Children Families & Education SC

Minutes CHILDREN, FAMILIES & EDUCATION SELECT COMMITTEE 12 March 2026 Meeting held at Committee Room 6 – Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge, UB8 1UW Committee Members Present: Councillor Heena Makwana (Chair), Councillor Ekta Gohil (Vice-Chair), Councillor Colleen Sullivan, Councillor Farhad Choubedar, Councillor Jan Sweeting (Opposition Lead), and Councillor Tony Gill Co-Opted Member Present: Mr Tony Little Officers Present: Matt Davis (Director of Strategic & Operational Finance) Alex Coman (Director of Children Safeguarding & Care) Abi Preston (Director of Education & SEND) Nav Minhas (School Place Planning and Policy Manager) Gary Binstead (Head of Education & SEND Commissioning) James Rogers (School Place Planning Officer) Ryan Dell (Democratic Services Officer) 68. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE (Agenda Item 1) Apologies had been received from Councillor Peter Smallwood OBE , with Co uncillor Colleen Sullivan substituting. Apologies had been received from Councillor Kishan Bhatt, with Councillor Farhad Choubedar substituting. Apologies had also been received from Councillor Narinder Garg. 69. DECLARATIONS OF INTER EST IN MATTERS COMING BEFORE THIS MEETING (Agenda Item 2) None. 70. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING (Agenda Item 3) RESOLVED: That the minutes of the previous meeting be agreed 71. TO CONFIRM THAT THE ITEMS OF BUSINESS MARKED AS PA RT I WILL BE CONSIDERED IN PUBLIC AND THAT THE ITEMS MARKED AS PART II WILL BE CONSIDERED IN PRIVATE (Agenda Item 4) 72. BUDGET & SPENDING (Agenda Item 5) Officers introduced the Budget & Spending report for Month 9. Members were informed that Month 9 showed a pressure of £6.4m, an increase from £6.0m reported at Month 7. This increase was attributed to continuing asylum pressures as well as additional pressures within children’s social care, particularly the costs of children’s placements and children’s homes. Officers reported that the directorate had achieved 96% of its £4.5m savings target, with no identified risks to the delivery of the remaining savings. Officers advised that the DSG position had remained broadly sta ble compared with previous reports, with a projected in ‑year deficit of £9.6m. While demand continued to increase, particularly in advance of forthcoming SEND reforms, officers considered the position to be relatively positive. It was noted that significant progress had been made over recent years in stabilising DSG pressures. In response to a question regarding the Government’s proposed 90% write‑off of SEND deficits, officers explained that local authorities would be required to submit a SEND Reform Plan by late June, which would be subject to approval by th e Secretary of State. Only once the plan was approved would the High Needs Stability Grant be released. If approved in the first submission round, payment was expected to be received in the autumn term, with a later payment in spring 2027 if approval was delayed. Officers noted that while some information had been received from Government, further clarity was still awaited. Members asked whether the reduction in the DSG deficit had impacted outcomes for children with SEND. Officers responded that outcomes were closely monitored and that the main driver of cost reduction had been a move towards educating children locally and within maintained schools, rather than in high ‑cost independent placements. Officers were confident that outcomes remained strong, not ing that maintained special schools in the borough delivered outstanding outcomes despite significantly lower costs that INMSS (Independent and Non -Maintained Special School) settings. However, there was increased demand and continued close monitoring was required. Members sought clarification on the DSG deficit that would remain after the application of the 90% grant and how ongoing overspends would be addressed. Officers explained that the 90% included this year and so would go against the cumulative bal ance at the end of this financial year, meaning the £9.6m projected in ‑year deficit was included within that figure. Officers estimated that the authority could receive around £69m, leaving a residual deficit of approximately £6m. Officers highlighted that the in ‑year DSG deficit had reduced significantly over time, from £28m two years ago to £9.6m currently, demonstrating a strong downward trajectory. Members were advised that demand could increase further due to a surge in EHCP requests ahead of SEND reforms. It was noted that with the 90% paid off, the Council would save money within the General Fund on interest charges. Members asked if there would be conditions on the 90% due to the historically high deficit. Officers advised that , with the exception o f a suitable SEND reform plan being approved, officers were not aware of any other specific conditions linked to the funding and that t he safety valve scheme had now closed. While Hillingdon may have previously been an outlier with its high deficit, i t was now in a much stronger position compared to other authorities. Hillingdon had built up confidence with the DfE with its positive steps, and this had been recognised by a letter from the DfE. It was noted that Hillingdon had significantly lowered costs while improving outcomes. The 90% payment would be applied universally, and each local authority would have a SEND advisor and a financial advisor with the level of support tailored to each authority’s circumstances. Officers considered that the work already undertaken locally had placed the council in a strong position. Members asked whether the reported savings were dependent on a reduction in demand. Officers responded that demand had not necessarily reduced but had been managed differently through changes to delivery models and investment in in ‑house provision. Savings had been achieved through measures such as increasing foster carer capacity and expanding in‑house residential provision, which reduced reliance on more expensive external placements. It was noted that the 96% savings achievement reported at Month 9 had since increased to 100%. Members queried a savings line relating to repeat pregnancies within social care. Officers clarified that this focused on supporting parents who had previously had children removed from their care, ensuring they were better prepared and supported if they had another child, thereby reducing the risk of repeat removals and associated costs. Members asked about the £6.4m overspend. Officers explained that asylum pressures remained a significant and unpredictab le driver of overspend, as well as the discrepancy between grants and costs. In addition, the current year had been a major period of transformation for children’s services, with substantial investment in foster carers (17 new households), in -house residen tial provision (12 additional beds), and new delivery models focused on early intervention and community ‑based support to prevent escalation to statutory intervention. While pressures would continue into the following year, officers were more confident due to budget realignment, better demand forecasting, and the embedding of new ways of working. In respons e to a question about schools’ views on the changes being implemented, officers emphasised that schools were key partners in supporting children and were closely engaged at both strategic and locality levels. Schools were statutory safeguarding partners an d were involved in strategic decision ‑making. Officers reported that feedback from schools had been positive. Officers added that next year’s budget included approximately £12m of additional investment to reflect underlying demand pressures in children’s services, which were contributing to the current year’s overspend. Officers also noted that part of the increase in the forecast overspend during the year related to decisions around the use of capital receipts and transformation funding, rather than solely to service ‑level pressures. RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the 2025/26 Month 9 budget monitoring position 73. SCHOOL PLACE PLANNING: SCHOOL ORGANISATION PLAN (Agenda Item 6) Officers introduced the School Organisation Plan. Officers advised that the School Organisation Plan had f irst been presented to the Committee two years prior, with the expectation that annual updates would be provided. Members welcomed the existence of a School Organisation Plan but expressed concern about the reported reduction of 28.7% in nursery‑age children, highlighting that this cohort would progress through infant, junior, and secondary phases in future years. Members noted that falling rolls were already placing pressure on primary schools and asked whether there was evidence of improvement through late admissions into the cohort. Officers acknowledged that birth rates and pupil numbers had been declining and that this had been known for some time. The projections were monitored closely and actual numbers broadly aligned with projected figure s. However, officers continued to monitor sufficiency closely and w ere placing increased emphasis on the importance of the School Organisation Plan as a strategic planning tool. Officers outlined proposals to run workshops with schools to support them in u nderstanding projections and using them for forward planning, and when preparing three ‑year budgets. It was noted that falling rolls created significant financial challenges for schools and that this issue linked closely to proposals such as amalgamation. Officers also confirmed that the School Organisation Plan was updated annually and that work was underway to strengthen its coverage of early years and SEND, with the intention of developing a broader sufficiency plan across education settings. Members raised a further concern regarding the planning of secondary school places, particularly the proportion of pupils travelling from the south of the borough to the north, which was reported as 23%. Members noted that this was c ompounded by housing pressures, and asked whether more strategic planning could be undertaken to address this pattern. Officers responded that this issue had recently been discussed at a high‑needs group meeting and acknowledged that a number of families chose to travel to schools outside their immediate area, despite the availability of strong local schools. Officers explained that parental preference played a significant role, particularly in a context of falling pupil numbers where choice was greater. There was also a challenge of changing parental perceptions where , for example, schools had previously received poor Ofsted judgements, noting that reputational recovery could take time. While officers were engaging with schools on these issues, it was recognised as a complex area where change was difficult to implement quickly. Members referred to the report’s description of the borough as a net exporter of pupils and asked for clarification as to why families were choosing schools outside the borough. Officers advised that the absence of grammar schools within the borough was a contributing factor, as was the location of some schools near borough boundaries, where the nearest school for some families was outside Hillingdon. Officers highlighted a new school recently built just beyond the b orough boundary which could draw pupils who would otherwise have attended schools within Hillingdon. Members sought clarification on the reported decline in nursery numbers, questioning whether the figures reflected a drop in birth rates or whether they w ere influenced by parental choices about sending their children to nursery. Officers explained that it was a combination of both factors. While falling birth rates were a significant contributor, officers were also working to increase take ‑up of nursery places, particularly in light of expanded childcare entitlements. There was an early years and childcare sufficiency document, separate from the SOP . Officers also highlighted work underway to expand school‑based nursery provision, including provision for two ‑year‑olds, while acknowledging competition from private, voluntary and independent providers offering longer hours and holiday provision. Members noted that the headline figure of a 28% reduction could be misleading if it did not solely reflect birth rate changes and cautioned that it could give the impression of a more severe future capacity issue in primary schools. Officers confirmed that the figures presented were based on the school census , and agreed that further contextual information