Purpose

There is now more focus on SEND and Inclusion
in
schools and settings, but further work is still required to embed
these improvements and ensure that these become business as usual
across the partnership.
With a new SEND Strategy to be delivered later this year, upcoming
work on the Sufficiency of places for Children and Young People
(CYP) with SEND and further focus required on upskilling
schools and settings to be truly inclusive there is a need for this
work to continue.
Additionally, there is a need to ensure that the SEND
Transformation improvements that have already been seen continue
through 2025/6 and beyond and that the work already completed is
further embedded within schools and settings.

Content

To provide funding for resources linked to the
SEND Improvement Programme for a period of 12 months.
These are:
1. To fund a full time Grade 8 SEND Funding Co-ordinator within the
School Improvement Team to ensure that the Pyramid Funding Process
and all associated Financial Requirements are met as the process
continues to embed. Estimated maximum cost
(including oncost) is £(with estimated 3.2% payrise
2025/26).
2. To fund a part time (2 days a week), term time only Education
Psychologist, to be located within the existing Education
Psychologist Service to focus on school inclusion, training and
development within schools, Graduated Approach and Needs
Descriptors. Estimated
costs (including oncost) is £26,396.
3. To fund 16x Pyramid SENDCO Leads (10 days over the year) at a
cost of £250 per day per Lead. Total cost is £40,000.
Funding is to be provided to schools who will continue to manager
the sENDCOs

Alternative options considered

To not fund these posts and cease the work of
the SEND Transformation Team. This would mean that the Council was
not in a position to evaluate and respond to changes to
National
Policy and that improvements made to date were not embedded.