SEND and Inclusion Transformation

May 2024

A letter from Dan Barton, Deputy Director (Learning) at Leeds City Council regarding the next stage in the improvement of our SEND services.

The demand for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) assessments has risen sharply in recent years, especially after Covid-19, leading to longer waiting times. To address this, we’re focusing on both short-term and long-term improvements as part of the SEND and Inclusion Transformation Programme.

In the short term, we’ve brought in 25 additional educational psychologists to help process more assessments each month. At the same time, we’re introducing new technology to reduce manual tasks, automate workflows, and improve case management. This will make the process faster and more efficient.

Looking ahead, we’re making sustainable changes to how our teams work. By redesigning how we operate, we can better manage demand and ensure high-quality support is delivered more quickly. These long-term improvements are aimed at preventing delays from happening again and making the system work better for children, young people, and their families.

Our Plan

Over the past few years, we've seen a large increase in requests for Education, Health, and Care (EHC) assessments for children and young people. These assessments help us understand what kind of support your child might need at school and in other areas of life. As more people ask for these assessments, we need more educational psychologists (EPs) to help. EPs are very important in this process as they are the people who define and clarify the needs of the child or young person within the school context.  

Last year, the number of EHC assessment requests went up by 86%. We received 1,497 requests compared to 803 in 2021. This year, from January to June, requests have gone up by another 23% compared to the same time in 2023.

We know this is happening at a time when there aren't enough EPs across the country. Leeds City Council is working hard to find solutions to these challenges, and our goal is to make sure that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Leeds get the support they need to thrive.

To help with the demand, we've hired extra EPs, including associate and locum psychologists (see the glossary for definitions of these terms). Even with this help, some families have faced delays, and we are very sorry about that.

To make things better, starting from 5 August 2024, we've partnered with an external company, Liquid Personnel, to bring in more temporary EPs. By September 2024, we plan to have 25 more EPs, which would allow us to do about 100 more assessments each month.

We know that every child waiting for an assessment has special educational needs and therefore additional vulnerabilities. To help with this, we will prioritise assessments based on things like:

• Moving from nursery to primary school, or primary to secondary school
• Children in care
• Children on Child Protection Plans
• Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs)
• Not in education, employment, or training (NEET)
• Severe attendance difficulties
• Attending Alternative Provisions
• Risk of permanent exclusion
• Date of request

You do not need to contact us to request prioritisation; we will use the information we already have.

We will send out regular communications to update on progress and aim to provide as much clarity as possible regarding when children and young people will be assessed over the coming months. We apologise for any difficulties caused by the delays and want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to improve the situation as part of the SEND and inclusion transformation programme.

For contact information and information about further support, please read the ‘Contact and further support’ section below.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

SEND Funding (previously known as Funding for Inclusion (FFI)) provides extra support to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) without needing an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This has helped many children get the support they need in their learning environments, whether that’s at school or another setting. Now, as part of the SEND and Inclusion Transformation Programme, we’ll be reviewing the support given to all children and young people who currently receive FFI. This is to check if they might benefit from a full Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) to see if an EHCP would be appropriate for their needs. This is an important step to make sure that children continue to receive the best support as they grow.

The review will happen gradually, and we will work closely with schools and settings to make sure the process is as smooth as possible. The support your child already has will stay in place during this process, and we’ll keep you updated on any next steps. Our goal is to make sure every child’s needs are fully understood and supported, helping them thrive in their education.

Our Plan

As part of our changes to SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and Inclusion services, we are reviewing over 3,500 pupils who receive SEND Funding (previously known as Funding for Inclusion (FFI)) to see if they need an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). This is part of a large project that will take place over the next four years. 

We’ve created a timetable to show which year groups we will focus on each year. The timetable is based on your child’s age in September 2024. 
 
Priorities 
First, we prioritised children who are looked after (CLA), and this work was started in July 2024. 
 
From September 2024, we are prioritising children in Nursery 2, Year 6, Year 11, and Year 13 will be prioritised next in this academic year. These are important year groups because they are transition year groups, and the children are moving to a new school or setting soon. We aim to begin their assessments as soon as we have the information back from settings and other professionals with an aim to meet the legal deadlines for creating an EHC Plan and naming their school or setting for September 2025. 
 
From September 2025 onwards, we will follow a similar process, starting with these same year groups at the beginning of each school year. Throughout the rest of the year, we will assess children in other year groups. Our goal is to make sure all pupils receiving funding have their assessments completed within four years. 
 
Please note: Any funding your child currently receives will stay in place until the transition process is finished.  
 
Using FFI Information to Help 
For children with higher levels of SEND funding support, we will start the assessment using the most recent information we have on file. We are also contacting settings and other professionals involved for more up to date information. For children with lower levels of support, we will work closely with schools to make sure we understand their needs. 
 
New Online Form for Requests 
We are also creating a new online form that parents, schools, and professionals can use to request an EHC Needs Assessment or to give advice during the process. The form will be linked directly to your child’s records to make it easier and faster to submit requests. 
 
This new form will combine the current EHC and funding application forms, so we can assess both needs at the same time. The new form will be available in the near future. 
 