would be helpful. It was proposed that additional early years data could be incorporated into the next annual update of the School Organisation Plan. Members raised a question regarding sixth ‑form capacity, noting a significantly higher level of spare capacity compared to lower secondary year groups, and asked whether this suggested a need to encourage more pupils to remain in borough for post ‑16 education. Officers advised that they would rev iew the relevant data and provide a fuller response outside the meeting. Members raised a point regarding spare capacity in primary schools, noting that falling rolls were expected to continue, and asked whether officers had considered undertaking a detai led assessment of capacity across primary schools and education planning areas to support future planning, including inclusive provision. Officers confirmed that work was already underway to assess school capacity and that schools had been asked to provide information on available space. Officers explained that they were exploring creative uses of spare capacity, including alternative provision, tuition services, SEND provision, and other potentially income‑generating activities. However, they advised that further clarity on SEND reforms was awaited, particularly regarding expectations around inclusion bases in secondary schools, before final decisions could be made. Officers emphasised that making use of existing space, rather than constructing new provisio n, would be preferable where possible, and confirmed that this work would continue to develop. RESOLVED: That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee: 1. Considered the updated School Organisation Plan with the latest data and forecasts; and 2. Delegated comments to be included in the Cabinet Member report to the Democratic Services Officer in conjunction with the Chair and in consultation with the Opposition Lead 74. PROPOSAL TO AMALGAMATE WHITEHALL INFANT SCHOOL AND WHITEHALL JUNIOR SCHOOL (Agenda Item 7) Officers introduced the report on the proposal to amalgamate Whitehall Infant School and Whitehall Junior School. Members were advised that similar amalgamation proposals had previously been considered by the Committee and that this proposal formed part of the authority’s wider approach to supporting school sustainability. School amalgamation was one of the mechanisms available to improve financial stability, governance, and long ‑term viability for schools, particularly in the context of falling pupil numbers. Members asked about the outcome of the consultation and whether there was general support for the proposal from parents and staff. Officers explained that an informal consultation had already taken place, during which 90 responses ha d been received. Of those, 58% were in favour of the proposed amalgamation. The formal consultation was ongoing. Engagement events had been held with parents and school staff and feedback received to date had been generally positive. Members asked what th e principal concerns were among those who did not support the proposal. Officers responded that the concerns raised were consistent with those seen in previous amalgamation proposals. These included anxieties about younger infant pupils mixing with older j unior pupils and concerns about the financial implications. Officers had sought to reassure parents that the schools would continue to operate in a way that avoided mixing of age groups. RESOLVED: That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee: 1. Reviewed the proposal to amalgamate Whitehall Infant School and Whitehall Junior School, by closing Whitehall Infant School and extending the age range of the Junior School from 7 -11 year olds, to 3 -11 year olds; and 2. Delegated comments to be included in the Cabinet report which will be presented on 23 April 2026 to the Democratic Services Officer in conjunction with the Chair and in consultation with the Opposition Lead 75. CORPORATE PARENTING PANEL MINUTES (Agenda Item 8) Members noted the minutes of the Corporate Parenting Panel. RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the minutes 76. FOSTERING REVIEW: FINAL REPORT (Agenda Item 9) This item was considered after item 5. The Chair introduced the draft final report of the Committee’s fostering review . Members were advised that the purpose of the item was to agree the final report and its submission to Cabinet. Members thanked officers for the preparation of the report and noted the relatively short timescale of the review. Members asked about officers’ ambitions in terms of increasing the number of foster carers, and how many additional carers the service would ideally like to recruit. Officers advised that while increasing numbers was important, the primary focus was on recruiting the right type of fos ter carers, rather than achieving a specific target. There was particular difficulty in recruiting carers for adolescents and for children with significant trauma, mental health needs, or disabilities. As a result, the service intended to focus on more tar geted recruitment, aligned to specific cohorts and needs, a point which was reflected in the Committee’s recommendations. Officers further explained that while a number of Cared for Children continued to be placed with external or out ‑of‑borough foster ca rers, some of these placements were long‑term and stable, and it would not be appropriate to disrupt them. However, there remained other children for whom having a wider choice of in ‑house foster carers would be beneficial. Officers reiterated the service’ s strong commitment to fostering and to foster carers, highlighting the significant progress made in recruitment. Members were informed that, to date in the current year, 17 new fostering households had been approved, compared with fewer than five approval s per year in previous years. Officers emphasised that these approvals reflected full completion of the assessment and panel process, which typically took eight to nine months. Officers expressed pride in the fostering team’s achievements and gratitude to foster carers for their ongoing work, and thanked Members for the time and effort they had dedicated to the review. RESOLVED: That the Select Committee: 1. Agreed the final report for its review into fostering; 2. Delegated any final wording amendments to the Democratic Services Officer in conjunction with the Chair and in consultation with the Opposition Lead; and 3. Agreed the review’s submission to Cabinet thereafter 77. FORWARD PLAN (Agenda Item 10) Members considered the Forward Plan. RESOLVED: That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee note d the Cabinet Forward Plan 78. WORK PROGRAMME (Agenda Item 11) Members considered the Work Programme. RESOLVED: That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee considered the report The meeting, which commenced at 7:00 pm, closed at 7:50 pm. These are the minutes of the above meeting. For more information on any of the resolutions please contact Ryan Dell , Democr atic Services Officer on democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk. Circulation of these minutes is to Councillors, officers, the press and members of the public.

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public BUDGET & SPENDING REPORT – SELECT COMMITTEE MONITORING Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Corporate Director(s) responsible Julie Kelly, Corporate Director of Children’s Services Papers with report Appendix A – Tables 1-4 Ward All RECOMMENDATION That the Committee: 1. Note the 2025/26 Month 10 budget monitoring position. HEADLINES 2. This monitoring report provides an update on the 2025/26 Month 10 budget position relevant to the Select Committee. The Corporate Director, supported by their Head of Finance , will attend the meeting to provide further details and clarifications. 3. 2025/26 MONTH 10 BUDGET MONITORING POSITION 4. Children, Families & Education – As at Month 10, services within this directorate are reporting a pressure of £6.1m, down £0. 3m from £6. 4m in Month 9 due to an increase in contributions from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) towards cared for children placements. The overall forecast pressure in this area is driven by additional demand for Children’s Social Care, including for Mother and Baby placements and an underlying pressure on Asylum costs due to a previously highlighted budget shortfall of £2.5m. Further pressure results from a £2m reduction in the use of flexible capital receipts previously assumed to fund transformation costs. 5. Table 1 provides an overview of this Committee’s Month 10 budget monitoring position by portfolio. It includes adjustments made to the forecast for Earmarked Reserves, Provisions and Transformation Capitalisation. 6. Table 2 provides a detailed breakdown of this Committee’s Month 10 budget monitoring position by service area. It includes adjustments made for Earmarked Reserves, Provisions and Transformation Capitalisation. 7. Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) – The Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) total Block is forecast to have an in -year deficit of £9.2m, representing a £0.4m favourable movement compared to month 9 and a £3.3m favourable variance against the £12.5m budgeted use of reserves. The DSG deficit is forecast to rise to £75.1m by the end of the financial year, b ut which will be mitigated by the High Needs Stability grant due to be paid in autumn 2026. 8. The favourable movement relates to High Needs expenditure and the service’s ongoing work to reduce reliance on costly independent placements through increased local provision and early intervention. The in-year shortfall is driven by continued demand and c ost pressures in Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public High Needs placements. Rising demand for specialist provision and increased reliance on costly independent non-maintained placements are contributing to widespread overspends in the High Needs Block. This position will be significantly imp roved following the final local government funding settlement announcement made on 9 February 2026 setting out the Government’s plans to support local authorities with their DSG deficits. The announcement included the following statement: “All local author ities with SEND deficits will be eligible in 2026/27 to receive a grant covering 90% of their High Needs -related DSG deficit accrued up to the end of 2025-26. This grant will be paid in Autumn 2026, subject to each local authority submitting and securing t he Department for Education’s approval of a local SEND reform plan.” 9. In the November 2025 budget, the Government confirmed that starting from the 2028 -29 financial year, future special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) costs will be managed within the overall central government spending envelope, shifting the responsibility from local authorities. 10. There is currently a time -limited statutory override in place until 31 March 2028, ringfencing the DSG deficit such that this does not impact upon general reserves. The Council, like many other local authorities, has a large DSG deficit which stood at £65.9m on 31 March 2025, exceeding the level of General Fund reserves held. During the course of this year, the Council has successfully reduced the in -year spend against the DSG and continues to make good progress. The Final Local Government Settlement announced on 9 February 2026 set out the Government’s plans to fund circa 90% of existing DSG deficits which will significantly reduce the deficit but will leave the Council with a residual balance to address in 2028/29. 11. The Council is actively progressing a range of strategic initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), while ensuring more sustainable use of resources. These include converting all existing EHCPs to the new banding system to ensure a fair, transparent and sustainable approach to funding EHCPs. In parallel, the Council is working to enhance the value for money of commissioned services and to increase financial contributions from partner agencies towards the support of children and young people with SEND. The Council is beginning to see a significant reduction in the in-year deficit as a consequence. 12. A core target for the revised High Needs Safety Valve Plan is to educate children locally wherever possible by concentrating SEN support in-borough within our maintained schools and thereby reduce dependence on high cost independent and out-of-borough placements. Trend data shows clear evidence that the approach which has been in place since early 2024/25 is now beginning to have a positive impact. 