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Last updated: 29-11-2024. From web page: SEND Mainstream Funding Cluster Model.

Communication Update: Autumn term 2024-2025 Update (November 2024)

Updates on Coproduction period

The new timeline and key activities

At the end of the Summer Term of the 2023-2024 Academic Year, we suggested a new timeline for the SEND Mainstream Cluster Model proposal to facilitate more discussions and ideas around the proposal.

This included continued city-wide co-production throughout the Autumn Term of the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

Key activities that have taken place during this time have included:

  • Consultancy work with Amanda Talbot Jones, Education Consultant. This has included an opportunity for every education setting to provide either individual or group feedback, ideas and views on the proposal.
  • Two Task and Finish Groups have continued to support the development of this proposal. The groups are comprised of a range of professionals from education settings, the local authorities and other professional groups, including Educational Psychologists. Below is a brief outline of the remit of each group:
    • Operational Task and Finish Group – focus on logistics of locality cluster meetings, including the development of the referral process and documents, and reviewing process.
    • Strategic Task and Finish Group – focus on feedback from co-production and considerations for next stages of the proposal.
  • Continued co-production with parent/carers and young people on the proposal. Activities have included:
    • Continued communication and liaison with parent/carer groups, including the Southampton Parent/Carer Forum, Re:Minds and SENDIASS.
    • Attendance at Parent/Carer Forum event to discuss proposal with families.
    • Recorded Q+A session with Re:Minds and made available for families on their YouTube channel.
    • Parent/Carer and Young People video and FAQs added to the Local Offer information page.
  • Continued liaison and sharing of practice with other Local Authorities around the Cluster Model. This has included Local Authorities with established Cluster Model processes or those with a proposal in development.

Feedback from Education Professionals

Overview of collated information

Thank you for your contributions towards the coproduction through meetings and written correspondence with Amanda Talbot Jones throughout the Autumn term of the 2024-2025 Academic Year. Below is an overview of the information collated:

Primary

Secondary

Special

FE

Feedback from 81% (45/54) Primary Schools

Meetings:

  • 40 schools as individuals or groups

Written feedback:

  • 9 schools
  • However, planned meetings with 3 schools who have provided written feedback later in the term.
  • 1 school written feedback to be sent

No feedback:

  • 9 Schools

Feedback from 69% (9/13) Schools

Meetings:

  • 6 schools as individuals or as part of groups

Written feedback:

  • 1 school
  • 2 schools written feedback to be sent, however meetings planned for later in the term.

No feedback:

  • 2 schools

Feedback from 50% (3/6) schools

Meetings:

  • 3 schools as individuals or groups and
  • Attendance Special Heads Conference on December 6th

Feedback from 33% (3 Colleges)

Meetings:

  • 1 college as individual

No feedback:

  • 2 colleges

Summary Responses to Main Questions

 Key Question

Summary of response

Are you broadly in favour of the principle of the devolution of some of the High Needs Block funding to groups of schools for early intervention and prevention work?

 
  • 28% of schools in favour of devolving funding to support early intervention and prevention work. They could see the benefits and in particular, the opportunity to support a group of children not just individuals, sharing of good practice and building capacity, preventative work and early intervention before pupils transition to a different phase.
  • 49% of schools in favour of change but concerns about how the proposed model would work and sought further clarification about operational details. Concerns were particularly related to SENDCo capacity, equity of opportunity for acquiring funding, how funding would be allocated to clusters, concerns about funding levels for requests made and how this would be administered fairly and quality assurance.
  • 23% of schools did not agree that money should be devolved. The main reasons being that they considered the proposed approach could be potentially divisive between schools, that remaining with the current EHC process was appropriate, concerns that any model was financially driven and some were of the opinion that the money should just be allocated directly to all schools for them to make the decisions.

Which is your preferred model going forward (Geographical Cluster /Trust/Partnership model/neither) and why?

 
  • 23% schools went for the geographical model. These were mainly schools working in smaller partnerships and secondary schools.
  • 75% schools wanted a Trust/MAT/Partnership model. However, some partnerships could see the benefit of working within their partnership but with other schools added in eg additional feeder schools to the secondary.
  • 2% school did not feel able to make a decision based on the information available.

Clarification and changes

Clarification of High Need Block and funding model Cluster model

High needs funding supports provision for pupils and students with SEND who require additional resources to participate in education and learning, from their early years to age 25 in schools and colleges.

High needs funding is provided to local authorities through the high needs block of the Designated Schools grant (DSG), enabling them to meet their statutory duties under the Children and Families Act 2014

High needs block funding is delegated to the Local Authority who decide how to allocate the funds according to The School and Early Years Finance (England) Regulations 2023

The Mainstream Cluster Funding Programme is funded by increasing the part of the budget allocated to supporting children with EHCPs attending mainstream schools as early intervention in mainstream is a high priority.

