UPDATE NO 299 27 April 2018

Data Benchmarking Group

The following restricted reports have been added to the website this week:

*         2017-18 Q3 Adoption Benchmarking Report v1.2 (Excel)

*         2017-18 Q3 Adoption Benchmarking Report v1.2 (PDF)

These reports contain unaudited data and are not publicly available – hence they appear on the restricted part of the website which is accessible by members of the Data Benchmarking Group. For more information contact Alastair Lee (deatils below) 

SEND 19 – Education Select Committee Call for Evidence

You may already know that the Education Select Committee has launched an inquiry into support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and is inviting written evidence. Full information, some background and how to submit evidence can be found here.

The Committee is inviting written evidence on the following by 14 June 2018.

For further information please contact Tracey Maytas (details below)

Terms of Reference – Call for written evidence

• Assessment of and support for children and young people with SEND
• The transition from statements of special educational needs and Learning Disability Assessments to Education, Health and Care Plans
• The level and distribution of funding for SEND provision
• The roles of and co-operation between education, health and social care sectors
• Provision for 19-25-year olds including support for independent living; transition to adult services; and access to education, apprenticeships and work

Please note that;

“In line with the general practice of select committees, the Education Committee resolved on 12 September 2017 to not investigate individual cases. The Committee understands that personal experiences will form an important part of many submissions, but requests that any written evidence directly addresses the terms of reference set out above.”

Consultation on 2018-19 DCS Peer Challenge Arrangements

The consultation on 2018-19 DCS Peer Challenge Arrangements is now closed. A report recommending arrangements will be considered by the SESLIP Steering Group on 11 May. The membership of this group is Stuart Gallimore (DCS East Sussex) (in the chair); Alison Jeffery (DCS Portsmouth); John Coughlan (CEx Hampshire); Cllr Gareth Barnard (Lead Memebr, Bracknell Forest); Mona Seghal (Improvement Adviser, LGA).

We are currently working on the precise shape, costings, staffing support, dates and other details of the programme. There is still time to influence our thinking and contributions should be channelled through Richard Tyndall/Anna Wright (contact details below) or Stuart Gallimore/Alison Jeffery (contact details here).

The outline of the proposal will be as follows:

Autumn 2018: all DCSs complete and share a self-assessment that will be compatible with the Ofsted Annual Conversation template and including Benchmarking Data supplied by the SESLIP Data Benchmarking Group

Late Autumn: Training and preparation session for all participants in the Peer Challenge sessions (date and venue to be announced). Also circulation of menu of choices improvement offer (from PiP programme; LGA; DfE; SESLIP and other regional improvement groups and elsewhere)

Jan/Feb 2019: whole day Peer Challenge sessions in groups of 3 or 4 (details of groupings to be announced)

March 2019: Regional Summit to celebrate what’s working well and to agree “even better if” improvement priorities and SESLI Programme for 2019-20

Save the Date – UASC Conference

Please save the date of Thursday 28 June for a conference hosted by Kent County Council on the topic of Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children. 

The focus of the conference is to share experiences and best practice with other Local Authorities regarding the work Kent have developed with our Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children and Young People – looking at social care, fostering, health, education, accommodation, initial assessments on arrival.

More details will follow in due course. In the meantime please contact Rachel Calver at Kent Virtual School for more details.

SE DCS Peer Challenge 2018

Planning is underway for 3 Director’s Peer Challenges in 2018. The confirmed participants and dates are in bold on the accompanying chart. 

For more details please go to the SE ADCS Peer Challenge page. Colleagues requiring a more detailed briefing should contact Anna Wright (details below).

The 2018 MoU is now available for particpants to download, sign and return. Thanks to Bracknell Forest and Brighton and Hove for returning a signed MoU.

Thanks to Paul Senior (DCS Wokingham) for joining Triad 2 to cover for West Berkshire while they change DCSs.

I now have a waiting list to join the team to visit Oxfordshire in July; thanks to colleagues from Brighton and Hove, Southampton, Bracknell Forest and Kent for volunteering (names to be confirmed in due course).