13. Table 3 provides an overview of the Month 10 position for the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). 14. 2025/26 SAVINGS 15. For the services within the remit of this Committee, the savings requirement for 2025/26 is £4.549m, as set out in the Council’s budget strategy. 16. As of Month 10, £ 4.549m (100%) of the savings and interventions are being recorded as banked. 17. Table 4 provides a detailed breakdown of the 2025/26 Month 10 savings position by portfolio. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public PERFORMANCE DATA 18. N/A RESIDENT BENEFIT 19. Regular monitoring of financial performance is used to assess whether spending and savings targets are being met, thereby supporting the efficient delivery of services to residents. By closely tracking expenditure and identifying variances, the council can take timely corrective actions to address overspending and mitigate risks. This also enhances public transparency and accountability, providing residents with confidence that their Council is managing finances prudently and prioritising their needs. Overall, regular monitoring supports safeguarding the Council's finances and the delivery of quality services to residents. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 20. This is primarily a finance report and the implications are set out in the main body of the report above. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 21. There are no direct legal implications arising from regular monitoring of the council’s finances by select committees. 22. Democratic Services advise that effective overview and scrutiny arrangements require access to the information under the committee’s purview and, in accordance with the 2024 Statutory Scrutiny Guidance, such information includes finance and risk info rmation from the Council, and its partners where relevant. BACKGROUND PAPERS 23. NIL APPENDICES Appendix A – Tables 1-4 Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Appendix A – Tables 1-4 Table 1 – 2025/26 Month 10 Budget Monitoring Position by Portfolio Service Area Approved Budget Underlying Forecast Earmarked Reserves Provisions Transformation Capitalisation Management Action Forecast Outturn Final Forecast Variance Forecast Variance Prior Month Change in Variance R5: Executive Director Children and Young Peoples Services Expenditure 79,008 86,396 (376) 0 (699) 0 85,321 6,313 6,427 (114) Income (21,777) (21,252) (730) 0 0 0 (21,982) (205) 18 (223) Sub-Total 57,231 65,144 (1,106) 0 (699) 0 63,339 6,108 6,445 (337) Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Table 2 – 2025/26 Month 10 Budget Monitoring Position by Service Area Service Area Approved Budget Underlying Forecast Earmarked Reserves Provisions Transformation Capitalisation Management Action Forecast Outturn Final Forecast Variance Forecast Variance Prior Month Change in Variance R5C: Director, Children Social Care A1: Staffing Costs 21,600 20,765 0 0 (111) 0 20,654 (946) (906) (40) A2: Non-Staffing Costs 34,737 40,007 0 0 0 0 40,007 5,270 5,420 (150) A3: Grants Fees & Other Income (15,228) (15,339) (730) 0 0 0 (16,069) (841) (605) (236) Sub-Total 41,109 45,433 (788) 0 (111) 0 44,592 3,483 3,909 (426) R5E: Director Education and SEND A1: Staffing Costs 8,015 9,952 0 0 (353) 0 9,599 1,584 1,618 (34) A2: Non-Staffing Costs 1,370 1,870 (376) 0 0 0 1,494 124 155 (31) A3: Grants Fees & Other Income (5,137) (4,356) 0 0 0 0 (4,356) 781 768 13 Sub-Total 4,248 7,466 (376) 0 (353) 0 6,737 2,489 2,541 (52) R5S: Director SPQR A1: Staffing Costs 8,114 8,667 0 0 (235) 0 8,432 318 174 144 A2: Non-Staffing Costs 5,172 5,135 0 0 0 0 5,135 (37) (34) (3) A3: Grants Fees & Other Income (1,412) (1,557) 0 0 0 0 (1,557) (145) (145) 0 Sub-Total 11,875 12,245 (1,164) 0 (235) 0 12,010 136 (5) 141 R5: Executive Director Children and Young Peoples Services A1: Staffing Costs 37,729 39,384 0 0 (699) 0 38,685 956 886 70 A2: Non-Staffing Costs 41,279 47,012 (376) 0 0 0 46,636 5,357 5,541 (184) A3: Grants Fees & Other Income (21,777) (21,252) (730) 0 0 0 (21,982) (205) 18 (223) Sub-Total 57,231 65,144 (1,106) 0 (699) 0 63,339 6,108 6,445 (337) Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Table 3: Month 10 DSG Income and Expenditure Summary Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Blocks Budget 2025/26 Forecast Month 10 Variance Month 9 Change DSG Settlement Academy Recoupm ent LBH Maintain ed £m £m £m £m £m £m £m Schools Block 297.9 (187.0) 110.9 110.8 (0.1) 0 (0.1) Early Years Block 48.3 0 48.3 48.1 (0.2) 0 (0.2) Central Schools Block 2.5 0 2.5 2.5 0 0 0 High Needs Block 86.8 (13.1) 73.7 70.7 (3.0) (2.9) (0.1) Budgeted Use of Reserves (12.5) 0 (12.5) (12.5) 0 0 0 Total 423.0 (200.1) 222.9 219.6 (3.3) (2.9) (0.4) Balance Brought Forward 1 April 2025 65.9 Budgeted Use of Reserves 12.5 Pressure/(Reduction) (3.3) Total Deficit at 31 March 2026 75.1 Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Table 4 – 2025/26 Month 10 Savings Position by Directorate Directorate Description RAG Rating 2025/26 & B/fwd savings Total 2025/26 B/fwd 2025/26 Total B G A1 A2 R W/O £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Children, Families & Education Improving and Modernising the Fostering Offer (462) (462) (462) (462) Children, Families & Education Increase MVF by 1% (267) (267) (267) (267) Children, Families & Education New Care Offer - (Operating Model) (273) (273) (273) (273) Children, Families & Education Semi/ Shared Accommodation (2,156) (2,156) (2,156) (2,156) Children, Families & Education Social Care Delivery Model - Social Care Delivery Model (495) (495) (495) (495) Children, Families & Education Social Care Delivery Model - Repeat Pregnancies (600) (600) (600) (600) Children, Families & Education Social Care Delivery Model - Special Guardianship Orders (296) (296) (296) (296) Grand Total (462) (4,087) (4,549) (4,549) 0 0 0 0 0 (4,549)

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public SCHOOL ADMISSIONS UPDATE Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Officer reporting Laura Baldry, School Placement & Admissions Manager Papers with report None Ward All HEADLINES School Admissions Update – for In Year applications and Allocations for September 2026. RECOMMENDATION That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee note the contents of the report. SUPPORTING INFORMATION In Year applications When comparing the data to the previous academic year, Hillingdon has received and processed fewer In Year applications during 202 4/25. The table below demonstrates data specific to the number of In Year application s submitted to the borough for the last three academic year s, including how many have been received so far this academic year. Date Primary Secondary Total 01/09/2022 - 31/08/2023 2377 1438 3815 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2024 2534 1391 3925 01/09/2024 - 31/08/2025 2132 1155 3287 01/09/2025 - 22/03/2026* 1246 859 2105 * Sept 2025- 22 Mar 2026 The reduction in the total number of applications received between September 2024 and August 2025 is primarily due to a significant decrease in the number of families being placed in hotels in the south of the borough. While we have continued to receive applications from families arriving in the UK, many of these households are now being accommodated in settings other than hotels. During the 2024–2025 academic year, we received 3,287 applications, representing a 16.3% decrease compared to the previous year. For the current academic year (1 September 2025 – 22 March 2026), 2,105 applications have been received so far. Of these, 358 were submitted by families who had recently moved to the UK from overseas, accounting for 17% of all applications to date. Current position of In Year Admissions The team are actively processing applications as and when they are received to ensure children Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public are offered a school place promptly to avoid any drift and delay in the provision of education, where possible. Secondary vacancy breakdown School Name Year Group 7 8 9 10 11 Bishop Ramsey CofE School 2 7 0 2 3 De Salis Studio College N/A N/A 19 9 0 Guru Nanak Sikh Academy 2 8 2 7 0 Harefield School 27 42 26 38 50 Haydon School 138 145 83 67 2 Hewens College 17 60 37 4 0 Oak Wood School 0 24 17 10 6 Park Academy West London 22 0 9 0 0 Parkside Studio College N/A N/A 44 38 37 Rosedale College 6 14 20 0 0 Swakeleys School for Girls 0 4 6 13 12 The Douay Martyrs Catholic School 0 4 5 4 9 *Accurate up to 11/03/26 For our primary cohort, we have sufficient vacancies across all year groups, borough wide. Fair Access Panel So far, this academic year, 49 children have been presented through the Fair Access Panel, compared with 62 during the same period last year. This represents a 21% decrease in demand for places via the Fair Access Panel since 2024-25. Most of the Fair Access placements continue to be for Year 11 children (75%). This decline marks a continuing trend which is largely attributable to the reduction in families living in hotel accommodation in the south of the borough which was used for temporary housing . It also reflects the strong commitment of our schools, which are now processing In ‑ Year applications more swiftly and offering places to children without delay. As a result, children are receiving offers from schools with available places much sooner, lead ing to a notable reduction in the number of children needing to be presented through Fair Access. Allocations Secondary Allocations for September 2026 We received and processed 3521 Hillingdon applications submitted on time. All children received an offer on National Offer Day, 2nd March 2026. Of these, 67.13% received an offer at their first preference school, 8 6.94% received an offer at their 1st to 3rd preference school and 9 3.75% received their 1st to 6th preference school. The remaining 6.25% received an unallocated offer. Parents had until Monday 16th March 2026 to respond to their National Offer Day school offer. After this date, the team has chased parents who have not responded to offers and will contact parents wishing to decline their child’s offer. A range of reasons are given for declining a place , including going to a private school, moved out of borough/country, elective home education, or wanting a higher preference school. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public The first round of late offers was made in the first week of April 2026, which incorporate any late preferences or applications received. Late offers are scheduled to be made on a regular basis until the end of July 2026, where offers will then be made as and when places become available. Primary Allocations for September 2026 National Offer Day for Primary Allocations is Thursday 16th April 2026. The team have received 3222 on time Hillingdon applications from children applying for Reception in September 2026. Officers are in the final stages of the allocation process before National Offer Day on Thursday 16th April. The team are continuing to receive late applications and are regularly reminding schools of children who are yet to apply. This will continue until the end of the summer term. The first round of late offers will be made by the beginning of June. Consultation During the consultation window (1st October 2025 – 31st January 2026), the team consulted to reduce the published admission number (PAN) for Field End Infant School from 90 to 60. This was agreed to give the school greater flexibility to manage its resources effectively whilst continuing to deliver high -quality education for the local community . The Local Authority will continue to monitor demographic trends and, if demand increases in the future, additional places can be reinstated at the school. Plans moving forward: As a Council, we are continuing to ensure we are able to adjust to both increases and reductions in demand for school places, working in partnership with our schools and partners. The Admissions team works closely with Place Planning colleagues and Education Improvement Advisors to manage these changes and conversations. RESIDENT BENEFIT The report provides assurance to residents that the Council is actively managing in-year demand and September 2026 allocations, supporting timely access to school places, fair allocation processes, and effective planning for changes in local need. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS NIL. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS NIL. BACKGROUND PAPERS NIL. APPENDICES NIL.

