Local Offer Send Strategy

Document 2
SEND REVIEW AND FRAMEWORK FOR

EDUCATION PROVISION 2018-21
December 2018 (Final Draft 31/12/18)

PLYMOUTH CITY COUNCIL
CONTENTS
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY page 3
2. LEGISLATION AND INTERDEPENDENCIES page 3
3. NEEDS ANALYSIS page 4
4. REVIEW OF PRIORITIES from 2015 – 18 SEND Review page 6
5. EMERGING THEMES page 16
6. NEXT STEPS page 24
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 SEND profile Data
Appendix 2 SEND Benchmarking summary
Appendix 3 SEND Review of Education Provision Implementation Plan
Collated by:
Sue Shelley
SEND Strategic Advice and Support Team
Education, Participation and Skills
December 2018
SEND REVIEW AND FRAMEWORK FOR EDUCATION PROVISION 2018-21 DEC 18 Page 2 of 24
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A comprehensive review of local education provision for children and young people with Special
Educational Needs and /or Disability in schools and settings was carried out in 2015. A three year
implementation plan was developed from the review to shape SEND services across the city. This
document describes the second SEND Review and Framework carried out in 2018 and follows on
from the original 2015 -2018 document. The review has evaluated the impact of the changes to
services and identifies themes for further work.
The key principles of the review remain to:
 achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their
families
 involve and engage children and young people with SEND and their families
 ensure the highest possible quality of provision and services through effective procurement
and joint commissioning arrangements
This document includes a needs analysis of SEND data which can be found in Appendix 1 followed
by an evaluation of the outcomes from the initial review, which informs a new wave of emerging
themes to take us forward into 2018 - 2021 SEND planning. The themes reflect the wider SEND
Strategic goals and the Early Help and Wellbeing Strategy goals.
The outcome of the review is an outcomes focused implementation plan which can be found in
Appendix 3.
2. LEGISLATION AND INTERDEPENDENCIES
Plymouth Strategy for SEND

Plymouth has developed a strategy for SEND services in line with the Government’s ambition “for
children with Special Educational needs and Disabilities (SEND) …. to achieve well in school and
college, find employment and go on to live happy and fulfilled lives1.”
SEND services across the city sit within one or more of the five key strands of the SEND
Strategy:-
 Schools and Settings: provision and achievement
 Assessment and planning for SEND
 SEND Integration Education, Health and Care
 Support for parents of disabled children: Short Breaks, family support and Child Protection
 Preparing for Adulthood and Post 16 provision
The review and framework for education sits within the ‘Schools and settings: provision and
achievement’ strand of the SEND Strategy. Work is underway on the other strands of the strategy
and these will be reported on separately.
1
High needs provision and support Damien Hinds Letter to Local Authorities Dec 2018
Emerging themes identified within the review will inform key links with other elements of the
SEND Strategy.
The legislation under which the review of services has been carried out include:
 Children and Families Act (2015)

 SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015)
 Equality Act 2010
In addition the following documents have informed the review and emerging themes:-
 Joint Local Area SEND Inspection for Plymouth letter, dated December 2016
 Ofsted / CQC ‘Local Area SEND Inspections one year on’ report, October 2017
 SEN Support: a survey of schools and colleges research report, July 2017
3. NEEDS ANALYSIS
Work is being undertaken to develop a regional SEND dashboard in partnership with the Council
for Disabled Children which will contribute to strategic planning for SEND services.
Currently, Plymouth city council has access to a number of national and local authority level data
sets (See Appendices 1 and 2). These data sets support officers to:
 identify emerging themes

 identify any gaps in information
 develop a planned response through effective commissioning.
For the purpose of the SEND Review, data is an essential tool for:
 planning the type of provision needed

 ensuring the correct number of places
 understanding the progress and attainment of specific cohorts
The data below comprise three elements:
 SEND School Census data collected nationally by the DfE (Statistical First Release),
 Public Health birth information, and
 attainment and progress data collated from national assessments
Some key information from each element is detailed below.
The Statistical First Release (SFR)
This national data set is compiled from the schools’ January Census returns, via pupil level annual
school census (PLASC) returns, hospital school census returns and school level annual school
census returns (from the Independent sector). The SFR is published each summer.
The January 2018 Census data shows that there were 40,003 pupils in Plymouth schools.
The data also shows that:
 5,190 (13 %) were recorded at SEN Support level
 1,434 (3.6%) have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP).
The above figures do not include pupils attending pre- or post-school age settings.
Work has been carried out by Local Authority teams with schools over the last three years to
improve the accuracy of the data submitted by schools and this work will continue into the next
review.
When compared to the national and regional data, Plymouth is above the national (2.9%) and
regional(2.8%) average in terms of numbers of children and young people with an EHCP as well as
the number of children and young people identified at SEN Support (National 11.7% and regional
12.7%) (See Appendix 1 table 1).
When reviewing longitudinal data, Plymouth is in line with the national picture for the total
number of EHCPs, which has remained relatively static for a number of years. However, the
number of children and young people identified at SEN Support has been growing in Plymouth
since 2016, where, conversely, the national picture has remained fairly static.
Department for Education data describes patterns of need across phases of education compiled
from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and contains information about maintained
schools, academies, special schools and PRUs.
Appendix 1, table 2 provides a comprehensive breakdown of identified needs across all phases of
education.
Appendix 1, tables 4 and 5 show the predominant needs identified at the primary and secondary
phases along with the number of children in each SEN category.
The data highlight two key issues surrounding the identification of need:
There are significant increases from primary to secondary phases in Autism, and identified within
the ‘other’ category.
Conversely, there is a significant decrease from primary to secondary phases in pupils identified
with MLD, S&L needs and SEMH needs.
More work needs to be undertaken with schools and partners to understand the reasons behind
this.
Birth data
Birth data is an essential tool for forecasting potential future SEND needs across the city. The
information is used by commissioners to plan and shape provision to meet future needs.
Over the last 3 years, working with Public Health, we have reviewed birth data as this can provide
us with an initial glimpse into the potential SEND needs of children. This information can be used
support consideration about how provision should be shaped to meet future needs.
Over the four years that the council has been receiving birth data, this figure sits at 9% of children
in Plymouth who fit into at least one category considered to be an indicator of potential special
educational needs.
SEND Pupil Achievement data

