Schools Forum SEN Sub Group Meeting

6th May 2014

Essex Records Office

Present:

Rod Lane (RL) (Chair)

Sally Davies (SD)

Debbie Rogan (DR)

Richard Foster (RF)

Clare Burrell (CB)

Jo Twine (JT)

Yannick Stupples-Whyley (YSW)

Apologies:

Jeff Fair (JF)

Richard Thomas (RT)

Peter Malcolm (PM)

Gary Smith (GS)

Chair: Sally Davies / Minutes : Yannick Stupples-Whyley
Minutes of 15th January / Agreed
SEN Invest to Save / JT introduced the item.
ASHE need no more information just interested in implementation. DfE visited Authority to understand proposals to use DSG to fund borrowing costs.
For PFI costs propose to give capital to contractor to reduce charges. Asked for s151 Officer approval for contractor variation.
Why Bishop Park - pupil distribution identified many pupils from Clacton and Colchester. No new building just implication for services provided. Unitary charge - capital, interest and services.
RF is concerned with costs of other sites and cost of services for PFI.
All - Forum will want justification of costs. Map to show spread of sites. Split of places Year 6 and above. Show Forum the savings expected. Forum will be looking at Independent Special School spend and to see if it is decreasing.
DR ask if there was any specific funding from EFA. JT replied not at the current time.
RL - Need to draw out positives. Where we started, why we started, where have we got to.
Business cases presented in September. SD stated that special schools support this development. Seen as developing provision amongst all schools. Has to be seen as Essex provision. Multi-academy trust.
CAMHS Funding / Clare Burrell introduced the paper on behalf of Lonica. Three options proposed for utilising the £400,000 agreed by Schools Forum for 2015/16. Primary schools support Option A. If schools do not buy into LDG schools may not gain access to the funding. Universal services should be provided whether or not schools are members of LDGs. Authority needs to write to Chairs of LDGs to ask are schools excluded from universal services if they do not pay into the LDG. Moral duty of Authority to ensure all schools have access to universal services. Good way of doing things but improvements need to be made.
Three options
LDGs
Forum become commissioner
New Partnership Development Model
Influence would be better coming from local children partnership boards rather than LDGs.
Option A is done at grass roots level.
Option C can achieve as will be a separate contract within the main contract.
Option A proposed. Sensible option is C but not convinced.
Option A but more detail requested around Option C and mechanism for working. Difficult leap of faith to make.
High Needs Block Update / YSW presented the paper. YSW to inform special schools and enhanced provision of top-up rates.
AOB / None
Future Meetings
9am Essex Records Office / Main Forum Dates / Sub Group Dates
9th July 2014 / 11th June 2014
22nd October 2014 / 24th September 2014
3rd December 2014 / 5th November 2014
11th February 2015 / 14th January 2015

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