Issue - meetings

Report ED13095

The Committee considered a report providing details of changes relating to special educational needs, education funding reform and the academies agenda and identifying potential risks for the Local Authority if pupils’ special educational needs could not be met by local mainstream schools.  It also provided data on progress in reducing costly out-of-Borough placements and the measures put in place to manage spend effectively.

The way that special educational needs support was delivered varied across local authorities.  Bromley Council had previously devolved a lower level of resources to schools and had a high level of statements of special educational needs in comparison with its statistical neighbours (although did not necessarily identify more pupils with special educational needs overall).  Following the conversion of a considerable number of Bromley schools to Academy status, resources would now be provided directly to schools which would make their own decisions about funding priorities.  As the school population increased, there would be a higher number of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities requiring specialist education provision.  It was important to ensure that as more schools converted to academy status, specialist education continued to be available in Bromley to support these pupils in accessing high quality education in their local community.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.