The term achievement encompasses both attainment and progress.
See Appendix 2 for a comprehensive breakdown.
Plymouth figures for pupils with SEND sit broadly in line with national and regional data.
A particular area of strength was the percentage of Y1 pupils receiving SEN Support achieving the
expected standard of phonics decoding, although this was not the case for those pupils with an
EHCP.
Appendix 2, chart 1 shows that the percentage of pupils at SEN Support achieving a good level of
development (GLD) within the Early Years Foundation Stage profile has improved this year to that
in line with national figures. However, it is still below regional and statistical neighbours and the
upward trajectory must be maintained.
At key stage 2, those pupils identified with SEND remain broadly in line with regional and national
figures.
At key stage 4, progress made by pupils with an EHC plan is behind regional and national figures,
and for those pupils at SEN Support, the gap is significantly greater.
4. REVIEW OF 2015 -2018 PRIORITIES AND OUTCOMES

The following priorities were identified within the first SEND Review and Framework:
Priority 1 SEND provision

Priority 2 Parental Confidence
Priority 3 Joint Commissioning
Priority 4 Sharing Knowledge

Priority 5 Post-16 SEN provision
Priority 6 Admissions Processes

The review process involved the careful interrogation of data, consultations with families, children
and young people, and with school leaders. An action plan was agreed and written, focus groups
worked on identified tasks within each priority and the plan was reviewed regularly.
The current review has addressed each of the priorities and considered the progress towards
outcomes for each priority as described in the SEN Review and implementation plan 2015 – 2018.
The section below provides the detail of the progress achieved to date and considers the emerging
themes for future work in that priority area.
Priority 1 SEND PROVISION
a) Skills in mainstream schools meet the needs of pupils with SEMH, cognition and
learning, communication and interaction and sensory/ physical difficulties
The Joint Ofsted / CQC local area SEND inspection of Plymouth held in 2016 recognised the
ability of mainstream schools to meet needs, stating, ‘The overwhelming majority of Plymouth primary
schools use … assessment … in order to provide carefully targeted services in three tiers that are
increasingly successful in meeting individual pupils’ needs.’ [Ofsted/ CQC 2016]
The Local Authority SEN Audit data and school contact qualitative information, from the last two
years, demonstrate that the majority of mainstream schools are able to provide support to pupils
with a range of SEND, including those with ASC. The needs of pupils with SEND are being met
through a range of teaching and learning strategies as part of high quality teaching programme for
example, learning environments include visual timetables.
However, as stated in the SEND Inspections one year on document2, the Local Authority
recognise that there is need to be mindful of how all agencies, including the Local Authority, are
improving outcomes for those children and young people identified as needing SEND support but
without a statutory EHCP. This group of pupils remains a focus into the next review.
All Plymouth schools and the majority of settings and providers understand the principles of the
graduated response to meeting need; the diagram below (figure 1) is recognised by all stakeholders
and partners, as representing Plymouth schools’ graduated response to need.
Figure 2: Graduated Response to Need
High Quality Targeted SEN Support