Current SEND  Funding 
We want to reassure you that no SEND funding will stop before March 2025. If your child is not in one of the key year groups mentioned earlier, their funding will continue until we decide if an EHCNA is needed or, if required, until we write an EHC Plan. For example, if your child is in Year 3 in September 2024, their funding will remain in place until their assessment is done in the 2027-2028 school year. 
 
Pupils Already Going Through an EHCNA 
If your child is in Nursery 2, Year 6, Year 11, or Year 13 and an EHCNA has already started, don’t worry. We will still prioritise them to meet the deadlines for naming their school or setting for September 2025. If your child is issued a plan, funding will continue.  If an EHC Plan is not agreed to, funding would come to an end at this point. 

For contact information and information about further support, please read the ‘Contact and further support’ section below.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Background and Rationale for Change 

1. Why are you changing the model? 

In the video above from our Deputy Director for Learning Dan Barton explains the background behind the transformation programme and why it is needed. 

Current and Future Funding Arrangements 

2. If my child is currently in receipt of Funding For Inclusion (FFI), how will the new model affect this? 

It is the intention of the Local Authority (LA) that any funding that has already been awarded will remain in place until transition for the children or young person is complete. 

3. My child currently receives FFI funding but does not have an EHCP, will the funding continue beyond April 2025 and, if so, for how long? 

FFI will be in place until at least the end of March 2025. After that, it will cease if a decision has been made not to proceed with an EHC needs assessment. 

4. Will EYFFI change? And what will happen to my child’s funding at the end of nursery?   

Yes, current arrangements will cease in August 2024 to be replaced by the single application process. All currently funded children will have their funding rolled over until the end of transition arrangements, and where appropriate, an EHC needs assessment will be considered. Therefore, you should not apply for funding if it is due to run out at the end of nursery.   

For children in nursery, EYFFI applications can still be made until 31 August 24 for any funding agreed to be allocated from September 2024. For children moving into Reception in autumn term 2024 there will need to be consideration of if they need an EHC needs assessment. A request can be submitted as and when needs arise using the single application process online from September 2024. 

Support for Parents and Carers 

5. What support is there for parents and carers as the model is changed? 

We will engage with a wide range of stakeholders throughout this change to provide clarity and support, through a range of methods including direct conversation, group engagement, information sharing, and a page hosted on the Leeds Local Offer for parents and carers. You can contact us to ask questions or provide feedback at ehcpreview@leeds.gov.uk. You can also sign up to the Leeds Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) where you can have your say on key issues that affect children and families with SEND in the city. You can find out information about support groups here.   

Transition and Application Processes 

6. What is the plan to clear the backlog of Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) applications? 

Our current plans include a short-term investment in Educational Psychologists (EPs) and plan writers to support clearing the EHC requests that are out of statutory timeframe. We also aim to simplify our processes through use of new IT and digital tools, implementing a single application form, and setting up a multi-agency panel for decision making. Alongside this, we will also be working on a long-term recruitment and retention strategy to invest in more Educational Psychologists. 

7. How will you support children and young people that require funding but don’t currently have an EHCP or who may not qualify for an EHCP? 

The FFI team will be speaking with individual schools and educational settings to discuss options for these children as well as cases for those who are not in receipt of an FFI that may require an EHC assessment request form to be completed. 

We are also considering a setting-based model to support cohorts of children and young people to continue to receive funding. Further information about how to apply for this funding will be communicated with schools and settings in due course. 

8. How will the transition for children in early years and other key stages be managed during this period of change, and when will schools be contacted? 

As we go through this period of change the FFI team will contact each school to individually discuss their cohort and plan the transition. We expect that these phone calls will take place in June, July, and early September 2024. An FFI Co-ordinator will email each setting before the end of term to schedule the phone call. 

9. What is the expected transition timeframe, and will there be sufficient capacity to do this in a timely manner? 

A transition timetable will be produced and published as soon as possible. The Local Authority (LA) is currently considering how resources will be assigned to this process. 

Specific Queries for FFI Calls 

10. Which year groups will be discussed in the transition phone calls the FFI team are having with settings? 

All years will be discussed during the FFI phone calls with settings, including Nursery 2 (ages 3-4) to reception and Year 6 to Year 7. 

11. Will my child with funding who is transitioning to secondary school in September 2024, be discussed in the FFI phone call with their primary or secondary school? 

Pupils with funding who are transitioning to secondary school in September 2024 will be listed and discussed during phone calls with the secondary school. These discussions will also facilitate the sharing of transition information for students moving to a new phase. 

For further support and guidance on the EHCP review process, please contact ehcpreview@leeds.gov.uk 

 If you feel you require further support during this transition, you can contact:  

• Your school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO)  
• Your school’s Family Support Worker (if applicable)  
• The Leeds Parent Carer Forum  
• The SEND Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS)  

For information about SEND services in Leeds visit the Leeds Local Offer website.  

For further support and guidance on the EHCP review process, please contact ehcpreview@leeds.gov.uk.

 If you feel you require further support during this transition, you can contact: 

• Your school’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCO) 
• Your school’s Family Support Worker (if applicable) 
• The Leeds Parent Carer Forum 
• The SEND Information Advice and Support Services (SENDIASS)