The SEND Priority Action Plan Scrutiny Sub-Group was scheduled to meet on 22 July 2025, to discuss the progress of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Priority Action Plan, and to review the sub-group's work programme. The meeting was also scheduled to cover actions arising from the previous meeting, and a general update on SEND improvements in Bexley.

SEND Improvement Stocktake

The Sub-Group was scheduled to receive an update on the 'stocktake' monitoring events undertaken by the Department for Education (DfE) and NHS England (NHSE) regarding SEND improvements in Bexley. These events followed a joint SEND Local Area Inspection in December 2023, which identified areas for priority action and improvement. The SEND Improvement Stocktake Position Update report noted that a Notice of Improvement was issued in May 2024, with a current anticipated re-inspection date of autumn 2025.

The report pack included a recommendation that:

The sub-group is asked to note what progress has been made against the improvement notice, and the key actions and risks tracked (see Appendix A).

Appendix A refers to the SEND PAP Action Tracker and Risk Register. The report pack also included July Stocktake Deck.

The report stated that regular stocktake and deep dive monitoring events take place to measure progress and improvement since the inspection. A stocktake meeting in April 2025, found positive steps had been taken by the Local Area Partnership¹ which have led to further improvements, such as:

• A clearer focus on measuring the impact of actions being taken.
• Data being used more effectively to drive improvements and support evidence-based decisions.
• Increased communication to stakeholders regarding strategic priorities and progress.
• Increased co-production and genuine participation with children and young people with SEND, using their feedback to further develop services.

The report also noted that another stocktake meeting had taken place on 8 July, focusing on outstanding actions and the impact relating to the Priority Action Plan, as well as learning from targeted support from Middlesbrough Council² and NDTi³, which focused on Preparing for Adulthood.

The report pack stated that a key task for the Local Area Partnership is to monitor any overall risks associated with the improvement plan. The SEND PAP Action Tracker and Risk Register was produced following the publication of the Priority Action Plan to display a more refined and focused place where this information was to be collated.

Actions from the Previous Meeting

The Sub-Group was scheduled to receive an update on actions and requests for information from the previous meeting in April 2025. According to the Actions from previous meeting July 2025 report, these included:

• Future benchmarking against national averages and statistical neighbours in terms of Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) review performance, when available. SEN2 Outturns data was attached as an appendix to the report.
• Officers to investigate if it is possible to ascertain whether there is foster carer representation on the working groups. A verbal update on this was to be provided at the meeting.
• A periodic report to be prepared for OSC Members which highlights key data trends/concerns. Future periodic reports can be shared with the Members of both OSC outside of Committee meetings moving forward approximately every 3 months extracting topline data from the SEND dashboard.

Work Programme

The Sub-Group was scheduled to consider its draft work programme and propose any amendments it may wish to make for future meetings. The Work Programme Cover report noted that the Sub-Group agreed its provisional work programme at its first meeting in October 2024, aligned to the planned progress meetings the Bexley Local Area Partnership have with the Department for Education and NHS England on the Priority Action Plan. The Item 08 - Appx A report stated that through the Sub-Group, members have had and will continue to have the opportunity to review and challenge progress made in delivering and implementing the actions and improvements identified in the plan.

Other Items

The agenda also included:

• Appointment of Chairman
• Apologies for Absence and Substitute Members
• Minutes of the previous meeting held on 22nd April 2025
• Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
• Items of late business