Special educational needs and disabilities school placement contract in Staffordshire set to save taxpayers £450k in first year
A contract to enable Staffordshire children with special educational needs to be educated closer to home will also save taxpayers £450,000 in the first year, a councillor has said.
Staffordshire Council is set to continue booking placements at The Haven School, which has sites in Stafford and Dunston, after cabinet members approved a new contract at their meeting on Wednesday, June 18.
Councillor Janet Higgins, cabinet member for education and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), speaking before the meeting, said: “If we were to buy these places for pupils on an individual basis instead, at today’s prices it would cost the council around £18,000 more per child per year.
"This contract secures a fixed price for the next four years in the face of rising costs and provides an immediate saving of around £450,000 in the first year.”
The number of children and young people in Staffordshire with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) has increased by 15 per cent in 14 months.
As of March there were 8,604 with EHCPs, which are legal documents detailing a young person’s educational, health and social needs, as well as the additional support they require, and the county council must make provision available to meet their needs.
Councillor Higgins said at Wednesday’s meeting: “We continue to meet the rise in demand to provide the best possible support for children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) by commissioning good quality education in Staffordshire.
"Not only does this contract provide part of that specialist provision necessary to educate children and young people, it also offers taxpayers value for money and complements our commitment to educate children as close to their home as possible.
“Agreement is sought to continue to secure 25 full time equivalent day placements at The Haven School Ltd, an Ofsted-registered independent special school which has been approved by the Secretary of State.
"Since The Haven School opened in 2016, Staffordshire County Council has secured placements at the school, and a direct award block commission with The Haven School Ltd was established in 2018 and 2021.
“The most recent contract term approved by Cabinet covered the period 1st September 2021 to 31st August 2023, with the option for two one-year extensions up to 31st August 2025 which has been utilised.
"A further direct award and contractual period with The Haven School Limited is being requested.
“This will ensure the council has appropriate and equitable education provision to meet the social, emotional and mental health needs of young people aged 11-19 with Education, Health and Care Plans.”
SEND provision has been an ongoing challenge for Staffordshire County Council in recent years, as the authority deals with rising demand and costs.
An inspection of Staffordshire’s SEND provision carried out in 2018 by the Care Quality Commission and Ofsted found a number of areas that needed improvement and the county council has been working to address issues and make improvements.
The council’s new Reform UK administration, which came to power after last month’s elections, has pledged to make SEND a top priority.
It has also spoken out about underfunding from central Government and the need for national reform of the system.
Council leader Ian Cooper said at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting: “I got a letter from (Deputy Prime Minister) Angela Rayner this week spelling out the funding of SEND, that the Government was planning to kick this into the long grass until the autumn when there’s a White Paper.
"We don’t know what the outturn is until spring next year.
“It’s very challenging to have policies from central Government imposed on local authorities and then not give them the resources to do this, and expect local people to pick up the slack in effect.
"If it’s a central Government policy, my view is it should be funded fully via central Government.”