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public ANNUAL STANDARDS OF EDUCATION IN HILLINGDON REPORT 2024/2025 Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Officer reporting Michael Hawkins, Head of Education & Lifelong Learning Papers with report Annual Standards of Education Report 2024-25 Ward All HEADLINES This report provides the Children, Families & Education Select Committee with an overview of the standards and quality of education across Hillingdon schools and settings for Hillingdon’s children, young people and adults for 2024 -25. The report focuses primarily on attainment, progress and achievement for the preceding academ ic year along with references to wider measures of educational success. It also includes an update on progress of the Education Strategy priorities. RECOMMENDATIONS That the Committee: 1. Note the key findings set out in the report; and 2. Provide comments as appropriate. SUPPORTING INFORMATION See attached report. PERFORMANCE DATA This is within the report. RESIDENT BENEFIT This report allows Elected Members to have an overview of the standards and quality of education services available to Hillingdon residents. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no financial implications arising from this report. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS There are no specific legal implications arising from this report. Whenever necessary legal advice is given in relation to spe cific issues as they arise to ensure that the Council always meets its legal obligations. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public BACKGROUND PAPERS NIL. APPENDICES Annual Standards of Education Report 2024-25

Annual Standards of Education in Hillingdon Report 2024/25 Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 2 Contents Page Number Acronyms Used in Report 3 Executive Summary 4 Hillingdon Education Overview 6 Priority 1: Every Young Person Benefits from a High Quality, Inclusive Education in a Good School or Setting 7 Priority 2: Preparation for Adulthood 13 Priority 3: Educational Outcomes 34 Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 3 Acronyms Used in Report AfA Achievement for All Young People in Hillingdon programme AP Alternative Provision CI Critical Incident CME Children Missing Education CYP Children or Young Person DfE Department for Education DU Designated Unit ESBA Emotional Based School Avoidance EBSNA Emotional Based School Non-Attendance EET Education, Employment or Training EHCP Education Health Care Plan EHCNA Education Health Care Needs Assessment EHE Elective Home Education EHN Early Health Notification ELSA Emotional Literacy Support Assistant EPS Education Psychology Service ESF Early Support Funding ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages EYs Early Years EYFS Early Years Foundation Stage EYQIT Early Years Quality Improvement Team FAP Fair Access Panel FSM Free School Meals GLD Good Level of Development HLP Hillingdon Learning Partnership IC Inclusion Commitment IYFAP In Year Fair Access Panel LAIT Local Authority Interactive Tool LAC Looked After Child MAT Multi Academy Trust MSP My Support Plan NASEN National Association for Special Educational Needs NEET Not in Employment, Education or Training OAP Ordinarily Available Provision PAN Pupil Admission Numbers PEP Personal Education Plan PVI Private, Voluntary, or Independent RI Requires Improvement SAO School Attendance Order SARR Schools At Risk Register SAS SEND Advisory Service SCERTS Social, Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transitional Support SEF Self-Evaluation Framework SEMH Social, Emotional & Mental Health SEND Special Educational Needs & Disabilities SENDIASS Special Educational Needs Disabilities Information Advice & Support Service SN Statistical Neighbours SRP Specialist Resource Unit SSP School Place Planning UASC Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children UTC University Technical College VLC Vulnerable Learners Clinics Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 4 Executive Summary The Annual Standards of Education in Hillingdon Report for 2024-25 provides an overview of the standards and quality of education across Hillingdon schools and settings for Hillingdon’s children, young people and adults. The Education Priorities for the next five years have been identified as: Priority 1 – Every Young Person Benefits from a High Quality, Inclusive Education in a Good School or Setting • The quality of our Private, Voluntary and Independent nursery settings remains strong: 97.5% are good or better and only 2% require improvement. • 93% of our schools are good or better. 7% are on the Council’s ‘at risk’ register, a reduction of 1 from the previous year. • Levels of inclusion are improving term on term in Hillingdon mainstream schools. Priority 2 – Preparation for Adulthood • Hillingdon remained the top ranked London local authority on Primary National Offer Day, with 91.51% of children being awarded their first-choice primary school place. • On Secondary National Offer Day, every Hillingdon child was offered a school place. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 5 • The number of young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who were also Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) decreased by 3% from the previous academic year. • There was a 13% increase in the uptake of Supported Internships - 16% of the post 16 phase transfer cohort for September 2025 were in supported internships compared to 3%in the previous academic year. • More young people with EHCPs remain in the Hillingdon community - 87.9% of post 16 phase transfer cohort was placed in-borough compared to 21.6% in the previous academic year. • School attendance rates in Hillingdon rose from 93.1% to 93.2%. • The number of permanent exclusions issued during this academic year decreased by 23% compared to the previous year and is the lowest rate ever recorded in Hillingdon, including during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. • Hillingdon continues to demonstrate strong post‑16 participation outcomes with only 2.5% of the 16-18 cohort classed as NEET. Priority 3 – Educational Outcomes • Early Years outcomes rose in 2024-25. Children achieving a Good Level of Development (GLD) rose to 71%. There was also an increase in disadvantaged children achieving GLD (58.4%). • Phonics outcomes remain strong in Hillingdon and compare favourably with national and regional outcomes. • Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths (RWM) outcomes remain below national and regional benchmarks. Reading and maths are comparatively strong, while writing remains a priority for improvement. • Key Stage 4 outcomes for Attainment 8 (47.1) were slightly above national and slightly behind regional and statistical neighbours. English and Maths combined scores (level 4+) were 68.7%, which was slightly behind regional outcomes, but in line or above national and statistical neighbours. • Key Stage 5 outcomes for A Levels and vocational outcomes were slightly behind national and regional outcomes. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 6 Hillingdon Education Overview Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 7 Putting Our Residents First - Raising Standards in Education The Education & SEND Service, sits within the Children’s Services Directorate and comprises of the following teams: • Access to Education: o Admissions o Alternative Provision o Child Employment & Licencing o Children Missing Education o Elective Home Education o Exclusions & Suspensions o NEET o Vulnerable Learners • Attendance • Early Years Centres • Education Improvement & Partnerships: o Early Years Quality Improvement o School Improvement o Post 16 Partnerships • Educational Psychology Service • Families’ Information Service (FIS) & Portage Services • Learn Hillingdon Adult Community Education • Music Service • School Place Planning & Commissioning • SEND Advisory Service (SAS) • SEND Statutory Functions (EHC Team) • Virtual School Priority 1: Every Young Person Benefits from a High Quality, Inclusive Education in a Good School or Setting Ofsted Outcomes of Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) Childcare Providers & Childminders We currently have 93 registered early years settings: Not Yet Inspected Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate 13 8 70 1 1 The following table demonstrates the percentage of Hillingdon's PVI Ofsted outcomes in relation to national Ofsted data (published in August 2025): Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 8 Summary of (Good or Better) Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate National LBH National LBH National LBH National LBH National LBH 2024 - 2025 98% 97.5% 10% 10% 80% 87.5% 5% 1% 4% 1% Main findings: childcare providers and inspections as at 31 August 2025 - GOV.UK Settings graded as Requires Improvement or Inadequate receive a package of intensive and targeted support from the Early Years Quality Improvement Team (EYQIT). This includes:  An action plan with clear, measurable targets to swiftly address the areas for development, with an initial focus on safeguarding and welfare requirements. This ensures children are kept safe and acts as an accountability measure for the leadership and management team.  Bespoke training which addresses the recommendations made by Ofsted, followed by a clear implementation plan to embed improvements in practice.  Regular monitoring and reviews to ensure the areas for improvement are being addressed in a timely and effective manner. We have 169 childminders in Hillingdon, of whom 149 provide care for EYFS children. Those who do not have EYFS children receive an outcome of either Met or Not Met at their Ofsted inspection. At present, 24 childminders are graded Met and 1 is graded Not Met. The data for those childminders that have EYFS children in their provision is as follows: Not Yet Inspected Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate 16 16 112 1 0 For childminders who receive an Inadequate or Requires Improvement judgement, they receive support from the Childcare Development Advisor to help them address the recommendations and actions in a timely manner. Newly registered Childminders are supported through our funded childminder buddy programme until their first inspection. Key Strengths & Challenges The most significant challenge facing early years provision in Hillingdon is recruitment and retention of qualified staff. This reflects a national crisis but is especially acute due to pay levels that cannot compete with other sectors, and increasing workload and accountability, particularly in relation to safeguarding, SEND, curriculum delivery and inspection readiness. We have delivered a full training package in relation to these areas and will continue to support leaders and practitioners to access the government funded Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) programme to strengthen leadership and improve the quality of education in PVI settings The Early Years Quality Improvement Team are focussed on developing a high- quality early years workforce through the delivery of evidence based professional development opportunities. To achieve this the team have formed a partnership with the DfE’s Stronger Practice Hub who are delivering in Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 9 person training events across the local authority, sharing effective practice with leaders and practitioners in schools and settings. We are planning to develop a local Stronger Practice Hub in an area of the borough where impact will be highest, to drive improvements in the quality of early years provision. This will support collaborative working between key partners in early years, helping to build a strong, resilient and reflective early years community across the borough. There is increasing recognition, both nationally and within Hillingdon, that a significant number of children in the early years are experiencing delays or disorders in communication and language