Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: December 16, 2025

Purpose: To update the Education Sufficiency strategy covering school places for children with Special Education Needs

Content: The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Children’s Services, which sought to update on the Education Sufficiency Strategy and to seek the formal adoption of the document as a good and timely strategy for sufficiency of educational placements across both the mainstream and Special Educational Needs sector of the school’s estate. The previous version had been approved by Cabinet in June 2023.   The School Place Planning Manager Sufficiency and the Assistant Director Schools and Inclusion were in attendance to present the information and to address the questions and the commments of the Cabinet Members.   Resolved that the Education Sufficiency Strategy, as an update to the strategy approved by Cabinet in June 2023 for education placements across the Special Educational Needs sector, be agreed.   Reason for decision: Rochdale Council has a statutory duty under section 14 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure there is a sufficiency of school places available to meet the needs of all children and young people living within our authority. This includes having regard to the need to secure provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). In addition, section 315 of the Education Act 1996 requires that arrangements for children with SEND be kept under review.   This strategy covers school place planning for children with SEND, special school capacity, SEN resourced provisions and SEN units in mainstream school. It details how Rochdale is connected to the wider national and Greater Manchester, GM, school place sufficiency strategies.   Alternatives considered and rejected: Proposals were put forward in line with pupil place planning priorities and commitments approved in previous Cabinet reports. A suite of plans with alternatives was given in the strategy in order to foresee decisions outside of council control. Failure to have an adopted strategy for educational placements could negatively impact oversight and apparent oversight as considered in the Ofsted framework.