Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: January 21, 2025

Purpose: Report income and previous allocation of funds from the Department for Education for spend on school buildings. Seek approval for further spend on programmes to improve the offer of special education needs and alternative provision school places within the schools estate in order to reduce the number of children being placed in private sector schools out of the borough.

Content: The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services which sought approval for proposed expenditure on various schemes in accordance with the Council’s Financial Regulations. The report specifically covered income and expenditure from High Needs Capital, Special Provision Capital funding for spending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities places in the schools estate, and spend on Basic Need Capital.   The Transformation Project Manager Sufficiency Early Help & Schools was in attendance to present the information and to address the questions and the comments of the Cabinet Members.   Resolved: 1.    That the capital allocations be noted as follows: Department for Education Special Provision Fund Allocations 2018-21 £ 848,837 Department for Education High Needs Provision Capital Allocation 2021-25 £12,836,460; 2.    That it be agreed that the expenditure on the following proposed programmes, detailed within this report (Appendix A), for invitations to tender to be issued and accepted and for the supporting contracts, Private Finance Initiative deeds of variation (where necessary) and any incidental and ancillary documentation, to be signed in order to deliver the development schemes outlined in the appendices, in accordance with Financial Regulations; Special Provision Capital Programme of £496,045 as in Appendix A; High Needs Provision Capital Programme of £9,923,671 as Appendix A; Basic Need Capital Programme of £12,756,000 as Appendix A; 3.   That the Director for Children’s Services be authorised to invite and evaluate tenders for the projects described in this report at paragraphs 3.11 to 3.20, and enter into the appropriate contracts and incidental and ancillary documentation in consultation with the relevant Portfolio Holder and Assistant Director Legal & Governance, as per the Council’s Constitution; 4.   That any further decisions on the new satellite schools be delegated to the Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the relevant portfolio holder. These decisions would include design, project delivery programme and approval of costings within the envelope of funds specified in 2.1 above; 5.   That the Council’s Section 151 officer be authorised to allocate and vire funding to Children’s Services to support the programme when it is received.   Reason for decisions: Since 2017 Rochdale has seen a doubling of the number of children and young people with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). The change in regulations in 2014, increasing the age range up to 25 years, and the increase in the population of young people has increased the underlying cohort covered by the legislation by 43%. This is in line with the national picture.   In the school sector the numbers of EHPC children in mainstream primary schools has more than doubled (up by 105%) since 2017. The number in secondary mainstream has increased by 56% but the number of EHCP children with a special school place has only increased by 32%. In the 16-19 age group there are now 614 young people with EHCPs, which is an increase of 228% since 2017.   In Rochdale the percentage of children with EHCPs across all school settings is now over 5%, up from 3.3% in 2017. In 2017 1.6% of children in primary school had an EHCP, it is now 3.2%. At secondary in 2017 it was 2.4% of the school population and it is now also 3.2%.   Of all the children in school settings with EHCPs in Rochdale 42% have a diagnosis for autism and 13% have social, emotional, or mental health difficulties (SEMH). In Rochdale there has been a steady increase in numbers of children identified with autism at a rate of 70 new EHCPs per year. For SEMH, prior to Covid the rate of increase was only 5 new cases per year, but since Covid this has increased to 25 new cases per year. Since 2017 the number of children being placed in independent (private) settings has increased five-fold (by 520%) and these are predominantly children with autism and SEMH.   Alternatives considered and rejected: Since 2017 numbers of children requiring specially adapted SEND provision has risen, and through this period both special and mainstreams schools have continued to adapt their provision to better meet need. In 2023 the Education Sufficiency Strategy was launched to grow the number of specialist places in mainstream schools. Some additional SEND places have been created through that programme of works.   Children who require additional specialist provision that the Council is unable to provide, are placed in independent sector schools and these numbers continue to rise. The alternative to not supporting primary schools though the programmes detailed here, and not providing additional SEND places in secondary/tertiary and state run alternative provision, would be a continuation of the current rise in independent sector costs, transport costs, and the rising number of children travelling long distances to provisions outside of the borough. It would also put the Council in a position where it might not meet its statutory duty to provide school places leaving us open to legal challenge and costs.