development. In response, the EYQIT will introduce a speech and language assessment tool across all PVI settings to support early identification of children’s needs and enable timely, targeted and individualised intervention for these children. Ofsted Outcomes of Schools Ofsted continued their full inspection programme with a change to outcome wording to move away from the one-word overall judgement. Section 5 inspections are full inspections that evaluate the overall effectiveness of a school. They are full inspections that evaluate the overall effectiveness of a school and are conducted every 5 years, but schools previously rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ may receive an ungraded inspection instead. Section 8 inspections are shorter and can be either graded or ungraded. They usually occur when there is evidence that a school may have improved or declined since the last inspection. They do not provide an overall effectiveness grade but evaluate specific areas of concern or improvement. Hillingdon received 34 inspections in the academic year 2024/25: School Inspected (inspection date order) Type of Inspection Type of setting Academy / Maintained Outcome The Willows School Section 5 Special Academy Quality of Education - Outstanding Leadership & Management - Outstanding Behaviour & Attitude - Outstanding Personal Development - Outstanding Northwood School Section 8 Secondary Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Outstanding) De Salis Studio College Section 8 Secondary Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Highfield Primary School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) BWI CofE Primary School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Ruislip Gardens Primary School Section 5 Primary Maintained Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Good Moorcroft School Section 8 Secondary Special Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Outstanding) Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 10 Nanaksar Primary School Section 8 Primary Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Whitehall Infant School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Uxbridge High School Section 5 Secondary Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Outstanding Coteford Junior School Section 8 Junior Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Grange Park Junior School Section 8 Junior Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) HRUC College College - Overall - Good Bishop Ramsey Church of England School Section 5 Secondary Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Good Hillside Junior School Section 5 Junior Maintained Quality of Education - RI Leadership & Management - RI Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Good Harlington School Section 5 Secondary Maintained Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Good Yeading Infant and Nursery School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Outstanding) Harlyn Primary School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Minet Junior School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Laurel Lane Primary School Section 5 Primary Academy Quality of Education - RI Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Good Vyners School Section 8 Secondary Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Outstanding) Hewens Primary School Section 5 Primary Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development - Outstanding West Drayton Academy Section 8 Primary Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Meadow High School Section 5 Secondary Special Maintained Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - RI Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development – Outstanding Sixth Form Provision - Outstanding The Global Academy Section 5 Secondary Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Outstanding Personal Development – Outstanding Sixth Form Provision - Outstanding Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 11 The Skills Hub Section 5 Alternative Provision Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development – Good Colham Manor Primary School Section 8 Primary Maintained Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) St Andrew's C of E Primary School Section 5 Primary Maintained Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development – Good Eary Years Provision - Good Grangewood School Section 8 Primary Special Academy Standards Maintained as previous inspection (previously Good) Hewens College Section 5 College Academy Quality of Education - RI Leadership & Management - Good Behaviour & Attitude - Good Personal Development – Good Sixth Form Provision - Good Pride Academy Section 5 Secondary Special Academy Quality of Education - Good Leadership & Management - Outstanding Behaviour & Attitude - Outstanding Personal Development – Outstanding Sixth Form Provision - Good Deanesfield Primary School Section 5 Primary Maintained Quality of Education - Outstanding Leadership & Management - Outstanding Behaviour & Attitude - Outstanding Personal Development – Outstanding Eary Years Provision – Outstanding Rabbsfarm Primary School Section 5 Primary Maintained Quality of Education - RI Leadership & Management - RI Behaviour & Attitude - RI Personal Development – Good Eary Years Provision – Good Park Academy West London Section 8 Secondary Academy Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the school need further improvement (previously RI) The Council is working with all schools requiring improvement, including academies when requested. Key Strengths & Challenges There were 8 schools (5 maintained, 3 academies) on the Council’s ‘Schools At Risk Register’ (SARR) at the end of 2024/25. This is a reduction of 1 on the previous year. The reasons schools could be at risk cover a range from: Ofsted inspection judgement is Requires Improvement (RI) or less in Quality of Education (or RI overall under old framework), poor pupil outcomes, leadership concerns (including governance), finance pressures, stakeholder complaints, amongst others. Analysis There is regular and robust information sharing between the Council Education Improvement team and officers from the London region of the Department for Education. Evidence based confidence Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 12 ratings are discussed for schools requiring improvement. The quality of information shared regarding all aspects of maintained or academy schools is strong. In 2024/25 a Three-Tier Support Model for categorising schools for prioritising education improvement support continued: • Self-Improving - schools with an Ofsted rating of ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ with no key areas of concern. • Targeted - schools with some key focus areas of improvement required, including schools which may be ‘Good’ but at risk. • Intensive - schools with an Ofsted rating of Requires Improvement or Inadequate and/or where significant support is required. This enabled the Education Improvement and Partnerships Team to focus their time supporting schools effectively with a package of support appropriately matched to the needs of the various settings in Hillingdon. Each maintained school is offered a range of universal support, including an annual education advisor visit, professional development opportunities led by the Hillingdon Learning Partnership or by the Education teams at the Council. Targeted and Intensive support schools receive regular, practical, school improvement visits to ensure there is swift progress on their improvement plans. This may involve brokering support or direct education adviser support. The support and challenge documentation used by Advisors established a clearer focus on the impact of the support given to the schools. A Support Plan was used for settings in the Targeted or Intensive support categories. This support plan facilitates a commitment from both the Education Advisor and the school leaders to have a continued focus on the key individualised education improvement priorities and actions that are planned for the year ahead. Education Advisors completed a termly impact report to detail the impact of their support on the schools’ improvement journey. Collectively, these documents had a greater focus on holding Education Advisors and school leaders to account, as well as being a support mechanism for schools, enabling them to share clear evidence of progress with relevant external agencies. Progress Against Education Priority One: • We believe there is a comprehensive level of support to schools to meet their needs and priorities. This is provided by the wider Hillingdon Education Team. There is a robust universal support offer for all schools and settings 0-18, delivered by the Council teams, Hillingdon Learning Partnership and other providers. In addition, there is a broad offer of support from Health, Social care, Youth Justice and other teams to meet needs in education settings. The impact of this is seen in the very low numbers of PVIs that require additional intervention, and in the reduction of schools causing concern over the last year. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 13 Priority 2: Preparation for Adulthood School Place Planning School Place Planning (SPP ) is reported annually via the School Organisation Plan for Hillingdon which presents: • An overview of the education landscape in Hillingdon • A summary of current pupil numbers and projected demand in primary and secondary phases, including specialist provision • Options in place for the Council to consider when determining the need to increase or reduce school places To access the School Organisation Plan 2025, please click here. School Placements & Admissions Primary School Places • Hillingdon remained the top ranked London local authority on Primary National Offer Day, with 91.51 per cent of children being awarded their first-choice primary school place. • Figures released by the PAN London Admissions Board show that the council has once again exceeded the London average of 87.92 per cent to give 3,169 pupils their first choice of primary school. • Hillingdon also achieved best in West London for applicants being offered one of their top three preference schools at 98.18 per cent, compared to PAN London at 96.6 per cent. • The council received 3,463 primary school applications, with 98.61 per cent allocated a school of their preference, which is also higher than the London average of 97.9 per cent. Secondary School Places • Hillingdon council received 3,626 applications for entry into secondary school for September 2025. • On National Offer Day every Hillingdon child or young person was offered a secondary school place. • From those, 94 per cent were offered one of their top schools, with 67 per cent of pupils receiving their first choice and 88 per cent offered one of their top three schools. Fair Access The In Year Fair Access Panel (IYFAP) has continued to be effective in its duty to ensure that outside the normal admissions round - unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are found and offered a place quickly, so that the amount of time any child is out of school is kept to the minimum. We continue to see a minimal number of primary aged referrals considered by the Fair Access Panel. This is due to strong communication between the LA, school admissions officers and sufficient place planning. The LA are also grateful to our schools for their support with Year 11 pupils being placed in mainstream schools. The Panel is effective in ensuring that every child receives the best possible education in line with statutory guidance. Below is a summary of the referrals made via the IYFAP: ● 1 primary referral to the IYFAP compared to 2 primary referrals in 2023-2024 ● 42% decrease – 76 total number of placements by the IYFAP in comparison to the academic year 2023-2024 where there were 132 placements. ● 46 Year 11 aged children were referred to the panel, and this was 61% of the total placements. ● IYFAP placements in 2024-2025 - 74% of placements were for children residing in the south of the borough Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 14 ● 40% of the placements have been for ‘Children who have been out of education for four or more weeks where it can be demonstrated that there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance of their home. This does not include circumstances where a suitable place has been offered to a child, and this has not been accepted’. These statistics include July’s placements (15); however, the children did not start until the following academic year (2024/25). Year 11 The general expectation is that mainstream education will be inclusive and that pupils with a wide range of needs will be able to access a mainstream school place. However, in recognition of the greater challenges for pupils in Year 11 who were seeking a new school where they are nearing post- compulsory school age, pupils were offered a place at Hillingdon’s Interim Provision, subject to availability. If a school place was required, the case was considered against the eligibility list for referral as a Fair Access placement. If eligibility was met , the applicant was allocated a placement through the Fair Access Panel. Placements The table below show the Fair Access placements from September 2024 - July 2025, it also indicates where in the borough pupils were residing. For secondary schools, the north of the borough is determined as above the A40, and south as below the A40, primary schools are determined by planning areas. These referrals reflect all pupils that were taken to the panel, some pupils were not placed but have been included in the referrals. Secondary referrals Year Group Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 North South Total per year 2 5 11 15 42 9 66 Total 75 75 Primary referrals Year Group Reception Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 North South Total per year 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Total 1 Referral Reason Below is a breakdown of the reasons each referral was made to the IYFAP. The additional eligible categories have not been included as there were no referrals. The highest number of referrals in the Secondary phase were made for children that had been out of education for 2 or more months and children of Gypsies, Roma, Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers. Referral Reason Total Number of Students Children in alternative provision who need to be reintegrated into mainstream education or who have been permanently excluded but are deemed suitable for mainstream education. 9 Children who have been out of education for four or more weeks where it can be demonstrated that there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance of their home. This does not include circumstances where a suitable place has been offered to a child, and this has not been accepted 36 Children for whom a place has not been sought due to exceptional circumstances 3 Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 15 Children of Gypsies, Roma, Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers 15 Children either subject to a CIN or a CP Plan or having had a CIN or a CP Plan within 12 months 9 Children from the criminal justice system 1 Children with SEN (without an EHCP) 3 Total 76 Place Planning Areas Of the 75 secondary school placements made through Fair Access, 66 children lived in the South of the borough and 9 children lived in the North of the borough. 92% of the children placed through Fair Access lived in the South. The panel are mindful of the volume of pupils residing in the south of the borough and will try to allocate a school in the north of the borough where a journey is deemed within a reasonable distance. Alternatively, if a parent has added a school as a preference which is within the north of the borough, the panel will look to allocate this school. This assists with equal distribution and can justify the panel’s decision for allocating a school not within a reasonable distance. Comparison with Previous Academic Years Below is a comparison of the number of In Year Fair Access Panel placements made this year in comparison to the last three academic years. 2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025 Month Primary Secondary Total Primary Secondary Total Primary Secondary Total September 0 19 19 0 21 21 0 17 17 October 0 24 24 0 14 14 0 8 8 November 0 32 32 0 14 14 0 6 6 December 0 29 29 0 10 10 0 12 12 January 0 25 25 0 18 18 0 7 7 February 0 14 14 1 12 13 0 8 8 March 0 22 22 0 7 7 0 4 4 April 0 16 16 1 13 14 0 6 6 Appeals Our current Fair Access Policy provides schools with 5 days to contact us and supply factual evidence that to admit additional children would prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at their school. We will also consider information that we may not be aware of at the time of placement that may evidence the suitability of the placement and whether this would be in the best interests of the child. We received 9 appeals in the academic year 2024/25 from schools against placements. Of the 9 appeals that we received: • 6 placements were pursued at the allocated school. • 1 pupil was allocated an alternative school • 2 placements were withdrawn Interim Provision • The Interim provision has 10 places available at any one time. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 16 • 57 pupils were referred to the Interim Provision in 2024/25. Of this cohort, pupils have come from 15 different countries, speaking 10 different languages. • Of the 57 pupils, 10 were Looked After Children and 5 were on Child Protection plans. This was 26% of the Interim cohort. • All this year’s cohorts have been successfully placed at a school as an outcome of the FAP, moved on through the NTS programme, accessing an alternative setting, left as they were no longer statutory school age or moved out of the country/borough. • The provision also provided extra support to pupils when a school was not allocated through the panel, or the pupil was at a point in year 11 where it was unreasonable to place them at a school. They supported a pupil who was going through an Education, Health and Care Plan Needs Assessment, and Post 16 support for a pupil with Special Educational Needs. Outcomes for Vulnerable Children and Young People • Schools are beginning to utilise Vulnerable Learners Clinics (VLC) more effectively to prevent escalation. • Decrease in NEET with EHCPs by over 3% from last year (SEN2 data). • 13% Increase in uptake of Supported Internships - 16% of post 16 phase transfer cohort for September 25 is in supported internship compared to 3% last year • More young people with EHCPs remain in their Hillingdon community - 87.9% of post 16 phase transfer cohort is placed in-borough compared to 21.6% last year • The number of ceased plans due to needs being met without the need for ongoing EHCP support, as well as those ceased because the young person has moved into higher education or entered paid employment, has increased by over 100% across all three categories compared with last year’s data. • Mainstream placement of pupils with EHCPs has risen significantly from 43% in 23/24 to 46% in 24/25 (SEN2 data) and now being at 52% as of January 2026. The OAP guidance with checklists has been reviewed and training workshops for schools are in place. • Increase in newly developed placements in Specialist Resource Provisions (SRPs) reflects growing expertise and improved inclusive practice in mainstream setting. • Young People’s Voice is at the heart of all SEND initiatives, Aim High Youth Forum is actively engaging in many projects providing feedback and coproducing, where appropriate. • Social care and education are working more closely on early identification of needs , early intervention, and reducing unnecessary criminalisation. • Schools receiving support from SEND Advisory Service (SAS) reported notable increases in staff confidence, rising from an average of 4.2 to 4.5, with high satisfaction levels (4.6) and strong confidence in sustaining new strategies. Universal SAS training also demonstrated significant gains, with confidence improving by 2 points across 212 delegates. • SEND Reviews continue to drive meaningful school development, with settings progressing from an average baseline score of 0.16 to 1.4 within a year, highlighting strengthened inclusion practice borough wide. • The PINS programme further evidences substantial value-added impact, with London Borough of Hillingdon schools reporting confidence gains of 33– 56% across key domains, and London Borough of Harrow demonstrating similarly strong improvements, particularly within environment and communication domains. Collectively, the data demonstrates increasing consistency, strengthened inclusive practice, and measurable improvements in school capability and confidence. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 17 Contextual Factors Which Support Children with SEND The Hillingdon SEND and AP Partnership has strengthened the contextual conditions needed to support children with SEND by investing in earlier identification, creating specialist capacity, robust statutory processes and clear financial mechanisms of support. The continued rise in requests for EHCNAs , from 481 to 511 this year , indicates growing levels of need and highlights that schools increasingly require additional support and expertise to meet pupils’ needs effectively. This trend reinforces the importance of strong strategic leadership and well- designed early help pathways. Positively, 59 schools are engaging proactively with Educational Psychology traded service which has received good feedback, and the training programme has been reviewed and strengthened to reflect this feedback ensuring it is even more closely aligned with what schools have asked for. This collective progress demonstrates a growing commitment across the system to strengthening early identification, promoting inclusive practice, and building the capacity needed to respond to rising levels of need effectively. The launch of the Emotional School Based Non Attendance (EBSNA) Response and Outreach Service (EROS) project introduces a more responsive structure for recognising Emotional Based School Non-Attendance at the earliest stage, helping prevent entrenched patterns of non-attendance and reducing the long-term risks associated with persistent absence. Targeted expertise, particularly through the EHCP Plus T eam and the Specialist EP for SEMH/Behaviour , further builds system capacity, ensuring that children with the most complex needs receive timely, specialist input. Despite increasing demand, statutory performance remains strong, with 82.5% of psychological advice delivered within the six-week timeframe. A consistent commitment to early intervention and identification is evident across multiple Ambition Group updates, including the ongoing implementation of the Early Intervention (EI) Toolkit and work to coproduce Support Information Guidance for families awaiting neurodiversity assessments, The focus is on developing an Inclusion Framework and to improve transition processes through specialist inclusion projects (Adaptive Curriculum & Teaching, EBSNA protocol, and Accessibility Strategy) and enhanced oversight of parttime timetables. The Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) project has been running across Hillingdon and Harrow, supporting over 20 mainstream schools to strengthen their graduated response for neurodiverse pupils. The work includes coaching, envir onmental audits, adaptive teaching training, SENCO collaboration, parent engagement, and multiagency working. The project has been extended for another year as it demonstrated positive impact, including mindset shifts in schools, improved universal strategies, and enhanced coproduction with parents. The Partnership has undertaken significant strategic work to redesign both mainstream and special school banding, ensuring funding levels more accurately reflect assessed need and the graduated approach to