Teaching intervention
b) All settings are able to access a comprehensive professional development offer.
The Local Authority and its partners offer schools and settings a range of professional
development, both centrally-based and bespoke. Training has been provided by the Local Authority
in areas such as the effective use of Teaching Assistants (TA), and SEND-specific training around
each broad area of need. There is a continued priority to develop the support offer for Early Years
settings, including child minders.
Termly Early Years, School and Post-16 SENCO briefings have become a key communication
device for all settings. There has been a significant increase in the engagement from Early Years
settings in the early years SENCO briefings.
The briefings, facilitated by the SEND Strategic Advice and Support team, are used to
communicate key SEND messages, and to share best practice. The briefings also offer
opportunities for consultation and co-production, including most recently, the development of
2
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-area-send-inspections-one-year-on October 2017
Mainstream Guidance for schools around each of the SEND Code of Practice 2015 four broad
areas of need, which will continue as a priority into the next review.
The Local Authority SEN Audit has developed over the period and now includes
recommendations around specific elements e.g. SEND leadership; SENCOs and other school
leaders.
The Joint Ofsted / CQC local area SEND inspection of Plymouth held in 2016 recognised that,
‘The local area team are successfully building their capacity and have increased the effectiveness of school
special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs). Through training and information, they have raised
awareness of autism spectrum condition (ASC) and developed classroom-based adaptations for pupils.’
[Ofsted/ CQC 2016]
The Local Authority SEND Support team is a recognised national training provider for the
National Award for SEN Coordination in partnership with Plymouth University. A key element of
this training focuses around the assessment of and tracking the progress and attainment of children
and young people with SEND.
In Plymouth, there are currently 300 trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) TAs and
further training is planned for SENCOs on developing supervision skills for ELSAs from spring
2019. There is a need to build expertise within our schools to help give staff coping strategies and
develop schools’ own policy and practice within SEMH. This training will explore providing phase-
specific areas of focus around identified themes.
The development of best practice guidance on supporting students with emotionally based school
non-attendance was previously drafted but never launched; this will be revised and launched. A
shared a message from CAMHS, Child Development Centre and SEND services outlining early
indicators of emotionally based school non-attendance and need for targeted early support is
required. Training needs have been identified for schools on addressing anxiety and pathways of
support.
It is recognised that there is a further need for Continuing Professional Development on specific
areas related to SEMH and educational developmental outcomes for young people. This needs to
be broader than just schools, to include Youth Offending Team and Post-16 providers, so there is
a growing knowledge and expertise for trauma-sensitive practice and understanding of the
implications of adverse early life experiences. This will be delivered in partnership with CAMHS
and other providers including the virtual school.
c) Children and young people with SEND have their needs met as close to their
home as possible
This continues to be a key aim at all levels of SEND provision. Fewer pupils with complex needs
are now educated away from Plymouth, compared with 2014. For example, we can see that some
children in a Plymouth Hearing Impairment (HI) support centre would previously have been
educated at an independent specialist school outside of the city but are able to attend a local
schools due to the developments within the provision.
d) The number of places in, and the designations, of specialist support centres
reflect the current and anticipated pattern of need in the city
The range of designations of Support Centres (SCs) remains in place across the city, with some
adaptations to reflect pupil need and, most particularly, a revised designation within the speech and
language support centres of Developmental language delay (DLD) from specific language
impairment (SLI) in line with latest research.
A specialist unit for pre-school children with severe learning disabilities was commissioned within
one of the two mainstream nursery schools for a short period, prior to the number of places
available within special schools to meet need. The benefit was that this brought SEND into the
mainstream, with good practice being shared and staff skills and confidence increased, ready to
take on the next phase. The two nursery schools are now being developed as Centres of
Excellence with co-location of multi-agency teams.
Following the acknowledgement that schools are able to include pupils with a Physical Disability
(PD) within high quality teaching (HQT), it has been recognised that the PD support offer needs to
be reviewed and re-shaped, in light of falling numbers of requests for places at the support centre.
There is a Physical Disability Outreach Service in place and delivered by Woodlands School which
delivers advice and support to mainstream schools.
The PCC SEND Occupational Therapy service already provides assessment, advice and
information within the home/nursery and educational settings with the aim of children and young
people with PD accessing different environments within their daily routines as safely and
appropriately as possible, whilst promoting holistic childhood development. This is provided at a
universal, targeted and specialist level.
Two major changes in Support Centre (SC) location have taken place:
 the Early Years speech and language support centre has relocated to Plym Bridge
mainstream nursery
 The Key Stage 1 provision for Developmental Language Disorder is moving across to
Thornbury Primary (formerly the KS2 SC) to form an all through primary provision. One
final year group remain at Tor Bridge for the 2018 -19 academic year; all new KS1
placements have entered Thornbury from September 2017
The location of Support Centres has been, and will continue to be, a feature of this review. For
example, work continues to create capacity in KS3 provision for pupils with autism spectrum
condition.
Reflecting the ongoing debate with schools, we need to consider how we understand how effective
the matching of children to support centre provision is with the focus being on improved
outcomes, but recognising parental choice. Feedback from Support Centres notes the view that
each support centre works best when there is an even profile of children across the age range (e.g.
number of children per year group).
Schools with support centres continue to report that there is a tension with reporting on progress
and attainment and providing the necessary support to successfully include children within their
school.
A parent consultation held in 2018 attested a parental view of the continued need for Support
Centre provisions, where it was felt that their child’s need were being met, within a true context
of co-production.
All data the LA use to inform place planning need to be accurate and updated regularly in line with
LA processes, including admissions, statutory panel referrals, outreach team intelligence updates
and school ‘health checks’.
e) Support Centre monitoring framework is agreed and implemented.
A process for annual quality assurance visits for specialist support centres has been designed,
piloted, agreed, and is in place. The monitoring framework has been implemented across a range
of age groups and areas of need, to ensure the efficacy of the quality assurance process. This
annual quality assurance process informs planning for the LA and partners.
f) Special schools have sufficient places to meet the current and future needs. The
designations reflect the current pattern of need in the city with places available
for new referrals
A review of special school designations has started. This process began with the appointment of
an external consultant who was provided with a brief to review special school provision in the city.
The consultant’s final report was completed in autumn 2017.
The external review advised that official special designations are out-of-date and inappropriate;
they no longer reflect the complex range of special educational needs for which our schools now
cater. In response to this, the Local Authority has begun a 3 year programme of work that is
designed to ensure that there are sufficient places in special schools to meet need in the medium
to long terms. These phases are:
Phase 1 (2018 – 19): Change designations of special schools to a complex needs definition.
Phase 2 (2019 – 2021): Establish work streams to understand patterns of need in the
medium and long term.
Phase 3 (2021 – 2022): Carry out a detailed review of special school designations.
Work in phase 1 is centred on changing the designation of all special schools to ‘complex needs’. In
addition to this, each school is described through a general and a specific criterion. Each of the
specific criteria provides a detailed summary of the needs that children entering the school are
likely to present with. This change is important as it ensures that the way in which special schools
are described reflects the most up-to-date educational language and thinking and is more accessible
to families.
SEND census data is collated and analysed on an annual basis in order to provide a coherent
picture of city-wide trends of pupil data at SEN Support and with an EHC plan. This data are used
as part of the contextual information for SEN audits and to inform SEND Service planning.
SEND data will also be used to inform Phase 3 of the special school designation review, as it will
enable us, as a local area, to understand the number of special school places required for a given
need in the medium and long terms. This, in turn, will allow work with Head teachers to ensure
that provision matches need. This piece of work will be also provide an opportunity to review the
continuum of specialist provision across the LA, including specialist support centres.
g) Vulnerable pupils with MLD/SEMH/ASC are able to access their education in

the appropriate school
Following a successful bid for national funding, one group of schools has developed a provision for
pupils with SEMH across all key stages as part of the blended approach of outreach services.
Secondary schools have had training on generic guidance on a developing a whole school approach
and what works, from Plymouth Mental Health Network. A key area will be working with schools
and families as many of these challenges occur across both family and school systems. Moving this
forward requires a multi-agency approach and joint work with CAMHS ASC specialists and
professionals trained in family support/intervention.
Another consideration would be for a type of skills audit to address building capacity and skills
development in the special school provisions.
h) A satellite provision with a local mainstream to further inclusion opportunities

