Developing a SEND sufficiency strategy
Nikola Idle, Director of Consultancy at Shared Agenda, explains how we used our tried and tested approach to producing SEND strategies to help Rotherham Council find an answer to their SEND sufficiency problems.
When you’re preparing to meet the needs of the ever increasing number of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), you need a robust plan in place. We supported Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to create a SEND strategy, helping provide the best education for all their students.
Rotherham, like many other areas, has a challenge when it comes to SEND. With 22% of the city’s pupils having an education, health and care needs plan (EHCP), higher than the national average, and a 14% increase in active EHCPs in the last year, it was vital they had a strong plan to ensure all students received education in an appropriate setting.
Our approach to creating a robust SEND sufficiency strategy can be broken down into three parts.
Where are we now?
An auditing process that looked both internally and externally, this involved reviewing the current status of SEND provision across the borough. As well as looking at existing provision and existing pupils, we also benchmark the results against similar authorities across the UK, giving us context to measure how provision compares to that in other areas.
Where do we want to be?
This involved forecasting how demand would grow for SEND services and putting together an inclusion strategy which covered inclusive buildings and inclusive practices across all settings, not just dedicated special schools.
Some of Rotherham’s major SEND aspirations included better oversight and a reduction in out-of-borough placements, more accessible provision in local communities, a greater range and spread of provision, a sustainable high needs system, a consistent approach within mainstream settings and, of course, improved outcomes and placement sufficiency.
How do we get there?
Often the most complicated and difficult stage of the process, the plan of how to achieve Rotherham’s aims involved several stages. First, prioritisation was used to look at what must be done first based on immediate needs and pressures. Secondly, consultation was vital – it’s essential that any SEND strategy has the buy in of key staff, parents, families and students, so the authority needed to engage with SEND professionals to get feedback on our plans. Finally, it’s important that plans are under regular review. Legislation, funding and the education landscape are undergoing constant transformation, so any strategy needs to be able to flex and adapt with these changes.
What are the outcomes?
For Rotherham, their SEND sufficiency strategy is helping them meet the following goals:
- Creating 100 additional SEND places on mainstream sites by the end of 2025/26
- Improving accessibility within mainstream and special schools to help meet a wider level of SEND need
- Developing provision for specific SEND cohorts
- Developing outreach services, and implementation of Graduated Approach.
If you’re struggling to meet requirements for your SEND students, but need a hand getting started, we’re ready and willing to share our experience. Get in touch