provision. Through refreshed frameworks, clear descriptors, and updated band structure, partners have established a consistent borough-wide approach. This work has been shaped through ongoing coproduction with schools, SEND services, health partners, and parent forums to ensure the system is fair, equitable, and transparent for families and professionals. Additionally, there is a strong focus on quality assurance through the development of QA framework for EHCPs, statutory advice templates, and guidance on writing statutory advice. There are further Local Offer improvements, and multiagency training opportunities for schools and partners which strengthen practice consistency across the system and ensures the needs of children with SEND are responded to promptly and equitably. Collectively, strong joint governance, effective early help arrangements, clear and strengthened support pathways, consistent expectations for inclusive Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 18 practice, and ongoing workforce and quality improvement create the conditions for the Local Partnership to deliver high quality, preventative, child centred SEND support. Shared multiagency training further enhances consistency and collaboration across schools and partner organisations. Priorities for Children with SEND in Hillingdon 2025/26 The Hillingdon Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2023- 2028 clearly defined ambitions: Ambition 1: The right support, at the right time, in the right place Ambition 2: Fully inclusive education for all Ambition 3: Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon’s children and young people Ambition 4: Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community Ambition 5: There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children to access Alternative Provision The priorities for CYP with SEND in Hillingdon for 2025/26 are based on the above ambitions. Early Intervention & Identification • Strengthen and refine the early intervention offer, including updated EI toolkit and joint EP/SAS support to schools. • Improve early identification, statutory assessment processes and Annual Review quality through new templates, QA framework and better multiagency coordination. • Develop clear “waiting well” information and support for families awaiting neurodiversity assessments. • Improve data systems (EHM/EYES) to track Annual Reviews, early years notifications and developmental concerns. Improving the Quality of EHCPs & SEND Support • Implement and embed the new EHCP QA Framework, updated templates, and audits. • Strengthen Annual Review processes and expertise within the SEND and Inclusion services through further workforce training and development. • Improve outcome recording for EHCPs and My Support Plans, ensuring SMART outcomes and consistent quality. • Continue developing training for schools as per their needs and in line with upcoming SEND reforms. Inclusive Education & Support to Settings • Continue improving the Local Offer (HELLO) with ongoing updates, coproduction and steering group oversight. • Continue developing and implement the Inclusion Consistency Framework, including protocols on EBSNA, parttime timetables, adaptive teaching and accessibility. • Continue offering support for SEND for schools through various projects like PINS, EROS, CAAS Transition Project and support offer through SEND Inclusion Teams (EHCP Plus, SAS, EPS). Provision & Sufficiency • Expand local SEND provision, including additional secondary SRPs, DUs and post 16 pathways. • Complete QA model for SRPs/DUs and carry out reviews across all settings. • Continue development of secondary and FE specialist provision. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 19 • Continue implementation of the updated banding models (mainstream and special schools) through liaison meetings with schools. • Review SEND Sufficiency Strategy and publish Admission Guidance to Specialist Provision. Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) • Finalise and publish the PfA Strategy, including a young people’s version. • Embed PfA across newly reviewed Annual Review Templates, QA framework and training. • Strengthen further multiagency transition planning through reviewed Transition Panel. • Further expand supported internships, develop more vocational pathways where possible, and improve Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) support from Year 9 onwards. SEMH & Mental Health Support • Develop a local SEMH Inclusion Commitment with schools, health and education partners. • Support the development and launch of the Thrive directory for SEMH support. • Implement the new EBSNA Response and Outreach Service (EROS). • Build EHCP Plus multidisciplinary support for CYP with complex SEMH needs. Participation, Voice & Coproduction • Continue strengthening CYP voice through SEND Youth Forum, involvement in governance, and “Walking in Our Shoes” work. • Launch the Coproduction Charter at the AfA Inclusion Conference in March 2026. • Continue largescale parent/carer engagement events and feedback loops to shape services. Alternative Provision (AP) & Vulnerable Learners • Finalise and promote the three tier AP system and develop a LEAP AP hub. • Reduce exclusions through updated guidance, increased early intervention (VLC), and improved AP commissioning. • Strengthen reintegration pathways with clear TAC plans, support plans in SLAs and progress metrics. • Expand the AP directory and broaden age appropriate pathways to reduce reliance on tuition. Looked After Children Attainment and Progress Summary EYFS The EYFS cohort consisted of five children for this academic year, all of whom count towards the national indicator. Of this national indicator group, 0% made a GLD across the prime areas and across all the ELGs. Within this group, all children were Indigenous, all five had SEND with EHCPs and two resided in Hillingdon. All five children identified as having SEND with EHCPs already in place. One child was placed at a specialist setting; one child was set to transition to a specialist setting for September 2025 and two others were making the transition to a mainstream setting with specialist resource provisions (SRP) attached to the school which will support the children’s special education needs. Whilst the reception-aged cohort this academic year did not meet age-related expectations at the end of the EYFS, they were shown to be making increased progress from their starting points across all 17 Early Learning Goals. On average, the proportion of children making expected progress increased by an average of 0.44 across the academic year, indicating positive impact of the support and provision in place for these children. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 20 Key Stage 1 There were ten children who completed Key Stage 1 in July 2025; within the cohort seven of the children had a SEND, all were Indigenous and three were residing in Hillingdon. Of the ten children in this cohort, seven were in the national indicator. Of these, the Virtual School had expected 17% to achieve Age Related Expectations (ARE) in Reading, Writing and Maths (RWM) based on their starting points from EYFS. Based on their SATs results and end -of-year teacher assessment, 14% achieved ARE in Reading, Writ ing and Maths; there was a change in cohort with some children leaving care throughout the year which accounts for a 3% change in the original Virtual School target set in the Autumn of 17%. The chart below shows the percentage of Key Stage 1 children who achieved the expected standard in each curriculum area compared to the targets for the year. Key Sage 1 predictions are based on EYFS Profile outcomes, with the assumption that children achieving ‘Expected’ in EYFS would continue to meet expected standards at Key Stage 1. However, several factors significantly affected this cohort’s progress. For example, three children experienced placement or adoption breakdowns during Years 1 and 2, which disrupted their learning and emotional stability. Source: Internal data Key Stage 2 There were ten children who completed Key Stage 2 in July 2025. Within the cohort, five had an EHCP and one was receiving SEN Support, three were residing in Hillingdon and all were Indigenous. Nine of the children were in the national indicator. The Virtual School had expected 33% of this cohort to achieve ARE in RWM at the end of the academic year, based on their Key Stage 1 attainment results. Based on their SATs results, 22% of this cohort met ARE in Reading, Writing and Maths. There were two students who made above their expected progress from KS1 to KS2 in Reading and Maths. The chart below shows how our Key Stage 2 children achieved in each curriculum area compared to the targets for the year. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 21 Source: Internal data Key Stage 4 The Virtual School would ordinarily report on Progress 8 as a key accountability measure; however, this is not possible for the 2025 cohort as these students did not sit their Key Stage 2 SATs due to COVID-19 disruptions. As a result, there is no baseline data available to calculate Progress 8 scores. The chart below shows how our children performed at Key Stage 4. The average Attainment 8 score was 29. Source: Internal data Several students demonstrated accelerated progress, and overall attainment outcomes suggest Hillingdon’s Cared for Children continue to perform positively at the end of Key Stage 4, enabling successful transitions into further education or training. EBacc entry remains low, with only one student entered for the full qualification. A notable gap persists in entries for modern foreign languages. The Virtual School continues to work with schools to encourage students, particularly those with English as an additional language, to sit GCSEs in their first language where appropriate. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 22 This year, three students achieved grade 6 or above in French, Urdu and Arabic GCSEs which are their first languages. Among those who completed Level 2 exams: • 46% were receiving SEN support or had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). • 23% achieved a grade 5 or above in both English Language and Maths (standard pass benchmark). • 54% achieved grade 4 or above in Maths and 23% did so in English Language. Key Stage 5 During the 2024/25 academic year, the Virtual School supported a total of 293 post-16 learners. This included 135 students in Year 12, of whom 35 either left care or moved under the National Transfer Scheme during the year. In Year 13, the team supported 158 learners, most of whom turned 18 or transitioned via the National Transfer scheme. 4% of the cohort were enrolled on Level 3 programmes. The majority were engaged in further education pathways including ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Functional Skills, BTEC, GCSEs (Entry Level to Level 2), and apprenticeships. Among national indicator learners who had not achieved a grade 4 or above in English and Maths by the end of Year 11, 6% went on to secure both qualifications by the end of Year 12 or 13. Improving outcomes in these core subjects remains a key priority for 2025/26, with targeted support initiatives planned to accelerate progress. Of the eight learners enrolled in the second year of a Level 3 programme, five (63%) successfully completed their final year. Three progressed to university, securing places at the University of Newcastle, University of Plymouth, and University of Greenwich. The remaining two transitioned directly into employment. Looked After Children Educational Engagement Summary Attendance and Exclusions Over recent years professionals have recognised that Emotionally Based School Non- Attendance (EBSNA) has increased, especially amongst vulnerable learners. The Virtual School team has developed a strong resource bank including external professionals, who c an support building confidence and self -esteem for this cohort. This includes a Boxing Mentor and a Behaviour Consultant. Hillingdon Virtual School were also able to re- commission mentoring support through Power 2; this provides a valuable direct service to looked after children. The graph below shows the average attendance of our statutory school aged looked after cohort across the academic year. