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SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024 to 2030

The plan for the SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024 to 2030

This SEND Sufficiency Strategy will be carried out over 3 phases. A comprehensive plan will detail each phase, enabling progress to be monitored and changes to be made in line with variation in forecasts in future years.

Phase 1 - January 2024 to summer 2026

This phase will include 6 areas.

Area 1 will include:

  • support from specialist teams for children where parental preference for September 2024 was special school or Enhanced Resource Provision (ERP), but no place was allocated
  • additional financial support to settings to ensure adequate staffing and resources to meet need including reviewing the Early Years Inclusion Fund in line with forthcoming Department for Education guidance
  • an extension and development of Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) outreach offer through the Learning Support Hub
  • working with families to identify the support required in mainstream schools to meet children’s needs
  • use of an annual ‘grant’ to part-fund the adaptations required to support the inclusion of children in mainstream settings with primary presenting need of SEMH. City of York Council (CYC) to fund up to 50% of any proposed scheme up to £50,000
  • us continuing to support local schools through the Alternative Provision (AP) Commissioning Plan

Area 2 will include:

  • increasing the number of primary special school places at Hob Moor Oaks (HMO) through adaptations to current buildings (September 2025) and further places for September 2026
  • adaptations to the offer at St Oswalds ERP to provide specialist literacy intervention to close the gap with their peers and improve independence
  • considering the increase of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Units and ERPs within mainstream settings to increase access to specialist support alongside a mainstream curriculum offer

Area 3 will include:

  • continued growth of the secondary ERP for children and young people with communication and interaction needs experiencing anxiety
  • considering the increase of SEN Units within mainstream settings to increase the access to specialist support alongside a mainstream curriculum offer

Area 4 will include:

  • jointly commissioning with health and social care an educational intervention for children and young people with the most complex need in KS3 and KS4
  • robust quality assurance and monitoring of Educated Other Than At School to ensure children and young people have a suitable, safe education offer with a timely return to a registered setting
  • through its AP commissioning plan, the local authority will continue to work proactively to intelligently commission using the three-tier process outlined in the Department for Education Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and AP implementation Plan (2023). Providers directly commissioned by the local authority will be both local and national organisations, and a mix of registered and unregistered settings underwritten by external OFSTED or extensive and robust quality assurance commissioned by the local authority

Area 5 will include:

  • SEND partnership to work with providers and young people to scope out provision required for an effective outcomes-focused post-16 local offer
  • development of a working group from education, health, social care, parents and young people to develop a post-16 ‘bespoke’ offer for young people with layered needs who required an individualised approach in secondary and beyond

Area 6 will include:

  • use of ‘Section 23’ data to identify future demand for special and future adaptations required by schools and Early Years providers to meet need
  • a re-design of the special school banding documents
  • costed provision maps within Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) to identify ‘what works’ for children
  • create a provision map for the city which explains clearly for parents, the education and support offer from each provider
  • the development of a transparent and efficient transition programme for families at key points for example, nursery to reception, Year 6 to Year 7 and the move to post-16 or Further Education and post-19 transition into a locally based provision offer
  • work with providers, alongside the Educational Psychology Service and Specialist Teaching Team, to have a clear description of both needs and provision to inform decision making about ensuring the right support is in the right place at the right time
  • consistent entry and exit criteria in place for all specialist provision, according to need. Guidance will be in place on the local offer to support families with decision making in relation to these
  • SEN Caseworkers attend Annual Reviews of all Out of Area placements to ensure children and young people have the right support at the right time
  • celebration events when educational outcomes are met for young people and EHCPs can be appropriately ceased.

Phase 2 - September 2026 to summer 2030

Phase 2 will include areas 2, 3, 5 and 6.

Area 2 will include:

  • increasing in the number of primary places at Danesgate and at HMO, and ensure there are 26 full time ERP places at Haxby Road ERP
  • replacing Eagle and Kestrel with 3 small group AP at primary age, to provide increased places including ‘Day 6’ provision for when children are excluded

Area 3 will include:

  • increasing alternative provision availability and reduce demand on Danesgate
  • replacing the local City of York Council Pupil Referral Unit with a new 45-place alternative provision at secondary phase located at one or more settings
  • considering the increase of SEN Units or ERP within mainstream schools to increase the access to specialist support alongside a mainstream curriculum offer
  • increasing the number of places at Applefields School. This project will be phased to manage admissions. Increase the provision by 14 new places by 2030 to meet short term need and a further

Area 5 will include:

  • considering a new range of local post-16 provision to ensure every young person has a suitable and appropriate pathway to employment and independence
  • commissioning the offer for pupils to complete A-Levels (and T-levels) outside of school settings with and without an EHCP

Area 6 will include:

  • using a range of data sources, including an integrated data dashboard, to support future planning and decision-making