Issue - meetings

The council has experienced a significant increase in the number of children requiring and Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) over the last 3 years.  Sustained growth has resulted in a greater use of independent specialist school places and a shortage of specialist provision locally. This has increased unit costs of provision and intensified budget pressures in the dedicated schools grant high needs funding block.  As part of the council’s response to growth and improvement in the system, the council has developed a draft Sufficiency Strategy. The Sufficiency Strategy is a key part of the council’s work to deliver a sustainable system, working collaboratively with our partners to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met without escalating costs, and supporting delivery of the DSG Recovery Plan. A key area of focus for the strategy is to develop and expand our Post 16 offer locally. In delivering the priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy, additional Post 16 specialist provision is being planned and commissioned working with Linwood Special School.

This report contains a proposal to expand Linwood Special School on a satellite site hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre. The project will provide a total of 60 specialist post-16 places with a focus on supporting young people transition into an independent, healthy adulthood. Capital investment is required to refurbish and remodel the existing buildings to deliver a high quality, accessible teaching and learning space. The new facility will open in September 2025. By increasing the availability of local specialist Post 16 places, the council estimates a cost avoidance in the region of £38K - £50k per place, per annum.

The Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People, Education and Skills presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'L' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the council had experienced a significant increase in the number of children requiring and Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) over the last 3 years, and that sustained growth has resulted in a greater use of independent specialist school places and a shortage of specialist provision locally, which had increased unit costs of provision and intensified budget pressures in the dedicated schools grant high needs funding block. 

Cabinet was informed that as part of the council’s response to growth and improvement in the system, the council has developed a draft Sufficiency Strategy, and that the Sufficiency Strategy is a key part of the council’s work to deliver a sustainable system, working collaboratively with our partners to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met without escalating costs, and supporting delivery of the DSG Recovery Plan.

Cabinet was advised that a key area of focus for the strategy is to develop and expand our Post 16 offer locally, and in delivering the priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy, additional Post 16 specialist provision is being planned and commissioned working with Linwood Special School.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that this report contains a proposal to expand Linwood Special School on a satellite site hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre, and that the project will provide a total of 60 specialist post-16 places with a focus on supporting young people transition into an independent, healthy adulthood. Capital investment is required to refurbish and remodel the existing buildings to deliver a high quality, accessible teaching and learning space.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that the new facility will open in September 2025. By increasing the availability of local specialist Post 16 places, the council estimates a cost avoidance in the region of £38K - £50k per place, per annum.

The Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee addressed the Cabinet advising that at their recent meeting the Committee had supported the recommendations within the Cabinet paper.

RECOMMENDED that Cabinet recommends approval of the scheme by Council to develop a satellite of Linwood Special School at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre providing a total of 60 Post 16 places requiring a capital budget of £1.55m to develop the scheme. The scheme is fully funded from the council’s grant allocation of High Needs Provision Capital and will progress in line with the project programme set out at paragraph 12.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Children, Young People, Education and Skills

Reason

In accordance with the council’s improvement agenda and priority action to reduce high needs expenditure, this project increases the availability of local SEND places and achieves cost avoidance in the high need budget.

The Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People, Education and Skills presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'L' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the council had experienced a significant increase in the number of children requiring and Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) over the last 3 years, and that sustained growth has resulted in a greater use of independent specialist school places and a shortage of specialist provision locally, which had increased unit costs of provision and intensified budget pressures in the dedicated schools grant high needs funding block. 

Cabinet was informed that as part of the council’s response to growth and improvement in the system, the council has developed a draft Sufficiency Strategy, and that the Sufficiency Strategy is a key part of the council’s work to deliver a sustainable system, working collaboratively with our partners to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met without escalating costs, and supporting delivery of the DSG Recovery Plan.

Cabinet was advised that a key area of focus for the strategy is to develop and expand our Post 16 offer locally, and in delivering the priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy, additional Post 16 specialist provision is being planned and commissioned working with Linwood Special School.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that this report contains a proposal to expand Linwood Special School on a satellite site hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre, and that the project will provide a total of 60 specialist post-16 places with a focus on supporting young people transition into an independent, healthy adulthood. Capital investment is required to refurbish and remodel the existing buildings to deliver a high quality, accessible teaching and learning space.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that the new facility will open in September 2025. By increasing the availability of local specialist Post 16 places, the council estimates a cost avoidance in the region of £38K - £50k per place, per annum.