Changes to the model proposal following coproduction

Thank you to all of the stakeholders who have contributed to the co-production period to date. Your input is valuable in ensuring that this proposal meets the needs of the city.

This feedback has been used to make some amendments to the model. Amendments we have agreed from feedback from the Autumn term include the following:

  • Temporary change to Lead SENCo role – following feedback there will be a temporary removal of the Lead SENCo role in the Locality Cluster meetings. Locality Leads will instead chair the meeting until the cluster collectively agree that they would like to reintroduce a Lead SENCo position.
  • Temporary change to EHCP provision decision in Locality Cluster meetings – provision for new EHCPs will not be decided in Locality Cluster meetings. This will be assigned through the current practice of the SEND Consideration and Complex needs panel. Locality Leads will then update each cluster at the beginning of the Locality Cluster meetings of any new EHCPs, the funding awarded and the impact on the Cluster’s funding. This will be in place until there is a city-wide decision of a change to this.
  • Spring term activity - following feedback a voluntary pilot will be in place in the Spring term of the 2024-2025 academic year in place of the city-wide pilot. Details are provided in the next section.

Next stages of the proposal

Voluntary pilot

Following feedback from the co-production, a voluntary pilot will be run in the Spring and Summer term of the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

Any mainstream education setting will be able to volunteer to be part of this pilot. This will give an opportunity to pilot the proposal on a smaller scale.

The pilot will be evaluated, with results shared with all stakeholders to support decision making for the next stages of the proposal.

Following the pilot a decision can be taken as to the viability of rolling the model out further.

Education settings that are part of the voluntary pilot will be placed in temporary cluster groups, with the aim of each group being 8-10 settings (depending on number of settings volunteering into the pilot). These cluster groupings will only be in place for the pilot of the proposal.

The time frame of the voluntary pilot and continued coproduction is outlined below:

Term

Voluntary Pilot Activities

Coproduction Activities for all stakeholders

Spring Term 2024-2025 Academic Year
  • 2 x Locality Cluster Meetings
  • Training on process, including referral forms
  • Opportunity to access peer solution-based discussions and advice/guidance from supporting professionals
  • No funding awarded but opportunity to moderate anonymous referrals
  • Anonymous questionnaires completed to support evaluation of pilot
  • Headteacher/Governors Steering Group to be established to support evaluation of pilot. Open to any Headteacher/Governor
  • Continued opportunity for individual setting or group coproduction meeting with consultant
  • Update of pilot at in person SIP/SCC SEND/Inclusion event on 19 March 2025
  • Continued coproduction with parent/carer and young people groups

Summer Term 2024-2025 Academic Year

 
  • 2 x Locality Cluster Meetings
  • Training on process, including referral forms
  • Opportunity to access peer solution-based discussions and advice/guidance from supporting professionals
  • Opportunity to access funding awarded through Locality Cluster process (for individual students, groups of students and project-based work)
  • Presentation of evaluation and feedback of pilot at city wide event
  • Headteacher/Governors Steering Group to continue to support evaluation of pilot. Open to any Headteacher/Governor
  • Continued opportunity for individual setting or group coproduction meeting with consultant
  • Update of pilot at online SENCo Hub meeting on 26th June
  • City wide professional event in Summer Term 2 to share evaluation of pilot and coproduction and decision on city wide approach for 2025-2026 Academic Year (Date TBC)
  • Continued coproduction with parent/carer and young people groups

Declaration of Interest and coproduction webpage

Declaration of Interest

To support with establishment of voluntary pilot, please could all education settings complete a short online form to outline their position on the voluntary pilot (link below).

This form will ask whether your setting wants to be part of the process or not (or if any further information is needed) and will identify your lead contact if you would like to be part of the model.

The deadline for settings to complete the online form will be close of business on Friday 13 December 2024. This will allow time to clarify any information that settings may require before the end of the term. It will also allow for the development of the pilot cluster groups and dates and times of meetings, ready in time to update settings at the start of the Spring Term.

Link for online form: https://forms.office.com/e/eRAgzDic8x.

Coproduction communication and information webpage

A reminder of the designated email address that has been established to support this proposal – HNFmodel@southampton.gov.uk

This email can be used by any stakeholder to support the coproduction period by asking questions or providing suggestions or feedback.

In addition, a remind of the update webpage on the Southampton City Council Local Offer. This is available for all stakeholders in the city to access. This webpage includes of the outline of the proposal, including the proposed structure, funding requests and quality assurance measures:

SEND Mainstream Funding Cluster Model (southampton.gov.uk)