To receive update on Torbay Local Area Special Educational Needs (SEND) Joint Inspection Improvement Notice.

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Services - Councillor Bye, Director of Children’s Services - Nancy Meehan and the Divisional Director Education (Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Services) - Hannah Baker provided an overview of the submitted report regarding progress since the publication of the SEND inspection outcomes in June 2025 and responded to questions.  Key points included:

• Ongoing work through the SEND Local Area Improvement Partnership (SLAIP) Board, Chaired independently, with Councillor Law as a Member.
• A March 2026 stocktake was underway ahead of future monitoring visits.
• Feedback against the five priority areas of improvement.
• A new SEND Reform Plan required by the Government by 19 June 2026, following national guidance issued on 24 February 2026.
• Pressures resulting from increased requests for Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) following publication of the Government’s SEND White Paper and concerns from families.

Members asked questions in respect of the following:

·                What specific impact had the SEND White Paper had on the volume of EHCP requests received since February?

·                Was the Council seeing increased delays in the assessment pathway, and what mitigation was being put in place to manage the surge?

·                How was the Council prioritising cases where delays may significantly disadvantage a child?

·                What steps were being taken to counter misinformation circulating among parents about the future of EHCP eligibility?

·                How was the SLAIP Board strengthening communication, given concerns that its outputs were not well?known?

·                What discussions have taken place with health partners to address 3?year waiting lists for autism assessments?

·                Was there a plan for early?intervention options for families awaiting diagnosis?

·                How frequently was the Data and Quality Assurance Sub?Board monitoring timeliness, and how was improvement measured?

·                What additional capacity was required to produce the new SEND Reform Plan by June?

·                How will the Plan interface with Safety Valve requirements ending 31 March 2026?

·                How were schools being selected for the Support and Intervention Grant?

·                What evaluation will be used to track improvements in teacher confidence following training?

The following responses were received:

·                Since publication of the Government’s White Paper, the Council has have seen a doubling of EHCP requests, which aligns with a pattern being observed across the South West.  Families were anxious about the proposed reforms and believe future entitlement may be restricted. This has placed significant pressure on our assessment Teams.  The Council continues to manage this by prioritising children with the most urgent or complex needs and through the Data and Quality Assurance Sub?Board, which now regularly reviews timeliness in detail.  Capacity remains challenging, but improvement work was ongoing.

·                A large proportion of the anxiety the Council was seeing stems from misinformation, particularly from online forums.  The SLAIP Board acknowledged communication was an area that needs strengthening.  They have flagged this with their senior partners, and both the Cabinet Member and Director of Children’s Services have asked for a comprehensive communication plan.  Their intention was to ensure families receive clear, consistent explanations of what the White Paper was and was not proposing.

·                Autism assessment delays were significant.  It was recognised waiting times could be up to three years, and this was a key focus of Priority 4 of the Improvement Plan.  The Council was working closely with NHS partners to expand early support options, including the introduction of named speech and language therapists in schools and building capacity within the Locality Model to support children while awaiting a diagnostic assessment.  (A copy of the neurodiversity support map would be shared with Members, and a summary of the Core Group stocktake would come back to the Sub-Board after it has been completed in June 2026).

·                The Data and Quality Assurance Sub?Board meets monthly and looks in depth at assessment timeliness, case audit outcomes and compliance.  This creates a closed loop across performance, quality assurance and frontline practice.  The dashboard submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) was live (a copy of the most recent data and quality assurance dashboard would be circulated to the Sub-Board).

·                The latest guidance SEND Reform Plan requirements arrived last Tuesday and gives all local areas until 19 June 2026 to complete a new SEND Reform Plan, despite the consultation not closing until May. This is an extremely demanding timeframe.  Torbay faces a particular challenge because we remain midway through our Improvement Plan and expect a reinspection in December 2026, as well as the data required being different from that used under the Safety Valve.  Future funding will be dependent on the Government approving the SEND Reform Plan.  The Council will need to divert staff capacity across services to ensure compliance. 

·                The Support and Intervention Grant had been allocated by analysing need, including rates of EHCPs and SEND attendance.  No school approached had declined support.  Early feedback was positive, especially regarding teacher confidence in making classroom adjustments, and this aligns with future expectations under the forthcoming SEND Reform framework.

Resolved (unanimously):

1.       that the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board note the contents of the submitted report; and

2.       that the Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Board is assured that the appropriate monitoring and improvement processes are in place to address the findings and deliver the necessary positive changes for Torbay’s children and young people with SEND and their families.