Issue - meetings

To follow.

RESOLVED that the report be noted. The Committee recorded its thanks to Children and Young People (CYP) officers for their work in responding to the pandemic.

Angela Scattergood – Director of Education introduced the item and apologised for the late publication of the report which was delayed because officers were dealing with the demands of the covid response and unexpected closure of schools.

The Committee was invited to comment or put questions to officers and the following was noted:

1.    One Member cautioned against setting up initiatives that cannot be financially support long term, bearing in mind the cuts that the council is having to make.

2.    Travel training can be a very long process and needs to start early. Building travel confidence can take a long time, even if the child has the physical or mental capacity to make the journey.

3.    The creation of a designated team dealing with transition from children’s to adult’s services meant that travel training could now be properly programmed, working backwards to when training needs to start.

4.    Ideally, employment and work experience opportunities need to be sustainable and local, according to Members. One Member mentioned that Vicky Foxtrot MP was championing inclusion and suggested this might present opportunities for Lewisham’s young people with SEND.

5.    An officer group had been put in place to review pressure on the Nigh Needs Block (HNB). The overspend on the HNB was due to EHCPs and a 2 year plan was in place in reduce it.

6.    The HNB had not had an overspend in recent years, but was predicting to overspend by circa £6m in 2021-22. However this would be offset by an equivalent increase in the Designated Schools Grant (DSG).

7.    The Schools Forum had agreed to allocate an additional £1m to the HNB but there would be further pressure in the next financial year. Almost every local authority is overspending on the HNB.

8.    Members we pleased to hear that the HNB had not overspent until now.

9.    One of the key mitigating factors in reducing the overspend would be reducing the number of children and young people who with EHCPs who go out of the borough for education. To do this there needs to be a comprehensive offer in borough. Good schools partnerships make planning easier.

10.  The large rise in EHCPs could be attributed to the 2014 SEND reforms which widened the age gap from 6-16 to 0-25. Lewisham, like other boroughs, was experiencing a rise in EHCPs among the under 5s and over 16s. Also, identification of SEND was improving and parents expectations had been raised by the SEND reforms.

11.  It was expected that the impact of covid and rising poverty would lead to further increases.

RESOLVED that the report and comments be noted. The Committee recorded its thanks to Children and Young People (CYP) officers for their work in responding to the pandemic.