for pupils with MLD to support the transition to mainstream where
appropriate.
This has not been formalised, and may well be considered as part of any future discussions with
mainstream schools, however several schools have responded to pupil need by developing a
nurture provision for pupils to access as part of a transition period.
i) All children with SEMH and special educational needs access their education in
an appropriate school or Alternative Provision (AP) with the right level of
support.
Consideration needs to be given to providing dual placements, where appropriate, for children
with a combination of SEND and SEMH
There are a growing number of children, whose social and emotional mental health acts as a
barrier to their long-term attendance at school. A need has been recognised to review policy and
practice and develop a strategic plan to meet these children’s needs, based on a multi-agency
working. These are some of the local authority’s most vulnerable children, as they may not attend
any education setting.
Another issue with SEMH & SEND is the number of Young People likely to become NEET from
Year 12 onwards. Statistically, young people with this profile without a statutory plan are most
likely to become NEET and are the lowest achieving group. Careful transition planning, and the
development of a high quality post-16 provision marketplace needs to be considered.
Alongside this, there will need to be an awareness of the implications raised in the national inquiry
into Alternative Provision in September 2017, the July 2018 the Education Select Committee
report and the Government’s response in October 2018.
In view of the identified priority to address the increasing number of children with SEND, who are
not in school, this will be a theme for the next review.
Priority 2 Parental Confidence
There is increased parental confidence in schools’ and support services’ ability to

meet the needs of pupils with SEN
The Joint Ofsted / CQC local area SEND inspection of Plymouth stated that, ‘Three quarters of the
parents and carers who responded during the inspection to the poll questions from the webinar and the
online Ofsted survey felt that their child’s needs had been effectively identified.’
[Ofsted/ CQC 2016]
We continue to work in partnership with Plymouth Parent Carer Voice (PPCV). PPCV are a
member of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums and receive grant funding from the DfE
which is matched by Plymouth City Council funding. Joint LA and PPCV ongoing project work is
evaluated through an impact framework, which is quality assured through the SEND Steering
group.
An annual conference for parents of pupils with SEND, facilitated jointly by PPCV and the LA,
provides a range of workshops and opportunities for parents to seek advice and provide feedback
on SEND provision.
PPCV and all partner agencies are represented on key SEND strategic groups across the LA to
inform decision-making. Any key SEND documents go through a consultation process with parent
and young people representative groups.
The majority of Local Area Inspection evaluative letters are highly critical of Local Offers in terms
of the information offer and visibility to parents. We are undertaking a strategic review of the
Plymouth Local Offer, which will see the first phase, the launch of a revised Local Offer, completed
at the end of the autumn term 2018. Further phases of Local Offer development include:
 A communication strategy to ensure that families and professionals are aware of and use
the website
 A redesign of processes to ensure that schools and partners are able to remotely update
information on the Local Offer
 The development of the Local Offer as a strategic tool for the review and development of
provision. This will be achieved through updating the mainstream guidance document
which will set out core standards for provision across all phases of education as well as
developing a guide for SENCOs which will detail key local and national policies and
legislation.
All schools in Plymouth have produced an SEN Information report, as per statutory duties within
the Children and Families Act 2014. Each SEN Information report is reviewed annually as part of
the LA SEN Audit of schools. Key advice and support on working with parents; for example a
good practice model of reviewing the school’s SEN Information report has been shared with all
schools through a range of key communications.
Ongoing work streams will continue into the next review on further guidance and core
expectations in SEND support and provision for all schools. Appropriate contacts need to be
established within health and care in order to ensure the sustainability of the information offer.
Priority 3 Joint Commissioning
There has been an ambitious programme to recommission children’s community health services by
NEW Devon CCG. This has been aligned to Plymouth’s Integrated Commissioning Plan for
Children and Young People which sets out the intention to achieve an integrated approach for
community health, wellbeing and SEND support. There have been a number of key milestones
achieved to date which are relevant to this review:
 special school nurses at Cann Bridge School Mill Ford School and Woodlands School have
transferred from the school line management to the Children’s Community Nursing
Service (University Plymouth Hospital NHS Trust) who now deliver clinical oversight , line
management and continuous professional development.
 There has been ongoing work to improve the local CAMHS offer. This has included the
emotional health and wellbeing project co-commissioned with secondary schools, an
evaluation of which is being reported to schools forum.
 Livewell South West deliver the Speech and Language therapy offer in Plymouth and work
is underway to develop an integrated offer across Schools and agencies to maximise
resources.
 Joint Funding arrangements continue to work well for the placement of young people with
complex needs.
 Schools Forum have undertaken a robust monitoring programme to review the use of High
Needs Block funding.
There are plans in place across the wider area of Plymouth, Devon and Torbay (STP for Devon) to
improve access to communication services (including speech and language). The outcome of this
work will assist schools in accessing more timely and appropriate support or services for their
pupils.
The LA, and partners will need to continue to develop a comprehensive offer across the services,
clearly illustrated within the Local Offer. Joint Commissioning will continue as a theme running
through the next review.
Priority 4 Sharing Knowledge
a) Principles of good practice are shared widely

