The Buckinghamshire Council Children's & Education Select Committee met to discuss several key issues, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the outcome of a recent Ofsted inspection, and national reforms to children's services. The committee agreed to review both the SEND improvement plan and the Ofsted improvement plan at their next meeting, and also agreed to schedule a separate meeting to discuss the work programme in more detail. Councillor Wendy Matthews was appointed as Vice-Chair for the council year.

SEND Service Update

Councillor Adekunle Osibogun, Cabinet Member for Education & Children's Services, introduced a report on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), highlighting that it remains a priority for the council. Michael Jarrett, Service Director for Education and Inclusion, provided a detailed presentation on the challenges and the SEND and inclusion strategy developed to address them.

Jarrett noted that the current system, introduced in 2014, is over a decade old and that reforms are expected in the autumn. He also mentioned that Buckinghamshire Council will be facing an area SEND inspection¹ by Ofsted² and the Care Quality Commission³.

Key points from the presentation included:

• An increase in the number of children and young people identified as having special education needs and disabilities across the country.
• As of yesterday, Buckinghamshire Council maintained 7,174 Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), with approximately another 1,296 children being assessed.
• Since 2015, there has been a 140% increase in the numbers of children with formal diagnosis in relation to SEND.
• There are insufficient special school places in Buckinghamshire, which means the council has to rely on independent placements that cost twice as much as maintained schools.
• Buckinghamshire's children and young people with SEND do better than elsewhere in the country in terms of attainment across all key stages.
• Buckinghamshire has lower exclusion rates for children and young people with SEND compared to regional and national averages.
• The local authority expenditure has tripled since 2015.
• The council's position at the end of 2024-25 was £17.8 million overspent, with a cumulative deficit of £24.5 million.
• From 2019 to 2024, spending on SEN transport increased to £22.2 million.

Councillor Robin Stutchbury raised concerns expressed by the National Education Union regarding the lack of funding, resources, and external support for pupils with SEND. Michael Jarrett responded that the council recognises the challenges in relation to both recruitment and retention of teaching staff with SEND experience and qualifications. He outlined measures being taken to address these challenges, including working with Buckinghamshire New University and the Astra Teaching Training Hub, and negotiating increased payments for teaching staff.

Councillor Susan Morgan, Chair of the Committee, asked about the discrepancy between the number of children with EHCPs and the funding allocated. Michael Jarrett explained that the funding also covers young people who are looked after and accessing provision elsewhere, and those with complex needs who have not yet received confirmation of an EHCP.

Councillor Mazamal Hussain raised concerns about the lack of plans for schools to be expanded to save the council money on sending children to schools outside of Buckinghamshire. He also asked about the support available to parents to complete EHCP forms. Michael Jarrett responded that the council has asked schools to express an interest in expanding their provision, and that there is an expansive pipeline of projects. He also said that the council works closely with the parent carer forum in Buckinghamshire, and that the local offer on the council's website gives all the information to parents and families and children and people about availability of services.

Ofsted Inspection Outcome

Councillor Adekunle Osibogun and Alison Munt, Service Director for Children's Social Care, presented the outcome of the recent Ofsted ILACS inspection⁴. While the overall assessment remained requires improvement to be good, the experiences and progress of children in care were judged as good.

Alison Munt highlighted the increased positivity among staff and a stronger child-centred culture. She also noted the timeliness of responses to contacts and referrals, and the effectiveness of the service for children at risk of exploitation.

Areas needing further improvement included:

• The quality and robustness of management oversight.
• The quality and effectiveness of the service to children at risk from neglect.
• The consistency and timeliness of work to engage a child's wider family.
• The efficacy of transition planning for older children in care and disabled young people leaving care.
• The quality and effectiveness of pathway plans for care leavers.
• The quality of service and support to care leavers aged 21+.
• The engagement and participation of care-experienced children and young people in the corporate parenting board.

Alison Munt outlined the improvement activity that has taken place since the inspection, including revisions to the quality assurance process and the supervision framework.

Councillor Susan Morgan noted that the word most was used frequently in the Ofsted report, and asked for clarification on what that meant. Alison Munt explained that inspectors look at a selection of cases and use the terminology of most, some, or few based on their findings.

Councillor Phil Gomm suggested incorporating corporate parents to help young people aged 21-25, and Councillor Mazamal Hussain asked when the committee would see the end game of the improvements. Councillor Susan Morgan also requested that the committee see the improvement plan before it goes to cabinet.

Councillor Niknam Hussain asked about what was being done to encourage residents to engage with the occupants of care homes, and whether the council takes into account the area where children come from when choosing people to go into those homes. Sarah Ashmead, Corporate Director for Children's Services, responded that the aim is to bring children back into Buckinghamshire, and that the matching of children to homes is based on their needs.

Policy Briefing on National Reforms to Children's Services

Councillor Adekunle Osibogun and Errol Albert, Service Director for Children's Services Transformation and Improvement, provided a policy briefing on the national reforms to children's services. Errol Albert stated that the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill signifies the most significant change in children's social care and education policy in over twenty years.

Key reforms include:

• Family Help: Early intervention and support delivered by multi-disciplinary teams.
• Multi-Agency Child Protection: Creating new Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs).
• Family Networks: Embedding a 'family-first' culture using Family Group Decision-Making across social care.
• Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements: Strengthening collaboration between safeguarding partners, particularly the education sector.

Errol Albert noted that Buckinghamshire Council has a good foundation for these measures, but that there is work to do with partners. He also mentioned that the council has received £2.362m in Children's Reform Grant and £1.138m in Children's Social Care Prevention Grant.

Councillor Susan Morgan asked when the high-level action plan and communication strategy would be ready for the committee to review, and whether the council was on target to meet the dates in the action plan. Errol Albert responded that the council was on target, and that the action plan and communication strategy would be brought back for review.

Councillor Alan Sherwell raised concerns about teachers not feeling that their concerns about parents are being taken forward. Errol Albert responded that the locality teams are developing relationships with schools, and that the reforms aim to ensure that schools are signposted to the best people to speak to.

Councillor Larisa Townsend asked about the engagement process with the home education community. Errol Albert responded that conversations have already started, and that the council is looking to engage with parents and carers in a sensitive way.

Councillor Maru Mormina asked whether the council has a steeper ladder to climb with regards to the future staying close provisions, and how the council is going to not miss the opportunity for co-production. Errol Albert responded that the council is working to ensure that it moves towards the true spirit of co-production, and that it is undertaking a needs analysis across Buckinghamshire.

Work Programme

The committee discussed the draft work programme for 2025-2026 and agreed to review both the SEND improvement plan and the Ofsted improvement plan at their next meeting. They also agreed to schedule a separate meeting to discuss the work programme in more detail.