This year’s DSG consultation is being undertaken in the context of major national reforms to the education system. In particular, the Government agenda is bringing substantial change to the approach to support for children with special educational needs and the funding of schools, colleges and early years settings. Some aspects of a reformed system have been confirmed but, to a large extent, the Government has published a partial vision for SEND and has consulted on a reasonably radical re-drawing of the roles and responsibilities across the sector and major changes to funding mechanisms, but has not yet confirmed the specifics. In other areas, such as early years, we think that, potentially, the Government should go further and be more radical given the reality of the finances in the sector. Therefore, this consultation takes place in the context of a complex landscape.
The direction of travel is clear and, potentially, very positive. The Government want to support mainstream inclusion and to put design of support and accountability closer to decision making, and to enable a system that can work better in the interests of children. But there is also huge complexity to the reform agenda and many unanswered questions creating uncertainty for all partners. When the full detail does emerge, it will create a huge amount of additional work to transition to a reformed system. Therefore, a key consideration is, perhaps, to try to manage the level of change we initiate locally to financial mechanisms when we know that the Government agenda will ramp up further over the next couple of years.
In Norfolk we have a hugely ambitious programme around SEND, early years, school sustainability and joint work with the post 16 sector, and a great many positive and maturing partnerships in place. But equally, we remain acutely aware of the sustained pressure across the education and inclusion system. Early years settings, mainstream schools and colleges continue to face significant financial challenges, with increasing demands on already constrained budgets and resources. Equally we continue to see the trends of falling pupil numbers, high levels of need in communities and sadly more children leaving mainstream schooling and requiring forms of alternative and specialist education.
In light of all of that context, it’s more important than ever that we have an informed conversation about how best to deploy the resources we do have in the County. If there are changes, we should consider locally that can support better outcomes for children and align to the Government agenda for a maximally inclusive education system then we should consider them, and the local authority is eager for as much engagement and input as possible from the sector in shaping those options. But equally, we are minded to support as much consistency and stability as possible for schools, settings and colleges as we navigate through reforms together. This paper therefore seeks to strike that balance and to invite views from all stakeholders on these crucial questions.