SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024 to 2030
The Department for Education’s national programme, the Safety Valve, is designed to help local authorities tackle overspending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) services. Our work on the Safety Valve has highlighted the importance of developing a sustainable approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) sufficiency. This can only be delivered through a ‘whole system’ approach to provision planning. It's therefore important that, in developing our sufficiency strategy, we're adopting a whole system approach that draws on the knowledge and support of specialist and targeted services into the mainstream environment to increase inclusive practice so that children and young people can attend their local setting, Early Years’ provider or school.
Ensuring that there are sufficient places at appropriate education settings for children and young people with SEND is a key priority of the City of York SEND Strategy September 2021 to September 2025 (.pdf). In common with all local authorities, York continues to face growing financial pressures in meeting the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This has been reflected in the fact that York entered into a Safety Valve agreement with the Department for Education in March 2022.
We also need to ensure that we keep our strategy under active review to ensure that we are considering potential demographic changes rather than a narrow focus on current gaps and challenges.
The Department for Education said in June 2023 that 3.8% of the children and young people in schools, Early Years Providers and settings within the city have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Whilst this falls just below the national average of 4%, there has been a 41% increase in the total number of EHCPs across the 0 to 25 age range in York in the last 3 years. In addition, there are just over 10% of school pupils registered at Special Educational Needs support.
It's important that these groups of children and young people can achieve their goals in education and have the help they need to prepare for adulthood. The SEND Code of Practice, 0 to 25 years, January 2015 (.pdf) is clear that:
All children and young people are entitled to an appropriate education, one that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and the fulfilment of potential. This should enable them to:
- achieve their best
- become confident individuals living fulfilling lives
- make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training