Bexley’s SEND Reform Plan was successfully submitted on 19 June. As part of the national SEND reforms, the Department for Education (DfE) has asked all local authorities to produce these plans, with the expectation it will be revised annually as the proposed reform is rolled out.
The plan sets out Bexley’s vision and goals for improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, increasing the confidence of our parents/carers and achieving sustainable financial management.
It identifies the current position of the local area, provides a high-level strategy for where we want to be in the next 3 years and proposes a detailed delivery plan including our new ‘Experts at Hand’ offer. It aims to strengthen inclusion, so that every child and young person with SEND receives high-quality support early on and can thrive in their local early years setting, school or college.
This will be based on an inclusive mainstream education system, with specialist support for children and young people that need it, and improved, efficient and effective local delivery.
To deliver on this, the London Borough of Bexley has been working within its Local Area Partnership to ensure it is in a prime position to provide the best possible outcomes for children, young people and their families in Bexley.
Our plan was produced in consultation with our partners, with feedback gathered in a variety of ways including at a launch partnership roundtable on 16 March, chaired by Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services and Education, Cllr Caroline Newton.
At this roundtable, the local authority, partners (including schools), children and young people and our parents/carer forum, were brought together to start a conversation on the proposed reforms. This was followed by a consultation survey which ran from 20 March to 30 April, collecting feedback from those in the partnership to gauge the Council’s readiness in responding to the reforms.
The Council was proud to see members of its Time 2 Talk SEND group not only contribute their views on what our plan would need to include, but to also see them be chosen by the DfE to consult on the wider national reforms.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Corporate Services & Education, Cllr Caroline Newton said:
We were given just three months to turn this extensive and detailed plan around. The Council and members of the Partnership have worked tirelessly to ensure that the voices of parents, carers, children, young people and its partners have been heard either through face-to-face meetings or online.
I was delighted to be closely involved in its development, including chairing a meeting with representatives of our partners, young people and our parent/carer group to ‘kickstart’ its development.
Gathering their views was vital to help our services navigate these changes and we would like to thank them for taking the time to engage with us. As a result of this consultation, we are proposing to undertake more co-production as the plan is further developed.
The SEND system faces significant national pressures and the Council is delighted to have built on our recent success, outlined in our recent Ofsted Monitoring Inspection report, to continue to deliver the best outcomes for our children and young people.
We remain committed to delivering for those in our borough and will work to overcome these challenges and chart an even brighter future for our Bexley."
The far-reaching changes of the SEND reforms will see children with SEND supported in their local mainstream school wherever possible, with specialist settings available for those with complex needs, as well as a new structure for SEND support. The Local SEND Reform Plan will provide a framework for local SEND systems to track transformation progress and guide local authority SEND investment decisions
The key components of plans are:
- Experts at Hand (EAH) Offer - designed to strengthen mainstream education SEND offer by providing expert advice from education and health professionals
- High Needs Provision - Ensuring sufficient high needs places in mainstream school and specialist settings
- Local Partnership working - Ensuring all partners commit resources and fulfil responsibilities
- Monitoring and Accountability - To track progress including through data returns and assessments
Bexley’s plan has been developed and agreed by its Local Area Partnership, with the London Borough of Bexley and South East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) responsible for planning and commissioning relevant services.
Please keep up to date with the latest developments on our News update page and on the Bexley Local Offer website.
Andrew Bland, Chief Executive Officer of NHS Southeast London and NHS South West London Integrated Care Boards, said:
This plan reflects the strength of partnership working across health, education, children's social care and the voluntary sector. It also reflects the invaluable contribution of children, young people, parents and carers in shaping our priorities for the future and recognises the importance of listening to lived experience.
Building on the progress recognised through recent inspection activity, the plan sets out a clear framework for further improving services, experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND, as well as their families, across Bexley.
We remain committed to working alongside our partners to deliver these priorities and build on the positive progress already made."
Once approved by the DfE, Bexley’s SEND Reform Plan will be available online.