Reflections from Steve Crocker - 24 July 2024

Hello and welcome to my seventh blog as independent chair of the Oxfordshire SEND Strategic Improvement and Assurance Board (SIAB).

The board met once more on 24 July. 

Chair’s remarks

I began by introducing the meeting's purpose, which was a little different this time as it was a six-monthly Department for Education stocktake to assess progress and plans for next steps. I gave an overview of the roles of those attending, including those from the county council, Integrated Care Board, Department for Education and others. I outlined the meeting's agenda, which included a presentation from the local area partnership, a discussion on the current status and planning for future actions.

Progress update on the local area partnership

We had a number of speakers providing an update. From the county council we had Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Lisa Lyons, Director of Children’s Services and from NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), Dan Leveson, Place Director. 

Martin gave an overview of the county in which our SEND improvement work as a partnership sits within. He outlined Oxfordshire's significant population growth (at the last census 725,000) and increasing diversity, emphasising the importance of understanding these changes for future planning and development efforts. Martin outlined that we see real interest and change within the UK into Oxfordshire, but also in terms of welcoming colleagues from all over the world to come and call Oxfordshire their home and grow their families and prosper here. 

He also highlighted the challenges in connectivity and transport within Oxfordshire, especially in rural areas, stressing the need for improvement to better connect people and opportunities. He also highlighted the disparities across the county, including a massive difference in life expectancy, which must change and Oxfordshire can be the place.

Lisa and Dan moved us on to discuss the operational aspects and progress of the partnership delivery group and the importance of building relationships, co-production and the development of good governance structures and accountability. They highlighted achievements such as enhanced pathways, SENCO helpdesk, and special outreach work, and acknowledged the need for sustainable funding and engagement with schools. They also mentioned the introduction of a quality improvement framework for education, health and care plans and the ongoing efforts to improve the timeliness and quality of these plans. 

Lisa and Dan updated on the development of a data dashboard and business intelligence system for operational and quality assurance purposes. They highlighted the system's capability to provide real-time data and insights, which will significantly enhance the monitoring and reporting of progress across various workstreams. The system is in development across three stages. This initiative aims to improve clarity, granularity and automation of data dashboards, facilitating better decision-making and tracking of improvements. 

Both acknowledged this evidence of traction and change but for some families this work may not have had an individual impact yet. But we are working hard to find solutions that are better for parents, carers and children in Oxfordshire.

Next on the agenda was the partnership SEND improvement progress update. 

Local area progress update

Right support at the right time

We started with Kate Reynolds, Deputy Director of Education, at the county council, and Nathan Thomas, CEO Acer Trust. 

Kate and Nathan highlighted the success of over 30 enhanced pathways in supporting children, with some settings supporting up to 10 children. These pathways have been impactful and are seen as a solution for creating additional capacity within the system to support children locally. 

The SENCO helpdesk has been established and is being used well by both primary and secondary schools, providing schools with support and training to meet students' needs. We have also been delivering special outreach work. This includes both SEND and behaviour support, with positive feedback from schools. The model focuses on supporting schools to meet the needs of their students rather than removing the children from their settings. 

They updated on the professional development support in place for education professionals with a development toolkit and evaluation platform that are available to all schools to ensure quality first teaching and to evaluate their own SEND provision. We have also established an early years board and we are now working towards developing an early years strategy, with a focus on improving support for very young children. 

Work is also underway to create a banding framework for EHCPs and to set up an additional provision board, with a focus on ensuring fair and consistent support for children with SEND. 

They acknowledged the need for sustainable funding and engagement with schools to ensure the success of these initiatives. 

Right plan, right first time, every time 

Deborah Smit, Oxfordshire County Council’s Head of SEND, and Karen Fern, Designated Clinical Officer SEND 0 - 25, BOB ICB, discussed the main priorities around the quality and timeliness of education, health and care plans (EHCPs), highlighting the progress in achieving timeliness above the national average and focusing on improving the quality of plans. They emphasised the importance of having a shared understanding across the local area of what constitutes good quality plans and advice, the revision of the education advice template and the development of a quality improvement framework. 

They also mentioned the drafting of a forward plan for annual reviews to ensure timely and quality reviews for all children and young people. Additionally, they addressed the challenges of increasing volume in EHCP assessments and the need for robust data to monitor progress.

Right provision, right time, looking to independence

Chris Wright, Assistant Director, Partnership Development at BOB ICB and Emma Leaver, Service Director, Oxford Health provided an update on the ongoing efforts to improve mental health support, special education nursing, therapy services, and transition planning for children and young people with SEND.

They emphasised the importance of not solely relying on the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for emotional and mental well-being support, highlighting the long-standing arrangements with voluntary and community sector organisations. They also mentioned the co-production of the ‘Living Well With Neurodivergence’ offer, which includes a mix of online resources, peer support and professional sessions to help families while waiting for assessments with CAMHS.

The special school nursing and children’s integrated therapies offer has been reviewed to ensure it meets the increasing demand and complexity of presentations, aiming for sufficient support and clear pathways for new special schools.

They discussed plans for an aspirations day, specifically for children and young people with SEND, aiming to provide a more bespoke careers fair experience.

They also mentioned efforts to simplify data and make it more transparent, especially regarding neurodivergent assessment pathways, and the ongoing work to optimise specialist time for assessments and interventions.

Next on the agenda was Jules Francis-Sinclair, Chair of Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF).

OxPCF feedback

Jules reflected on several progress points. She underscored the progress made by the partnership and the ongoing challenges faced by families of children with SEND, alongside the need for continued collaborative efforts to address these issues.

