The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss several key issues, including challenges in the education capital programme, updates on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the integrated performance report for the first quarter of 2025/26. The committee considered and commented on the challenges and mitigations relating to the council's education capital programme, as well as the update regarding children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

SEND Update

Ross Caws, Head of SEND and Inclusion, provided an update on the SEND system, highlighting that there are 7,657 children with EHC plans in Warwickshire as of the meeting, an increase of over 200 since the report was written six weeks prior. He noted that this mirrors the national picture, with increasing numbers of children and young people being identified as having SEND¹. Mr Caws outlined three main challenges:

• Volume: Addressing the backlog of EHC plan requests and managing annual reviews.
• Appeals: Managing disagreements with statutory decisions.
• Market: Ensuring sufficient specialist provision.

Mr Caws explained that the council is dividing the EHC plan process into two parts, addressing requests received before 1 July separately from those received after, and that the team has increased from 21 full-time employees in 2020 to 40 this September.

In response to a question from Councillor Nicki Scott, the officer confirmed that Warwickshire is in the bottom 10% for both core school funding and high needs block funding.

Councillor Jennifer McAllister congratulated officers on the extra resource provision they had managed to bring in ahead of schedule. She asked about the 20-week deadline for EHC plans, and Mr Caws confirmed that the pre-1 July backlog would be worked on separately, with a new process for post-1 July requests. He added that the aim is to be back to 90% compliance with the 20-week deadline in the future.

Councillor Wayne Briggs, Portfolio Holder for Education, raised concerns that statistics can tell a false story, and that cases with a high level of needs should be prioritised, even if they take longer. Mr Caws responded that the most difficult situations arise when a new school is being requested, which puts pressure on the system due to sufficiency issues.

Councillor James Norris asked about the lower percentage of children with EHC plans achieving a good level of development at the end of early years foundation stage. Mr Caws said that changes were being made to ensure that SEND is not separated from early years provision.

Education Capital Programme

Matthew Biggs, Head of Access to Education, presented a report on the challenges and mitigations relating to the Education Capital Programme. He outlined four main challenges: funding, cost certainty, navigating statutory processes, and the scale of growth.

Mr Biggs noted that the council has approved £100 million worth of capital investment across nine approved schemes, and that there are around six schemes at the feasibility stage. He also stated that the council is projecting a £12 million shortfall in funding for projects up to 2032.

Mitigations in place include pursuing modern methods of construction, utilising different procurement frameworks, and working with schools to deliver their own schemes. Martin Lewis, Head of Property Services and Strategic Assets, added that the council now has its own Warwickshire school specification to provide clarity when going to the market.

Councillor Scott asked how the council maps the birth rate and why schools don't fill up straight away. Mr Biggs responded that the birth rate is slowing down in Warwickshire, and that the council uses housing to determine where to put places. He added that opening more year groups at once can be difficult for a school and can affect the sustainability of other local schools.

Councillor Keith Kondakor raised concerns about school provision in his ward, stating that new houses do not always create new children, but rather move populations. He suggested opening a reception year and a year two in new schools to make better use of resources. Mr Biggs responded that the council does model the whole system and that he is happy to have further conversations about phasing.

Nigel Minns, Executive Director for Children and Young People, added that the population increase is driven by inward migration, and that the under-18 population increased by over 3,000 last year despite the falling birth rate.

Councillor Judy Falp asked how the council works out how much to ask developers for in Section 106 contributions, given that building costs can increase over time. Mr Minns responded that part of the challenge is that some Section 106 agreements were signed some years ago and do not reflect the changes in the market.

Integrated Performance Report

The committee considered the Quarter 1 Integrated Performance Report 2025/26, which provides a summary of organisational performance against strategic priorities. The report highlighted both areas of good performance and areas where challenges remain.

The report noted that 66.7% of key business measures are classified as delivering, with positive progress in areas such as family help assessment timeframes and uptake of childcare entitlements. However, completing EHC plans within the statutory 20-week target remains a challenge.

The report also noted that the services reporting to the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee are forecasting a cumulative net service overspend of £5.076 million, equivalent to 4% of their revenue budget.

Other Business

Councillor McAllister suggested a report on post-16 education in schools and colleges, especially around academic versus vocational courses.