Issue - meetings

The purpose of the report by the Director of Children's Services is to seek agreement to allocate the Special Educational Needs Implementation Grant for 2017-18 plus the additional funding to conduct a strategic review of high needs provision. 

·         The implementation grant funding allocated to Portsmouth for 2017-18 is £147,605. This has been allocated as an unringfenced grant and so Cabinet approval is required in order to allocate this grant to the education directorate to support the continued implementation of the SEND reforms.

·         This funding will be used to continue to fund the additional staff who have been recruited to carry out the transfer of existing statements and learning disability assessments to education health and care plans, as specified in the new special educational needs and disabilities legislation (Children and Families Act 2014).

·         Additional funding has been allocated to enable all local authorities to carry out a strategic review of their high needs provision. Portsmouth has been allocated £90,993 for this purpose.

RECOMMENDED: Cabinet is recommended to:

(1)  Approve the allocation of the Special Educational Needs Implementation Grant of £147,605 in 2017-18 to the Education portfolio.

(2)  Approve the allocation of the funding of £90,993 to support high needs strategic planning in 2017-18 to the Education portfolio.