The Schools Forum noted all of the reports that were presented to it. The Forum received updates on the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) position, the Nursery Inclusion Project for All (NIPA), investment in therapies for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the arrangements for school insurance.

Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Recovery

The Forum received a report on the latest forecasts for the DSG. The DSG is the main source of funding for schools. The report showed that Wandsworth Council is facing a significant deficit in the DSG, which is forecast to reach £40.459m by 2028/29. This is due to a number of factors, including the rising cost of independent school placements for children with SEND, and the increasing number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) being issued.

The Assistant Director of Children's Finance explained that the deficit was growing as demand increased and the level of Government funding lagged the combined pressures of price and demand.

Officers explained that a breakdown of independent placements by type could be provided, as requested.

The list could be used to assess provision gaps.

Officers told the meeting that they were:

looking at EHCP models in other LAs to ascertain what might work locally.

and reassured attendees that:

if a child required an EHCP they would be issued with one.

The Finance Business Partner - Performance and Stability asserted that officers were:

very active in challenging independent school costs for those with an EHCP and even secured rebates where applicable.

Nursery Inclusion Project for All (NIPA)

The Forum received an update on the Nursery Inclusion Project for All (NIPA). NIPA is a project that provides early intervention and support to children in their nursery year, to help them to successfully transition into Reception without requiring an EHCP. The report showed that NIPA has been successful in reducing the number of children who go on to require an EHCP, and has generated significant cost avoidance savings.

The Inclusion Service Manager explained that although the Early Years Block paid for NIPA:

the cost avoidance savings were made within the High Needs Block.

She also told the Forum that:

the data for cohort 4 indicated the number of children predicted to get an EHCP by the end of year 1 so the annual savings are likely to be less than indicated. Nevertheless, NIPA produced huge accumulative savings as well as the benefits to the children themselves.

Therapies Investment

The Forum received an update on the investment in therapies for children with SEND. The report showed that the investment has been successful in reducing the number of EHCPs being issued, and has helped to improve outcomes for children with SEND. The report also highlighted the importance of providing training to school staff, to enable them to better support children with SEND in the classroom.

The Assistant Director for Commissioning and Transformation conveyed that:

The therapies had reduced the need for EHCPs in early years settings, primary and secondary schools.

The Forum heard that:

There was a reduction in the use of independent therapy providers, which had saved money.

and that:

Flexibility of provision was required to be responsive to individual needs at settings and per child. A skill mix was needed to provide the best support for children too, which included training school staff to provide local therapies.

School Insurance Arrangements

The Forum received a report on the arrangements for school insurance. The report outlined the different types of insurance available to schools, and the costs of these schemes. The report also highlighted the benefits of schools moving to the DfE Risk Protection Arrangement for property insurance.

The Assistant Director Children’s Finance explained that all schools had moved over to the DfE Risk Protection Agreement for property insurance, as that made sound financial sense. He also said:

Maternity, trade union and suspension cover were operated through auto-enrolment via Wandsworth’s de-delegation.

He told the meeting that:

analysis had found that it was not possible to obtain one quote to cover many schools, as it could not be tailored to individual school’s needs and situations.

The Forum was told that:

Officers submitted data for a fictitious sample school to various private sector suppliers who provided quotes for between £6,500 and £8,788, significantly cheaper than the same cover would cost if provided by the current Wandsworth scheme.

Officers advised that schools begin working with private sector companies to research their options for maternity and suspension cover insurance, as well as assess options for long-term sickness cover.