Plymouth’s Dyslexia Guidance has been updated and is due for launch in March 2019. This new
version of the Guidance has been formulated through a group of professionals and families.
Since 2014, an agreed ‘SEND Pathway of Support’ has become the recognised ‘picture’ of SEND
provision for the LA, schools and partners.
Fig 3: SEND Pathway for support
Statutory
Multi- Statutory
Single- Early SEND Education,
Team Agency Education,
agency request for Health and
Around Me Support Health and
response involvement Care
Plan Care Plan
Assessment
This pathway has continued to be developed and refined to demonstrate the partnership working,
across Education and Health, which has evolved through work undertaken within the review
process; a revised version of the pathway can be found within the emerging themes section of this
review.
It should be noted that the pathway should be seen within a cyclical model of assess, plan, do,
review, and not a completely linear model.
b) Joint working and sharing of expertise between specialist support centres,

special schools and mainstream schools is in place.
Outreach provided by Special Schools has now been formalised, with five of the seven special
schools having formed the ’Quay Partnership’ in 2016, and the other two special schools each
providing a specified, agreed model of support to mainstream schools.
LA SEND Audit findings inform planning of support to schools and settings. This includes examples
of good practice.
c) Targeted outreach services are matched to pupil need and deployed effectively
across the city
LA advisory teams map need and capacity of schools to ensure LA outreach support services
match to need.
LA teams meet regularly to ensure their targeted outreach services match school and pupil need.
Teams utilise qualitative and quantitative data to map need and prioritise deployment across the
city.
This will link with a review and potential development of a model to facilitate joint working
between special schools, Local Authority outreach services and mainstream schools using a
blended approach through the SEND Hub and other city school improvement mechanisms.
Priority 5 Post-16 (14 – 25) SEND education provision
a) A supported, phased transition process into post-16 education, employment

and training is in place for those pupils in special schools
Students in Years 10 and 11 are able to access appropriate courses for Life skills and
employability skills.
A post-16 task and finish group have developed a pathway plan for young people with complex
needs who are transitioning from special schools into post-16 education. The majority of young
people with SEND complete a successful transition to City College Plymouth, our main local
partner; however, some require a more supported offer to a more specialist provider, or a more
specialist offer in a mainstream provider. In response to this, two pathways are being developed:
 The vocational pathway: this strand of work is focussed on understanding the needs of
young people for whom employment is considered to be their key outcome.
 The complex disability pathway: this strand of work is focused on the group of young
people who will require a programme delivered jointly by education and social care as a
result of their multiple and complex disabilities.
Key themes to be explored by the group include links with employers, programme of study cost
and value for money, transition processes and shaping future provision.
This work has also revealed the need to update the Plymouth Transition Framework so that it
covers children and young people from 0-25. Feedback from providers highlights communication
between school and Post 16 provider can be a significant barrier to ensuring that students receive
the appropriate, funded support to enable them to complete the first terms of a programme of
study successfully. This work will be completed through the pathways task and finish group.
A number of young people have been able to access a bespoke transition programme as a result of
their complex needs. This has included a phased transition into a post-16 provider where the
young person has spent increasing amounts of time in the new provision. It is important that this
type of bespoke transition is recognised in the 0-25 transition guidance, but due to its
individualistic nature it is not possible to set out a particular pathway.
Provision for 19-25 young people with complex disabilities is being explored through the post-16
pathways task and finish group.
Priority 6 Admissions Processes
a) Transition procedures are embedded into the Annual Review processes so that
provision is matched to pupil need.
Transition procedures form a key part of Annual Review processes.

The Local Area SEND Inspection noted that, ‘Children’s transition into school is improving noticeably
with better preparation, appropriate additional support and records that give a detailed picture of the
family context, family issues and children’s needs.’ [Ofsted/ CQC 2016]
However, there needs to be a renewed focus, as part of the annual review process, on supported
phased transition from support centres and from special school back into mainstream where
appropriate. There is still an unwritten assumption by some parents, and professionals, that a place
at a special school is a final destination rather than part of a pupil’s educational journey.
SEND Admissions Guidance has been created in response to feedback from SEN Audits. The
Guidance clarifies the law and provides a basis for schools to consider the reasonable adjustments
that should be made both with and without an EHC plan.
A task and finish group, with representation from health and school colleagues and focused on all
elements of the Annual Reviews process, began in 2018 and will continue into the next review.
b) The protocol for commissioning places in special schools includes an

arrangement for reviewing the number of commissioned places on an annual
basis
Task and Finish groups have been held to review current transition processes and documentation
across Early Years Foundation Stage/ Key Stage 1, Key Stages 2/ 3, and 14 to 25. This remains a
key theme for the next review period, in particular for early years and KS3 to 4. A suite of
documents, such as Reduced Timetable guidance, Admissions policies, and Specialist provision
visits protocol is being launched.
7. EMERGING THEMES
As a result of the comprehensive review to date, a range of themes have emerged to inform the
next period of commissioning: 2018-2021
The themes remain committed to the original SEND Framework for educational provision’s key
principles:
 to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families
 to involve and engage children and young people with SEND and their families
 to ensure the highest possible quality of provision and services through effective procurement
and joint commissioning arrangements
The themes comprise:
 Parent/ carer and CYP confidence and engagement
 Local Offer
 Data management
 Partnership working and effective communication
 The quality of Education, Health and Care plans
 Early Years
 Specialist provision
 High quality teaching and SEN support provision
 SEND funding
 Social, emotional and mental health
 Preparing for adulthood
The main elements of each theme, comprising key outcomes with commentary, are described
below and will be used to inform the implementation plan (see Appendix 3). The themes form key
strands throughout the implementation plan work streams and actions and also inform key links
with other strands of the SEND Strategy.
1. PARENT / CARER AND CYP CONFIDENCE