The Chair of the Children’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee addressed the Cabinet advising that at their recent meeting the Committee had supported the recommendations within the Cabinet paper.

RECOMMENDED that Cabinet recommends approval of the scheme by Council to develop a satellite of Linwood Special School at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre providing a total of 60 Post 16 places requiring a capital budget of £1.55m to develop the scheme. The scheme is fully funded from the council’s grant allocation of High Needs Provision Capital and will progress in line with the project programme set out at paragraph 12.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Children, Young People, Education and Skills

Reason

In accordance with the council’s improvement agenda and priority action to reduce high needs expenditure, this project increases the availability of local SEND places and achieves cost avoidance in the high need budget.

The council has experienced a significant increase in the number of children requiring and Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) over the last 3 years.  Sustained growth has resulted in a greater use of independent specialist school places and a shortage of specialist provision locally. This has increased unit costs of provision and intensified budget pressures in the dedicated schools grant high needs funding block.  As part of the council’s response to growth and improvement in the system, the council has developed a draft Sufficiency Strategy. The Sufficiency Strategy is a key part of the council’s work to deliver a sustainable system, working collaboratively with our partners to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met without escalating costs, and supporting delivery of the DSG Recovery Plan. A key area of focus for the strategy is to develop and expand our Post 16 offer locally. In delivering the priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy, additional Post 16 specialist provision is being planned and commissioned working with Linwood Special School.

This report contains a proposal to expand Linwood Special School on a satellite site hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre. The project will provide a total of 60 specialist post-16 places with a focus on supporting young people transition into an independent, healthy adulthood. Capital investment is required to refurbish and remodel the existing buildings to deliver a high quality, accessible teaching and learning space. The new facility will open in September 2025. By increasing the availability of local specialist Post 16 places, the council estimates a cost avoidance in the region of £38K - £50k per place, per annum.

The Head of School Place Planning, Admissions and Capital presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

In accordance with the council’s improvement agenda and priority action to reduce high needs expenditure, this project increased the availability of local SEND places and achieved cost avoidance in the high needs budget.

The council experienced a significant increase in the number of children requiring an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) over the last 3 years. Sustained growth resulted in a greater use of independent specialist school places and a shortage of specialist provision locally. This increased unit costs of provision and intensified budget pressures in the dedicated schools grant high needs funding block. As part of the council’s response to growth and improvement in the system, the council developed a draft Sufficiency Strategy. The Sufficiency Strategy was a key part of the council’s work to deliver a sustainable system, working collaboratively with partners to ensure that the needs of children and young people were met without escalating costs, and supporting delivery of the DSG Recovery Plan. A key area of focus for the strategy was to develop and expand the Post 16 offer locally. In delivering the priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy, additional Post 16 specialist provision was planned and commissioned in collaboration with Linwood Special School.

The report contained a proposal to expand Linwood Special School on a satellite site hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre. The project provided a total of 60 specialist post-16 places with a focus on supporting young people in transitioning into an independent, healthy adulthood. Capital investment was required to refurbish and remodel the existing buildings to deliver a high-quality, accessible teaching and learning space. The new facility was scheduled to open in September 2025. By increasing the availability of local specialist Post 16 places, the council estimated a cost avoidance in the region of £38K - £50K per place, per annum.

The Committee praised the efforts made in this area and acknowledged the significant investment in young people. They expressed enthusiasm for this work and its potential benefits for the students.

It was RESOLVED that

(a)  Cabinet approves the scheme to develop a satellite of Linwood School hosted at the former Ted Webster Children’s Centre providing a total of 60 Post 16 places including the associated capital investment necessary to develop the scheme as contained in Appendix 1 (Exempt). The scheme is fully funded from the council’s grant allocation of High Needs Provision Capital and will progress in line with the project programme set out at paragraph 12.