The Children and Young People's Overview and Scrutiny Committee convened to discuss Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in County Durham. The agenda included a report from John Pearce, Corporate Director Children & Young People's Services, and a presentation covering various aspects of SEND in the area. The committee was expected to review the current state of SEND support, demand, and the local and national frameworks guiding these services.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Update

The committee was scheduled to discuss an update on SEND, following previous meetings in January and September 2024. The update included a response to the Ofsted¹ and Care Quality Commission (CQC) local area inspection of Durham, which took place in June 2024.

The report of the Corporate Director Children & Young People's Services, John Pearce, noted that:

Around 1 in 6 of our children and young people in County Durham have a recognised additional need and rely on specialist support to help them with their needs and prepare them for adulthood. Our support regarding SEND covers from pre-birth up to a young person's 25th birthday.

A presentation was prepared to cover key areas relating to SEND, including:

• An overview of SEND in County Durham
• Demand and sufficiency
• National Framework
• Self-evaluation and strategy review
• Local area inspections / post inspection activity
• Graduated approach / specialist SEND and Inclusion
• High Needs Block / enhanced and specialist provisions
• National Change Programme
• SEND reform

The presentation included data on the number of young people in County Durham with a recognised SEND, which is 21.1% of school-aged young people, higher than the England average of 19.6%. It also noted that the number of young people identified with SEND increased by 31.4% in 5 years.

The presentation also covered the increase in Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)² requests, which have risen by 76% since 2019, with over 1,000 requests received each year. Requests from parents now account for 39% of all requests in the last year, compared to 29% in 2020.

The presentation also included information on active EHCPs by placement, noting an increase in the percentage of children with EHCPs in mainstream education and a reduction in special schools. It also noted that Durham has the fourth lowest percentage of young people in mainstream education compared to the North East and statistical neighbours.

Enhanced Provision Specialist Provision

The committee was scheduled to discuss enhanced and specialist provisions for children with SEND. As of the meeting date, 4 secondary and 8 primary schools in County Durham had Enhanced Provisions, offering 144 places. The council was reviewing the Enhanced Provision arrangements in Timothy Hackworth Primary School, Cheveley Park Primary School, Wheatley Hill Community Primary School, Howletch Lane Primary School, Gilesgate Primary School and Belmont Church of England Primary School.

Durham has one of the largest numbers of Special School places in England, and has expanded provisions significantly over the past three years, including expansions at The Oaks Secondary School (+40 places) and The Croft Community School (+40 places). 2025 projects include major construction at Horden for 60 places, and adaptation of a former skills college site at Spennymoor for specialist use.

National Framework

The presentation included an overview of the national framework for SEND, including the Children and Families Act 2014, which expanded support from 5 to 19 years to 0 to 25 years, and the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination against disabled children and young people.

Local SEND Strategy 2022-2024

The committee was scheduled to discuss the local SEND strategy for 2022-2024. The vision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in County Durham is the same as it is for all children and young people:

• They are safe and part of their community.
• They have the best start in life.
• They have good physical and mental health.
• They gain the education, skills, and experiences to prepare them for adulthood.

The aims of the strategy are to:

• Enable children to attend local schools that understand and meet their individual needs.
• Collaborate with families to build resilience through all transitions.
• Listen to children and young people to support inclusion and independence.
• Identify needs promptly with appropriate support available on time.
• Empower education settings to confidently meet needs and promote wellbeing.
• Provide a coordinated and tailored offer of support based on assessed needs.

Ofsted / CQC SEND Inspection Report

The presentation included key findings from the Ofsted / CQC SEND Inspection report, which noted that collaborative leadership is strong, children and young people feel valued and included, and there is improvement in the length of time taken to complete new assessments.

Inspectors identified four main areas for further improvement:

1. Improve EHC plan quality and assessment timeliness.
2. Reduce delays to access CAMHS³ and neurodevelopmental pathways.
3. Ensure children and young people and their families can access easily identifiable needs-led services.
4. Strengthen the monitoring and impact of strategic plans and policies.

High Needs Block

The presentation included information on the High Needs Block (HNB), a ring-fenced fund within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) used to support provision for children and young people with SEND. The Department of Education estimates that the national cumulative HNB deficit will be between £4.3 billion and £4.9 billion by March 2026.