Parents and CYP are part of city-wide SEND decision-making.
It is important that parents and CYP are fully included and feel part of city-wide SEND decision-
making, agreed actions and messages, thus any planning from this review must be co-produced
with families and young people.
We need to continue to build positive parental trust in mainstream provision and to ensure
parents are clear on the support that their child will receive in their school / setting.
We need to continue to develop skills in person-centred planning and constructing
outcomes as key ways to support settings across all phases to meet the needs of children
and young people with SEND.
The development of the Local Offer increases visibility for parents about what their schools
should be offering.
The new ACCESS process has the voice of the child and/or YP at the centre of any outcomes-
based planning and subsequent requests through ACCESS for additional support.
The SEN Audit process has highlighted the development of skills in person-centred planning and
constructing outcomes as key ways to support settings across all phases to meet the needs of
children and young people with SEND.
This theme will form a key strand throughout the implementation plan work streams and
actions.
2. LOCAL OFFER
Families and young people are able to access accurate SEND information across all
phases of education, health and care.
The Local Offer should publish the continuum of offer from mainstream schools through to
special schools and should be used as a strategic tool for the review and development of
provision.
Services across the local area reflect the needs of families and young people.
It should include a revised version of the mainstream guidance document, which will set out core
standards for provision across all phases of education as well as developing a guide for SENCOs
detailing key local and national policies and legislation.
Schools, professionals and partner organisations engage with the local offer.
There will need to be a communication strategy included, to ensure that families and
professionals are aware of and use the Local Offer website
We need to plan a redesign of processes to ensure that schools and partners are able to
remotely update information on the Local Offer.
Appropriate contacts need to be established within health and care in order to ensure the
sustainability of the information offer.
3. DATA MANAGEMENT
A review of existing data establishes gaps in information required for planning.

A key challenge continues in evidencing improved outcomes for both individual and groups of
children within this SEND Review work.
Systematic processes for measuring impact and outcomes need to be in place, at both individual
child and schools and settings levels, to inform accuracy of commissioning of SEND support
services.
Work is being undertaken to develop a SEND dashboard at the STP level. This is being
completed in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children. The project is in the planning
phase but the dashboard will be operational within 12 months and will contribute to strategic
planning for SEND services.
A mechanism is established to understand the performance of CYP with SEND
Effective use should be made of pupil achievement data to recognise improved academic
outcomes and inform LA actions and planning.
The planned ‘aspects of engagement’ assessment, as announced by DfE November 2018, will help
provide a framework for measuring outcomes for those pupils with complex needs.
An annual time frame is established for analysing data, aligned with 0-25 statutory
team panel information to inform future planning
A clear understanding of data sources and timeframe needs to be developed; LA SEND officers
should link regularly with LA data officers as data sources emerge, and use these data to identify
trends and inform planning. All data the LA use to inform place planning need to be accurate
and updated regularly in line with LA processes, including admissions, statutory panel referrals,
outreach team intelligence updates and school ‘health checks’.
The effective use of EY data informs LA planning and ensures sufficiency.
All EY data should be recorded and collated appropriately to ensure effective interrogation and
place planning.
Education and health colleagues meet to gather pre-school development stage data.
Commissioners should plan for, and ensure, that provision is made for the sharing of relevant
birth and early developmental health data.
School-returned CENSUS data is accurate and is used to inform planning.
SEND census data are now collated and analysed on an annual basis in order to provide a
coherent picture of city-wide trends of pupil data at SEN Support and with an EHC plan. These
data are used as part of the contextual information for SEN audits and to inform SEND Service
planning.
Anomalies in the primary schools census returns require further reviewing through discussions
with some schools.
All data is analysed to ensure provision is matched to future needs
SEND data will be used to inform Phase 3 of the special school designation review, as it will
enable us, as a local area, to understand the number of special school places required for a given
need in the medium and long terms. This, in turn, will allow work with Head teachers to ensure
that provision matches need.
4.PARTNERSHIP WORKING and EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Effective working with the SEND Hub informs an improvement in outcomes for
pupils with SEND
Effective partnership working should underpin all work within the SEND Review.
All stakeholders must be represented in all Task & Finish groups and work streams.
Consideration should be given to the co-location of some multi-agency posts in special schools
to support the continued development of integrated working. This will link with a review and
potential development of a model to facilitate joint working between special schools, Local
Authority outreach services and mainstream schools using a blended approach through the
SEND Hub and other city school-improvement mechanisms.
Alignment of SEND team plans/ processes / data and communication systems is in
place.
Effective communication systems should be in place to ensure consistency of key messages
across all stakeholders.
Priorities of the SEND Strategy need to inform all SEND Team work plans in order to monitor
the impact of work in achieving improved outcomes for children.
Specific SEND issues should be included within regular systems of communication to Head
teachers, MAT CEOs and other partners.
Key partnership working across Education, health and Social care is in place
The priorities of the SEND Strategy need to inform all SEND team work plans. These plans
should be shared and regularly reviewed.
5.THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLANS
National key performance indicators are met for the production of EHC plans.
Evidence from Local Area Inspection evaluative letters indicates that the quality of plans in the
majority of areas inspected do not reach the required standard. There is a need to embed
outcomes-based local planning into robust panel and decision-making processes and review
matching panel processes to understand integrity of decision making.
Local key performance indicators for the quality of plans are established and met.
It is proposed that the quality of Plymouth EHC plans is reviewed to establish the quality of
advice, the quality of outcomes recorded on the plan and the allocation of needs. In conjunction
with this review, the experience of the family and young person should be fully evaluated; a key
element of this would be co-production.
Education health and care plans are quality assured through a robust process.
A quality assurance process is key, to include the analysis and review of EHC plan Annual Review
paperwork and to ensure promotion of robust decisions regarding appropriateness of each
pupils’ placement on a regular basis.
Feedback from families and professionals has indicated a need to revise the format of EHC plans
so that needs of children and young people are no longer recorded in a hierarchy. This is not
seen as reflective of the complexity and overlapping nature of needs.
Engagement in the annual review cycle ensures children and young people make
progress towards outcomes
There is a need to establish a robust system of reporting and monitoring whether, and how,
Children and Young People engage in the review cycle and achieve the outcomes in their EHCP.
Embed outcomes-based local planning into robust panel and decision-making processes
Review matching panel processes to understand integrity of decision making.
Good quality SEND advice and information is available to families.
The promotion of updated policies around admissions of SEND pupils and exclusions, part-time
timetables and Children Missing Education ‘suite’ of policies and protocols for consideration of
specialist provision will be key.
A ‘Preparing for Adulthood’ EHC plan format should be developed with a specific focus on the
PfA outcomes: employment, independent living, good health and friends relationships and
community.
6. EARLY YEARS
Improved outcomes for EY children

