Agenda item

Presentation by Reena Bhogal-Welsh

To include an explanation on the Inclusion Hub, report attached.

The Director Education & Skills, Renna Bhogal-Welsh shared a presentation.

·       The report will be shared following the meeting and attached to the minutes. (Action: Clerk)

The presentation outlined the following:

a)       DSG update and High Needs Deficit – summary of the schemes including the Deficit Management Plan

i           Shared the mitigated and unmitigated position with regards the deficit

ii         Gave assurances that the mitigations identified have been verified and based on improving outcomes & experiences for children, young people and families of SEND.

iii       That the plan recognised the need to ensure financial sustainability to enable better outcomes

iv       The ask is for the whole system, to input to support the plan

v         Provided a review of the workstreams currently in operation

b)      SEND Improvement and Implementation FTE conversation.

i           Provided an update and explanation of the application of automation to the SEND administrative process 

c)       Belonging in SEND

i           Updated and provide clarity on the funds allocated to the programmes; explain how the £51k was to be used; that a summary report on the learning from the wide and varied projects would be shared with Forum.

d)      Inclusion Hubs

i           A report was shared in the papers for the meeting in response to the request from Forum for a fuller explanation on the operation of the Inclusion Hubs.

ii         Confirmed that the sums allocated to support the establish the hubs, was not new money but from funds available to the service.

iii       ALP will deliver the Inclusion Hub as a free resource for schools; Support will be provided to students at the point prior to them being at risk of permanent exclusion

iv       The proposal covered the period December 2023 to March 2024 and would impact 219 children

The following was noted from the discussion that arose:

e)      The Inclusion Hub project supported students and was not intended to replace top up funding.  The issue of non-statutory top up funding was subject to an ongoing consultation; the use of such funding evidenced that need was not being met in a sustainable way and the aspiration to create a sustainable model.

f)        Confirmed that all stakeholders were consulted, on the creation and implementation of Inclusion Hub, including Bristol Association for Secondary Heads and Principles and FAP Fair Access Panel (Action: RBW) Details of when Heads and/or SENCOs were briefed about the introduction of the Inclusion Hub and what opportunities were provided for input into the creation of the project.

g)       (Action: RBW) To provide contact details of the key project leaders, to be provided to Forum in the first instance and then disseminated out to settings & leaders.

h)      The Inclusion Hub pathway did not include early years needs; the future aspiration and vision is to widen service to include early intervention.

i)        Forum sought an explanation of the 15.47FTE capacity release amidst concerns that it would result in a loss to the workforce available to support the SEND Service.

j)        RBW gave assurances that the use of robotics would allow the service to utilise the skills of the workforce more appropriately.

Chair thanked the Director for the Report and Update.

Resolved to Note the Report