Issue - meetings

The Assistant Director, Education & Skills, to present a report which provides details of the 2023-25 plan for capital schemes to improve the sufficiency of provision for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and seeks approval for the schemes outlined in the plan.

Resolved:  That the schemes outlined in the SEND Capital Plan, 2023-25 be approved. 

Reason:     To ensure that the sufficiency of suitable school places for children and young people with SEND has been addressed, reducing the need for out of city provision and meeting parental preferences.

The Assistant Director, Education & Skills, presented a report which provided details of the 2023-25 plan for capital schemes to improve the sufficiency of provision for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and asked Executive to approve the schemes set out in the plan.

The following options were presented, as detailed in paragraphs 19-21 of the report:

Option 1 – do nothing. This would leave the council unable to deliver enough school places in the city for children with SEND.

Option 2 – deliver all the schemes set out in the plan, as recommended.

Option 3 – remove some of the schemes from the plan and increase the available contingency.  This would not address the current sufficiency issues.

It was confirmed that the issue that was to have been raised by the registered speaker on this item was outside the scope of the report as it related to out of school provision; however, officers were looking at inviting expressions of interests for such provision.  In supporting Option 2, the Executive Member for Children’s Services & Education thanked all involved for developing the programme in close collaboration with parents and other stakeholders.

Resolved:  That the schemes outlined in the SEND Capital Plan, 2023-25 be approved. 

Reason:     To ensure that the sufficiency of suitable school places for children and young people with SEND has been addressed, reducing the need for out of city provision and meeting parental preferences.