It is important to review and monitor the support children receive in the EY so that the best
outcomes are achieved in all areas of development.
We need to develop systems to ensure the effective use of data by settings to inform planning.
Development of quality universal SEND practice at Early Excellence settings
We need to promote and develop an EY Centre of Excellence to improve universal practice in
settings.
Outreach to EY parents should be reviewed and developed, through EY settings’ peer support.
A rolling programme of SEN audit for settings and child minders is developed
Support is needed to develop an identification model for SEND, including a review of practice in
early years’ (EY) settings to understand identification practices and patterns in emerging need.
Consideration should be given to whether it would be beneficial to develop a 3 year rolling
programme of SEN audits for settings and child minders to review policy and procedure and to
provide an opportunity to discuss identification.
An efficient multi-agency model of EY training and support is in place.
There is a need to ensure that the training and support for EY settings is effective in supporting
settings to identify children with likely SEND and improve their outcomes.
Identifying need is a key factor as is decision-making processes around how to decide what
would be the most appropriate support required to meet the need. A consultation model, where
settings have access to EYAT (SEND) and EYATs if needed to gain early support for their
practice potentially before SEN Support, would facilitate this.
7. SPECIALIST PROVISION
Children and young people attending specialist provision (support centres, special
schools, AP) have improved outcomes and achievement.
Moderation opportunities with special schools, support centres and APs should be further
developed so that progress data across the city can be better understood.
Destination data should continue to be analysed to inform post-16 planning.
The sufficiency and type of support centre place in mainstream schools reflects
need.
There is a need to develop the criteria/description for entry into specialist provision in
mainstream schools.
Scope to explore further the support centre model remains, including evaluating the sufficiency
and type of support centre place in mainstream schools.
Reflecting the ongoing debate with schools, we need to consider how we understand which
children get the benefits of support centres and which do not.
LA and Health colleagues develop an integrated offer for children and young people
with speech and language needs.
Development of a S&L pathway of support working with S& L, health, the Centre of Excellence
and Language support centre, based on outcomes-based planning is needed.
Alongside this, we need to consider the support centre models across the city. Does one
model fit each of the areas of need for which we have support centres? Discussions should be
held in particular regarding secondary support centre provision for secondary pupils with
Autism.
Special school designations reflect data analysis of need.
A detailed review of the special school cohort is to be carried out in order to understand the
‘as is’ picture, including a consideration of designations. This is to be in phases:
Phase 1 (2018 – 19): Change designations of special schools to a complex needs definition.
Phase 2 (2019 – 2021): Establish work streams to understand patterns of need in the medium
and long terms.
Phase 3 (2021 – 2022): Carry out a detailed review of special school designations.
Sufficiency of places is ensured in order to meet need.
A systematic record of pupils placed in schools outside of designations should be reviewed and
maintained so that future decisions can be taken in light of impact on the special school estate as
a whole.
We need to review processes by which pupils are matched to special schools in order to ensure
that placement is accurately matched to need; from this, criteria can be developed for placing
pupils outside of school designations.
Ensure that every 3 years we will consider whether changes to special schools mean we need to
do a school organisation consultation on PAN or designation.
The commissioning of alternative provision meets current and projected need.
Consideration needs to be given to providing dual placements where appropriate for children
with a combination of SEND and SEMH
Key points raised in the inquiry into Alternative Provision in September 2017, the July 2018
the Education Select Committee report and the Government’s response in October 2018 should
be considered when reviewing planning for this.
Fig
8. HIGH QUALITY TEACHING & SEN SUPPORT PROVISION
Schools demonstrate effective HQT and SEN Support provision.
Development of Mainstream Guidance for schools around each of the SEND Code of Practice
2015 four broad areas of need, which will continue as a priority into the next review.
Consideration should be given to whether there is benefit to re-introducing a revised Inclusion
kite mark to celebrate exemplary inclusive practice of schools and settings.
The use of SEND Audits should continue to be reviewed and developed to inform planning and
support improvement in school SEND practice, including consideration of inclusion of
monitoring school and setting use of resources Band 2+ and evidence of the use of mainstream
guidance.
We need to include SEN Support, identified in Ofsted’s one year on report as a priority, within
LA planning or improving outcomes including supporting effective measuring of the impact of
interventions.
A review of whether Outcomes-based planning is embedded across the city, alongside the
promotion of the understanding of effective PCP / pupil voice principles.
There is also a need to promote DfE and LA policies to support schools’ ability to hold pupils;
and to promote effective accessibility planning.
A revised SEND pathway of support demonstrates and informs the multi- agency
provision for CYP
The promotion of the enhanced SEND Pathway to capture wider holistic picture of early help
and the integration of Community health and wellbeing in SEND is also key.
A cyclical model of ‘assess, plan, do, review’ is promoted and utilised within the
SEND pathway
There is also a key need to continue to promote the pathway as a cyclical model of ‘assess, plan,
do, review’, and not a completely linear model leading to Statutory assessment as a matter of
course (see figure 4)
3
Figure 4: Revised SEND Pathway for
support
9. SEND FUNDING
Effective, efficient and transparent use of SEND funding is in place.
There is a need to continue to review how SEND funding is used. This should take account of
both schools funding and the High Needs Block. The outcome of this work is to ensure
effective, efficient and transparent use of SEND funding.
We need to promote understanding and effective use of SEN EY inclusion funding to all relevant
stakeholders and partners.
There is also a need to maintain an awareness of the potential use of the education element of any
assigned personal budget.
10. SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