Jules highlighted the increased inclusion and engagement of OxPCF across various improvement programmes, emphasising the importance of integrating parent carers' voices in planning and decision-making processes.

Jules commented that there's a marked improvement in the understanding of SEND issues among local area partnership colleagues, which is crucial for creating a supportive environment for families. The establishment of clearer governance structures and role definitions, along with more stable leadership, has been beneficial. And there are examples of good engagement with various services, showcasing the potential of collaborative work.

Despite progress, significant challenges remain, including communication issues with SEND teams, disparities in children's integrated therapy funding, and concerns around tribunals and the management of EHCPs.

OxPCF conducted a survey, identifying top issues for parent carers, which included wait times for CAMHS, inclusion and resourcing in mainstream schools and the quality of EHCPs.

Jules mentioned the need for a shared understanding of co-production, clarity on project goals, and the importance of addressing the use of outdated language, particularly around neurodivergence.

Schools feedback

Nathan Thomas gave an overview of schools feedback and progress, which included the views of Katie Geran-Haq, Headteacher of Windale Primary School who couldn’t make the meeting.

Significant progress in building relationships and collaborative connections between schools and the local authority was noted. The communication has improved, contributing to a more supportive environment for SEND children.

Schools engaging with enhanced pathways and outreach work have reported very positive feedback. These initiatives have led to substantial progress for individual children, with some parents preferring these local school pathways over special school placements.

Despite improvements, there are still frustrations, particularly around financial sustainability and certainty. Schools need more clarity on funding to plan effectively for SEND support.

There has been improvement in the communication and impact of SENCOs and SEND teams, but consistency across schools remains a challenge. As does the recruitment and retention of educational psychologists and other key staff that impact service delivery.

Young people’s feedback

Deborah Smit gave an update on the establishment of a youth forum to ensure the voices of young people are heard and integrated into strategic planning and service evaluation. 

The forum aims to change the system for better support, share stories and make a difference for future individuals navigating the system. It seeks to represent young people's feedback, ensuring their experiences, both positive and negative, are considered in decision-making.

Beyond providing feedback, the forum also serves as a space for young people to connect and contribute to meaningful change. Members plan to create a video to explain its purpose and encourage more young people to share their experiences and insights.

This initiative represents a significant step towards incorporating the perspectives of young people directly into the local area partnership's efforts to improve services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

Next on the agenda, we heard from Ian Smart, SEND Transformation Programme Director, who provided an update on our review of risks and mitigations.

Review of risk register and mitigations

Ian focused his update on the establishment of a comprehensive risk and issue management process across the transformation programme. The process includes identifying, evaluating and deciding on strategies to handle risks, such as avoiding, reducing, transferring, sharing, or accepting them.

A particular risk discussed was the challenge of ensuring that all children with SEND have a named worker who is fully trained and accountable. This objective is under review to determine if it's the best approach or if adjustments are needed. He acknowledged broader challenges such as financial constraints, policy inconsistencies and pressures on the school system, emphasising the need for collaborative solutions.

We then moved on to closing remarks.

Summary

Councillor Kate Gregory, Cabinet Member for SEND Improvement at the county council, highlighted several key achievements and ongoing efforts and commitments within the local area partnership to improve services and outcomes for children and young people with SEND. These included:

• Building relationships: Strengthening collaborative connections across stakeholders, including families, healthcare providers and schools.
• Leadership stability: Enhanced decision-making and guidance through stable leadership across the partnership.
• Cultural transformation: Prioritising adaptability and responsiveness to meet the needs of children and young people effectively.
• Co-production: Engaging families and young people in shaping services and support.
• Governance and multi-agency working: Updated structures and improved collaboration for streamlined processes and better outcomes.
• Challenging systems: Evaluating and reforming current systems and practices to meet needs comprehensively.
• Ownership of challenges: Collective acknowledgment and active addressing of challenges by all partnership members.

Martin Reeves concluded the meeting by highlighting the remaining challenges facing the local area partnership in improving services for children and young people with SEND. 

Martin acknowledged the significant financial constraints that continue to challenge the system, emphasising the need for collaborative solutions.

He highlighted the ongoing pressures on the school system, including funding and capacity issues and the need for more consistency in policy application and interpretation, both locally and from central government. 

There is a rise in EHCP applications and there’s a need for a proactive approach to manage this increase. There is also increasing demand for special school placements and a strain on resources. 

Martin discussed the challenges associated with the changing demographics in Oxfordshire, including growth and diversity and emphasised the importance of improving communication and co-production with families and young people.

He stressed the need for faster and more enduring changes to make a real difference in the lives of children and families.

Questions and answers

The discussion then opened up into a question and answer session. 

This included the importance of the youth forum and integrating youth voices into strategic planning and evaluating services. 

Challenges such as financial constraints and policy inconsistencies were acknowledged as was the importance of clear and consistent communication with all stakeholders, including families and schools. 

Efforts to enhance the local offer and increase parental confidence were also highlighted. The partnership is working on making the local offer more comprehensive and user-friendly, including providing guides and resources for parents.

The Department for Education will now provide a summary of where the partnership’s improvement journey is at following this stocktake, and will look at areas of development for the next review in January.

So that’s it from me for now, and I hope, as always, this is useful. We next meet as a board on 24 September 2024.

If you are a parent or carer and have any thoughts or comments, please share with OxPCF by emailing info@oxpcf.org.uk. If you are a partner, please do feedback through your organisation. You can find a list of the LAP member representatives on the board on the SEND improvement webpage. Also don’t forget to sign-up to receive the SEND e-newsletter if you’re not already receiving it. 

Until next time. 

Steve Crocker