A journey to a journey – transformation of Home to School Travel
A journey to a journey – transformation of Home to School
Widening the lens through which our clients begin to tackle the challenge.
This article appears on page 13 of today’s MJ (print edition and ebook)
The crisis facing the High Needs system – which supports children with SEND and those at risk of exclusion – has not gone away, despite the recent drop in demand for Education, Health and Care Plans as a result of so many children being out of school. With schools set to reopen to all year groups in September, many are predicting a surge in demand for statutory support for children with additional needs, including a potential spike in exclusions.
There are clearly challenges ahead. But the pandemic has also provided a window of opportunity to evaluate and reset what local High Needs systems are trying to achieve and how they go about that. Whilst funding levels continues to be a contentious issue, a key part of the challenge facing High Needs is the fact that the High Needs system – like all public service systems – is complex. There are multiple organisations and individuals involved, but they usually lack a shared and inclusive ambition for delivering the best outcomes.
A key reason for this is that individual accountabilities often conflict with the overall outcomes the system is trying to achieve – and critically, these ‘system ambitions’ have never been clearly defined or agreed by all of those involved.
To help address this challenge, over recent months IMPOWER convened two roundtable events to bring together a range of people working across the High Needs system. One of the outcomes is a list of ambitions for SEND that a local system can discuss together and agree to. The aim of publishing these ambitions is to encourage and inspire local areas to build a sense of shared ownership in relation to High Needs.
Adopting these ambitions would improve outcomes, clarify the level of need, increase confidence in the system and reset spending. None of that is easy – but the first step is to bring people and organisations together around a shared ambition to agree how to deliver the best possible outcomes for children with additional needs.
I will conclude with the words of Dame Christine Lenehan (Director, Council for Disabled Children at the National Children’s Bureau), one of the roundtable participants. “Where SEND inspections have resulted in positive judgements, a common feature is an agreed shared vision for what the local partnership was trying to achieve for children with additional needs. I urge local areas to discuss these ambitions with the aim of getting buy-in from all stakeholders”.
10 system ambitions to drive effective support in High Needs
Overarching inclusive ambition: All children and young people with additional needs are valued and their outcomes important. All parts of the system recognise this and work together to ensure they reach their maximum potential, so that they lead as independent and fulfilling adult lives as possible.
ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS