The Disability Oversight Panel met to consider an update to the implementation of Camden Council's Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy 2022-27.

The meeting's agenda included the formal approval of the minutes of the previous meeting, and a report on the implementation of the council's SEND strategy.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy Implementation Update

A report was presented to the meeting by the Director of Education Commissioning & Inclusion providing an update on the implementation of Camden Council's Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy 2022-27.

The report began by outlining the challenges facing the council in meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, noting that:

Nationally and locally, we are seeing increases in the number and complexity of the population of children with SEND. Funding is set nationally and local authorities across the country are struggling to meet needs within the budget provided.

The report highlighted that 76.3% of new Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) were issued within 20 weeks. This is above the national average of 54%, but lower than the 90-97% previously achieved by Camden.

Strengths of Camden's SEND Offer

The report highlighted that 97% of schools in Camden are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, including 37% of primary schools that are rated outstanding.

It went on to describe Camden's approach to inclusion, noting that a high proportion of Camden pupils with EHCPs - nearly 50% - attend mainstream settings¹.

It also pointed to the success of Camden's Exceptional Needs Grant (ENG) scheme, which provides schools with funding to support pupils with SEND without the need for an EHCP. The report noted that this scheme has been praised by the Department for Education (DfE) as an innovative approach to support schools to meet needs earlier.

Areas For Development

The report also highlighted several areas where it was suggested improvements could be made to Camden's SEND offer.

The report proposed taking a holistic approach to improving the education provision continuum in Camden in order to ensure that all children are able to access the right education for them.

Noting that families are currently waiting too long to get a diagnosis, the report proposed continuing to work with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to reduce waiting times for diagnosis.

Acknowledging feedback from families that they do not feel that they are effectively worked with as partners by professionals, the report proposed to maximise the opportunities available from the newly formed Centre for Relational Practice to provide high quality workforce development.