Decision details

The Chair welcomed County Councillor Jayne Rear, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Paul Turner, Director of Education, Culture and Skills, Aby Hardy, Head of Education Improvement, and Cerys Townsend, Head of Inclusion, to the meeting.

The report presented provided an update on the development of the SEND Strategy 2025-2028. It was noted that at the last meeting of the committee, it was agreed that the SEND Strategy 2025-2028 would be provided to the next meeting of the committee and members would be given the opportunity to contribute and agree the proposed timescales, including what further scrutiny or wider member engagement of the strategy could be undertaken.

Comments and queries raised from the committee were as follows:

• It was suggested that a benchmarking exercise be conducted to review the actions of other local authorities and to examine the county council’s own past SEND inspections to identify potential areas for improvement.
• It was further suggested that a task and finish group be established to review emerging themes and provide feedback as the strategy developed, ensuring nothing was overlooked. It was also proposed to hold a Deep Dive Day to conduct a deep dive into the strategy as an alternative to forming a task and finish group.
• The priorities that the council must, should, and could achieve, as outlined in the report, were highlighted as a potential topic for discussion during the proposed Deep Dive Day to reassess their order. It was noted that the priority “Improve communication with families, provide impartial information, and enhance co-production,” although listed under the priorities the council must achieve, should be moved to the top of the list. It was also noted that "Enhance teacher confidence and support inclusive practices" was listed as a priority of what the council could achieve, when the committee felt this should be moved to what the council must achieve. The committee also questioned the realism of the priorities the council must achieve, considering previous reports that highlighted challenges such as the difficulty in recruiting qualified practitioners.
• The committee expressed concerns about the varying SEND strategies among different authorities and suggested that increased collaboration with other local authorities was needed to develop a unified, central strategy, especially for children who may be moved into neighbouring authorities. This would ensure the same systems were in place for those children, rather than being supported under different systems.
• The committee praised the visual appeal and layout of the North Yorkshire report, as set out at Appendix ‘C’ of the report, noting that it was both visually engaging and well-organised.

• Following a question raised on what the co-production model was referring to in the report, it was suggested that a briefing note on the co-production model be circulated to members of the committee.
• The committee emphasised the need for a summary within the strategy that outlined what had been provided, what was working well, and what was not. It was suggested that this could be addressed through an inquiry day or a task and finish group, and therefore it was proposed that both a Deep Dive Day and a Task and Finish Group be established to review the SEND Strategy and ensure the right approach was being taken for Lancashire.
• It was clarified that Lancashire children attending schools in other areas were held to the same high standards regardless of their location, ensuring consistent care and education.
• Committee members shared positive past experiences with SEND but also pointed out issues with timelines and parental engagement stemming from previous negative experiences. They emphasised the importance of breaking the cycle of fear among parents, who avoided schools due to their own negative childhood experiences, by increasing engagement through home visits or social outings. Additionally, the need for school staff to actively engage with pupils experiencing bullying was highlighted.

The Chair thanked the officers for the report and for answering the committees' questions.

Resolved: That

  (i)  The Scrutiny Management Board be asked to consider establishing a Deep Dive day to discuss the emerging themes as outlined in the report and give input into the development of the SEND strategy 2025-2028.

  (ii)  The Scrutiny Management Board be asked to consider establishing a Task and Finish Group for the purpose of providing long term input into SEND Strategy.

That the following recommendation be shared with the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills

 (iii)  Further information relating to the co-production SEND model be circulated to the Committee.