CYP with emotional and mental health needs (often resulting in school avoidance)
are effectively identified at an early stage and a good practice framework for
support is established.
The LA should have an SEMH offer linked to schools, following research findings from the recent
DfE report, ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools’ [DfE October 2018]
We need to consider how we can quality assure and provide good quality information for
children, families and frontline professionals, such as SENCOs. We need to ensure the
promotion of a whole school approach to supporting pupils with SEMH, using opportunities such
as SENCO and Headteacher briefings.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s) are recognised and responded to through
the development of Attachment Aware policy guidance and training for
schools/settings.
A training and development programme around SEMH could be established in conjunction with
the Teaching School. The programme could include an opportunity for teaching staff exchanges
between special and mainstream schools.
This could be closely linked to ELSA training and provision, to include consideration of SENCO
Supervision for ELSA-trained TAs in primary schools and the development of supervision
support for secondary SENCOs. This supports a model of proactively providing teachers with
skills to support their own pupils within school.
Ensure a strong link with the Early Help and Targeted Support Offer in order that
parent/carers of children with SEMH can access support and training in meeting
their young people’s outcomes
There is a need to review policy and practice on meeting these children’s needs, based on a
multi-agency consultation, to promote a consistency of approach rather than making ad hoc
decisions. A key area here taking this forward will be working with school and families of pupils
with SEMH as many of these challenges occur across both family and school systems. Moving this
forward requires a multi-agency approach and joint work with CAMHS ASC specialists and
professionals trained in family support/intervention.
The development of best practice guidance on supporting students with emotionally based
school non-attendance can be revised and launched.
11. PREPARING FOR ADULTHOOD

Outcomes and activities stemming from this area of development are recorded in a separate
Preparing for Adulthood implementation plan (a strand of the SEND Strategy). The main
coordinating mechanism will be through 14-25 year Core Group, and key themes include links
with employers, programme of study cost and value for money, transition processes and shaping
future provision.
However, the following themes have emerged through this review:

Accurate information, advice and guidance is available to families and young people.
The preparing for adulthood section of the local offer needs to be developed in partnership with
health and care.
Outcomes for young people moving into adulthood are captured accurately in EHC
plans.
The post 16 EHC plan format requires review along with a specific focus on the quality of
outcomes.
Vocational and complex needs pathways are developed for young people leaving
special school.
Post16 and 19-25 year old complex disability needs and vocational pathways should be
developed in partnership with special schools.
Provision and planning meet the needs of young people.

Statutory processes need to reach down and influence school processes from Year 9 onwards.
This has implications for processes for SEN Support and EHC plan stages of the Code of
practice. It will involve the establishment of a stepped framework for multi-agency assessment,
review and placement planning. A major influence will be the understanding that the young
person will play a pivotal role in their own planning through person centred approached and
strategies to support and establish capacity for involvement.
The transition of the Post 16 Provider Briefing to become the 14-25 Network should be
completed. The network approach should have a specific focus on developing pathways into
employment, understanding and developing the construction of ‘good outcomes’ and working
jointly with health and care.
5. NEXT STEPS
The mechanism for taking this review forward will be the Implementation Plan (see Appendix 3).
The outcome-based implementation plan outlines the key success criteria within each of the 11
identified themes.
Each theme will inform a work stream to be carried out across the three years of the SEND
Review period with a range of actions which will be described within an independent Theme
Action Plan.
Each action plan will link across to, and inform, other strands of the SEND Strategy.

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Document 2

SEND REVIEW AND FRAMEWORK FOR

December 2018 (Final Draft 31/12/18)

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY page 3

2. LEGISLATION AND INTERDEPENDENCIES page 3

3. NEEDS ANALYSIS page 4

4. REVIEW OF PRIORITIES from 2015 – 18 SEND Review page 6

5. EMERGING THEMES page 16

6. NEXT STEPS page 24

Appendix 1 SEND profile Data

Appendix 2 SEND Benchmarking summary

Appendix 3 SEND Review of Education Provision Implementation Plan

2. LEGISLATION AND INTERDEPENDENCIES

Plymouth Strategy for SEND

 Children and Families Act (2015)

 identify emerging themes

 planning the type of provision needed

SEND Pupil Achievement data

4. REVIEW OF 2015 -2018 PRIORITIES AND OUTCOMES

Priority 1 SEND provision

Priority 4 Sharing Knowledge

Priority 6 Admissions Processes

Priority 1 SEND PROVISION

Figure 2: Graduated Response to Need

High Quality Targeted SEN Support

b) All settings are able to access a comprehensive professional development offer.

e) Support Centre monitoring framework is agreed and implemented.

g) Vulnerable pupils with MLD/SEMH/ASC are able to access their education in

h) A satellite provision with a local mainstream to further inclusion opportunities

Priority 2 Parental Confidence

There is increased parental confidence in schools’ and support services’ ability to

Priority 3 Joint Commissioning

Priority 4 Sharing Knowledge

a) Principles of good practice are shared widely

Fig 3: SEND Pathway for support

b) Joint working and sharing of expertise between specialist support centres,

Priority 5 Post-16 (14 – 25) SEND education provision

a) A supported, phased transition process into post-16 education, employment

Priority 6 Admissions Processes

Transition procedures form a key part of Annual Review processes.

b) The protocol for commissioning places in special schools includes an

1. PARENT / CARER AND CYP CONFIDENCE

A review of existing data establishes gaps in information required for planning.

4.PARTNERSHIP WORKING and EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

5.THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION, HEALTH AND CARE PLANS

Improved outcomes for EY children

10. SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

11. PREPARING FOR ADULTHOOD

However, the following themes have emerged through this review:

Provision and planning meet the needs of young people.

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