Clarified that early intervention is a crucial element to ensuring children are assessed quickly. The assessment process is lengthy and expensive. Discussions are currently taking place with schools in regards to meeting the high demand for SEND and inclusion plans. This is a national issue.

·       Confirmed that parents who are dissatisfied with the EHCP provision given by schools or the Council, can contact the  Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) who are available to support and advise them.

·       Noted that the Inclusion Framework targets children with mild to moderate SEND. Although all schools in the borough do well engaging with children, training opportunities are available for teachers to improve their skills.

·       Explained that EHCP’s allows children to express their views and aspirations. A Parent Coordinator will shortly be appointed to ensure children and parents have a greater understanding of the assessment process.

·       Noted that the gender imbalance of children with SEND reflects the national findings, which indicates that girls have undiagnosed special educational needs and disabilities.

·       Observed that numerous Councils are facing bankruptcy due to the rising costs of SEND staffing and transportation as service demand increases. Tower Hamlets has a combination of in-house Council and Commission transportation.

·       Confirmed that the development review of more efficient and cheaper forms of transport routes is currently being conducted and details will be brought back to the sub-committee once completed.

The Sub-Committee RESOLVED:

1.    That a written Statement of Actions Plan will be forwarded to sub-committee Members for review.

2.    That the presentation be noted.