Special Educational Needs review of system-wide funding 2017

The request was partially successful.

Dear North Yorkshire County Council,

The questions below relate to the following document:

http://cyps.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/defa...

1 Page 2 states: “Schools are responsible for the first £6K of support for children at SEN Support”

Does the Council have a policy which requires schools to demonstrate they have spent £6000 at SEN support level before the local authority will consider an EHC Needs assessment?

If so, please set out the legal basis for this policy.

2 Page 4 (para 3.2) states : “2.8% of the total national pupil population have a statement or EHC Plan and this has remained constant since 2007”.

What is the percentage in North Yorkshire?

3 Page 4 (para 3.2) states: “If the current trend continues on an increasing projector NY will have approximately 2550 statements/plans by 2018”

What will the equivalent percentage be in North Yorkshire at this level?

4 Page 9 (para 6.2) states the SEN Legal Services budget is £25k. How much has the council spent in the last three years, broken down by year, amount and company / individual name. Please detail what services were provided (eg SEND tribunal advocacy.)

5 Please publish the detailed financial modelling described at para 6.5

6 Please publish what “further changes to funding arrangements” are planned (para 6.5)

7 Please publish any documents that have so far been produced with reference to para 9.4: “Significant work is already underway to undertake a system wide review of SEN… “

Please publish all documents in machine readable and searchable form ie spreadsheets or word documents or machine searchable pdfs, not pdf scans of hard copies.

Yours faithfully,

Terry Pandere

North Yorkshire Council

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The information governance team

cypsfoi, North Yorkshire Council

 

 

Hello Terry

 

Thank you for submitting your FOI request regarding SEN funding. In order
to respond to your request, please coul dyou provide some additional
clarification on the following question:

 

2 Page 4 (para 3.2) states : “2.8% of the total national pupil population
have a statement or EHC Plan and this has remained constant since 2007”.

 

What is the percentage in North Yorkshire?

 

Please could you clarify this is based on a percentage of the total
national population, or the population in North Yorkshire?

 

 

Kind Regards

_______________________________________

Rebecca Barber, Leadership Support Officer
on behalf of cypsfoi

 

North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AE

e-mail: [1][email address]

 

 

 

 

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Dear cypsfoi,

Re: clarification

Question 2 is based on the population of North Yorkshire.

Yours sincerely,

Terry Pandere

Catherine McGuinness, North Yorkshire Council

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    CAN Do Funding Proposals Modelling 2017 2018.xlsm

    21K Download

Dear Mr Pandere

 

 

Thank you for your request for information regarding SEN support for
children in North Yorkshire. 
Please see our response below and attached:

 

 

The questions below relate to the following document:

 

[1]http://cyps.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/defa...

 

1.        Page 2 states: “Schools are responsible for the first £6K of
support for children at SEN Support” -

 

Does the Council have a policy which requires schools to demonstrate they
have spent £6000 at SEN support level before the local authority will
consider an EHC Needs assessment?

 

If so, please set out the legal basis for this policy.

 

The LA adheres to the Code of Practice and would expect schools and
settings to demonstrate 2 Assess, Plan, Do Review cycles before a decision
is made to apply for consideration for Statutory Assessment.

 

 

2.        Page 4 (para 3.2) states : “2.8% of the total national pupil
population have a statement or EHC Plan and this has remained constant
since 2007”.

 

What is the percentage in North Yorkshire? 

2.1% of children educated in North Yorkshire, as of January 2017. *Source:
DfE

 

3.        Page 4 (para 3.2) states: “If the current trend continues on an
increasing projector NY will have approximately 2550 statements/plans by
2018”

 

What will the equivalent percentage be in North Yorkshire at this level?
Approx. 2.4% of children educated in North Yorkshire. * The above figure
(2550) is a count of all children with a North Yorkshire funded
statement/EHCP. The calculated percentage (2.4%) is the proportion of
those children educated in North Yorkshire of the whole North Yorkshire
school population.

 

4.       Page 9 (para 6.2) states the SEN Legal Services budget is £25k.
How much has the council spent in the last three years, broken down by
year, amount and company / individual name. Please detail what services
were provided (eg SEND tribunal advocacy.)

Fees paid out to Counsel, who conducted Tribunal advocacy for SEND appeals
which went to hearing, are as follows:

               

·                     Financial Year: April 2015 – March 2016 - £2750.00

·                     Financial Year: April 2016 – March 2017 - £7038.33

·                     Financial Year: April 2017 – October 2017 -
£12,248.00

 

Internal lawyers prepare the cases for hearing. Two lawyers are currently
involved on SEN work in the LA’s Education, Employment and Litigation team
but do not spend 100% of their time on SEN work.  Internal lawyers are
paid salary at Band 14 .  Until the end of September 2017 a third lawyer
was also involved in the preparation of cases, but again, this lawyer did
not spend 100% of their time on SEN work.

 

 

5.        Please publish the detailed financial modelling described at
para 6.5
Please see attached excel spreadsheet

 

6.        Please publish what “further changes to funding arrangements”
are planned (para 6.5)

We cannot “publish further changes to funding arrangements” until they
have been developed and subsequently considered by the Schools Forum. The
report outlines that a High Needs Funding sub-group will be established
comprising the Local Authority and Special School and Mainstream
Headteachers to consider the funding arrangements in light of the
significant financial pressures identified in the report.

 

 

7.        Please publish any documents that have so far been produced with
reference to para 9.4: “Significant work is already underway to undertake
a system wide review of SEN… “

The Strategic Plan is under development and not yet finalised but can be
located at
[2]https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/defa...

 

Kind Regards

_______________________________________

Catherine McGuinness, Leadership Support Officer
on behalf of cypsfoi

 

North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AE

e-mail: [3][email address]

 

 

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