Plans to transform Special Educational Needs provision in Cornwall have been approved by the council’s Cabinet Committee.
The SEND Transformation Action Plan has been in development since last summer, and now comes after an inspection by Ofsted earlier this year, which reported that the council’s current work can ‘lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND’.
The plan highlights areas where current policy works well, so that those successes can be built on as well as setting out the steps required to tackle areas for improvement and deliver on our outcome of making Cornwall ‘a brilliant place to be a child and grow up’.
During today’s meeting, which took place at County Hall in Truro, the Cabinet also discussed the results of a recent Peer Challenge led by the Local Government Association.
The findings, which were broadly positive, included the Peer team stating that it was particularly notable that one of the Council’s four priority outcomes focuses on the rights of the child and they felt that the Council has “a stronger commitment and structural foundations than many local authorities”.
The Peer team also recommended several areas for potential improvement, including reviewing the authority’s strategic HR function and building better relationships with partner agencies within our communities. The Cabinet unanimously approved the proposed actions to respond to the findings of the Peer Challenge.
Also on the agenda was the final performance report for the final quarter of 2022/23, which showed that the authority ended the financial year with an £800,000 underspend against budget, with more than £54 million in savings delivered.
The final item on the agenda was the transfer of a number of assets from Cornwall Council to St Ives Town Council, delivered as part of the council’s ongoing commitment to devolution.
Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Linda Taylor, leader of the council, said: “Our determination to create a greener, fairer Cornwall, where everyone can start well, live well and age well is undiminished, and I am delighted with the progress we are making, as highlighted in today’s meeting.
“As a listening council, we have taken on board the report from Ofsted, and have taken immediate action to ensure we are supporting the educational needs of those most in need in our communities.
“We have also listened to the findings of the Peer Challenge from the Local Government Association, and again have put the steps in place to address the areas they highlighted as needing attention.
“However, I am most pleased by the performance report for the end of the last financial year, which highlights the hard work we are undertaking to deliver for our residents, while balancing our books and ensuring we get the best possible value for money for the taxpayers.”
Published 14 June, 2023