15th February 2018

• The government has told local authorities to carry out a strategic review of their educational provision for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This includes provision made by mainstream and specialist schools, nurseries and colleges, integrated resources, and specialist support services like Educational Psychology or the Autism Team.

  The intention is that this review will help local authorities prepare for the introduction of a new national “high needs” funding formula in the next (2018/19) academic year. High needs funding for Sheffield is expected to grow over the next two years. However, the government has capped the increase at 3% per year. This means that Sheffield will receive just 6% more over the next two years, when we would have received a 18% boost without the cap. See article in the Yorkshire Post

  To start off the review, the local authority asked a range of interested groups (parents, schools, professionals etc.) for their views. We submitted a summary of relevant feedback we had received from parents over the past two years. Download our report

  Please note: As this review is about educational provision, we did not include comments about other issues, like short breaks, childcare, leisure opportunities, disability benefits etc. (We do collate ALL of the feedback we get from parents, and we pass this on through the meetings we attend. Read more)

  The local authority has today (15th February 2018) published a summary of the feedback it has received from various stakeholders, and you can read it here.
  

  The next steps will be to map Sheffield’s current range of SEND provision, carry out a data analysis, and create a model that aims to address any gaps in provision.

  Have your say! To contribute to the strategic review, you can either contact us or email Cathie Tandy in the council’s Prevention and Early Intervention Team (Catherine.tandy@sheffield.gov.uk).