Purpose

To seek approval
for Gloucestershire County Council’s Education Directorate to
continue to act as a joint lead authority, with Swindon Borough
Council, in relation to the Department for Education (DfE)
Southwest DfE Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Change Partnership Programme, and to accept  Section 31 DfE
funding grant for the purpose of funding these arrangements.
 

Decision

Cllr Linda Cohen sought approval
for Gloucestershire County Council’s Education Directorate to
continue to act as a joint lead authority, with Swindon Borough
Council, in relation to the Department for Education (DfE)
Southwest DfE Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Change Partnership Programme, and to accept Section 31 DfE funding
grant for the purpose of funding these arrangements.
 
Having considered all of the information,
Cabinet noted the report and

RESOLVED to:
 
 
1. Approve the receipt by GCC of
£2.07 million of Section 31
grant funding from the DfE for
the purpose of supporting:

GCC’s continued participation as joint lead
authority together with Swindon Borough Council in phase 2 of the
SEND Change Programme during the period 1st April 2025 to
31st March 2026; and
 

GCC’s continued participation as the financial
Lead Authority (LA) under the DfE Change Partnership Programme,
whose responsibility it shall continue to be to:
 

i                
transfer the proportions of the DfE Change
Partnership Programme funding set out in the Memorandum of
Understanding between the DfE, GCC and Swindon Borough Council to
support its participation in the programme during the above period;
and
 
test and refine in partnership
with Swindon Borough Council, the DfE proposals for reforming SEND
and Alternative Provision described in the

i                
DfE Change Partnership Guidance
documentation.
 
2. Approves the execution by GCC
of:

(a) an updated Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between GCC and the DfE relating to piloting
and testing of the adjusted proposed SEND system reforms under the
Change Partnership Programme; and

3. Approve the maintenance of the
partnership arrangement between GCC and Swindon Borough Council
relating to their joint leadership of the DfE Change Partnership
Programme during the period during the period May 2025 to March
2026.

4. Approve the execution of the
updated MoU at Appendix 1 between GCC and Gloucestershire
Integrated Care Board (GICB) relating to the delivery of the Early
Language and Speech Development programme.

1. Delegate authority to
GCC’s Director of Education in consultation with the
Cabinet Member for Education and
Skills, to allocate the funding described at
1. for the purpose of:
(1) funding the delivery of the
second phase reform testing during the period May 2025 to March
2026.

i                
(2) awarding any subsidy control regime compliant
grants, if required, for the purpose of delivering the reform
testing during the period May 2025 to March 2026.