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 23 Source: Internal data During the academic year, 11 looked after children received a suspension while in care, resulting in a total loss of 76 learning days. Source: Internal data There has been effective collaboration between the Virtual School Team and wider Education colleagues, including Access to Education and the Exclusion Support Team, aimed at reducing suspensions among vulnerable learners. Consequently, the number of looked after children receiving one or more suspensions has decreased from 15 to 11 this year. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 24 Source: Internal data In the 2024 -25 academic year, two Permanent Exclusions were issued to looked after children in Hillingdon. Both decisions were robustly challenged, with Virtual School representatives attending the respective Governors’ Meetings. As a result, one exclusion was overturned, while the other was upheld. For the child whose exclusion was upheld, a tailored education package was swiftly put in place, enabling her to continue learning and successfully complete a full suite of GCSEs. Pupil Premium Plus was utilised in this package. Looked After Children Who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) Reducing the number of NEET children within Hillingdon’s looked after child population remains a high priority. Each year, the Virtual School works proactively to secure meaningful post -16 destinations for as many children as possible. This includes targeted support before and after Key Stage 4 results day, multi -agency coordination, and bespoke interventions for those at risk of becoming NEET. The table below outlines NEET trends over the past four academic years: 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-5 NEET Average % 10.09 17 20 22 Minimum % 10 13 15 10 Maximum % 15 23 25 25 Among Hillingdon’s looked after children who remained NEET for two or more terms, a recurring theme was the presence of significant social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) needs, often alongside increased vulnerability to Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE). In response, the Virtual School team continued its partnership with the Sweet Science Foundation’s boxing mentorship programme, which offers intensive, tailored support to those most at risk. Each term, four persistently NEET children were enrolled in a structured initiative delivered twice weekly, pairing them with a dedicated boxing mentor -coach. The programme focused on building resilience, discipline, and positive engagement through sport and trusted relationships. Outcomes were encouraging with over half of participants transitioning into education, employment, or training, while the remainder showed clear progress toward EET readiness. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 25 Elective Home Education Elective Home Education (EHE ) is a right for all parents to provide education for their children at home, or elsewhere, which does not involve them being registered on a school’s roll. During academic year 2024/25, Hillingdon’s EHE team worked with 662 children in receipt of Elective Home Education. This increase follows a trend which has been noted over recent years. Source: internal data Whilst data for this academic year has not yet been published, the graph below shows how Hillingdon’s numbers of children in receipt of EHE compares to other Outer London boroughs and England. Source: DfE data: EHE in England. 2023/24 This data highlights that Hillingdon’s rate of children in receipt of EHE has remained largely stable and has not risen at the same rate as figures nationally. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 26 During academic year 2024/25, Hillingdon processed a total of 267 referrals for children receiving EHE. 70 of these were referred by primary schools and 140 were referred by secondary schools. The remaining referrals were received from other professionals or directly from parents. The chart below shows the reasons stated for choosing EHE by parents for the referrals received during this academic year. Source: internal data The most common reason for an EHE referral in Hillingdon was related to mental health followed by lifestyle choice. A focus for the team in the next academic year will be to try to reduce the number of parents who choose not to share their reasons for EHE so a greater understanding of the cohort can be built. Over the last academic year, the Elective Home Education team has continued to meet the local authority’s statutory responsibilities by ensuring that children educated at home are identified, remain visible and are subject to appropriate oversight. Clear processes, consistent decision‑ making and strengthened recording and tracking have supported the authority in assuring itself of the suitability of education arrangements and responding appropriately where this could not be evidenced. The team has adopted a proportionate approach that combines constructive engagement with appropriate challenge, supporting the early identification of concerns and effective joint working with schools and partner agencies. This has strengthened the authority’s ability to safeguard children educated otherwise than at school and to promote their educational wellbeing, while informing ongoing service development in response to an increasingly complex cohort. Children Missing Education The Local Authority has a duty to identify children not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education. All Local Authorities should have robust policies and procedures in place to enable them to meet their duty in relation to these children, including ensuring there are effective tracking and enquiring systems in place. Children Missing Education (CME) are categorised as follows: • A child of statutory school age (5-16) not on roll at a registered school. • A child allocated a place at a school but has not attended. • A child listed as being educated at home but not receiving an education. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 27 During academic year 2024/25, Hillingdon processed a total of 805 referrals for children missing education. 277 of these were referred by primary schools and 209 were referred by secondary schools. The chart below shows the breakdown of referrals received across the year. Source: Internal data The chart below shows the number of referrals received over the last five years. Whilst numbers are largely consistent, they are decreasing slightly in more recent years. This could be attributable to the strengthened partnership working and increased trai ning being offered to ensure schools are conducting all reasonable checks themselves before making a referral. Source: Internal data During academic year 2024/25, Hillingdon closed 698 cases of children missing education. The chart below shows the number of closures made over the last five years, the decline of which is in line with the overall decline in the numbers of CME known to the team. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 28 Source: Internal data Through the operation of clear enquiry pathways and robust tracking arrangements, the Children Missing Education (CME) team has maintained effective oversight of children not accessing suitable education over the last academic year. Consistent case managem ent and timely follow ‑up have enabled the local authority to meet its statutory duty to identify children missing education, establish their circumstances and support their return to appropriate provision wherever possible. Improved partnership working and targeted training for schools have strengthened understanding of CME responsibilities and improved the quality of referrals, contributing to a gradual reduction in CME numbers and sustained case closure rates. This approach has reinforced shared accountability, supported earlier resolution of cases and strengthened the authority’s ability to safeguard children and secure their access to education. . Absence 2024/25 saw the biggest year -on-year improvement nationally in a decade with over 5 million additional school days last year and 140,000 fewer children were persistently absent. The attendance rates in the chart below outlines the percentage point (PP) inc reases nationally and for Hillingdon where figures have continued to rise following the Covid 19 aftermath. Challenges remain with severe absence nationally being on an upward trajectory, especially amongst vulnerable groups, with FSM and SEND pupils being disproportionately affected highlighting the requirement for targeted support and early intervention. Hilli ngdon data for 2024/25 tracks -0.20% behind the national figure of 6.90% for overall absence, - 0.30% for persistent absence and - 0.54% for severe absence as shown in the chart below. Standards of Education in Hillingdon 2024-25 Report Page 29 Support to schools is provided by the Attendance Support Team to promote and maintain good school attendance. Core statutory duties are delivered through a combination of activities and interventions that include: • Monitoring and Analysis of Attendance Data: tracking and analysing local attendance data to identify trends and areas for improvement. • Communication and Advice: bringing schools together to share consistent messages, offer professional advice and promote best practice across the borough. • Targeted Support Meetings (TSMs): hosting regular meetings with all schools, using attendance data to identify at-risk pupils and cohorts: together, developing and agreeing on targeted actions to improve attendance outcomes. • Multi-Agency and Family Support: collaboration with other local authority teams and community services to provide holistic, joined-up support for families in need. • Legal Intervention: where necessary, we uphold attendance legislation by issuing Penalty Notices and pursuing prosecutions in cases of persistent non-attendance. The above provides challenge and support to schools to ensure optimum levels of attendance and support to vulnerable cohorts. Exclusions During academic year 2024/25, Hillingdon’s Exclusions and Reintegration team received a total of 44 permanent exclusions. 39 of these were issued by Hillingdon schools and four were from out of borough (OOB) schools but the child was resident in Hillingdon. Of the 44 permanent exclusions, 11 were either rescinded or retracted by the school, meaning Hillingdon recorded a total of 33 exclusions for this academic year. The number of permanent exclusions issued this year has, therefore, decreased by 23% compared to the previous year and is the lowest rate ever recorded in Hillingdon, including during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public UPDATE ON SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY (SEND) AND ALTERNATIVE PROVISION (AP) STRATEGY 2023 -2028 – MARCH 2026 Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Officer reporting Abi Preston – Director of Education & SEND Dominika Michalik – Assistant Director of SEND & Inclusion Kathryn Angelini – Assistant Director for Education Papers with report Appendix A – Hillingdon Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy for Children and Young People 0-25 years 2023 - 2028 Strategy Appendix B – The Hillingdon SEND Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan Appendix C – SEPB Highlight Report January 2026 Ward All HEADLINES The purpose of the report is to provide the Select Committee for Children, Families and Education with an update on Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy 2023-2028 which has been published three years ago. The strategy sets out how Hillingdon Local Area Partnership continues to develop and strengthen the local SEND and AP offer over the five-year period, delivering our shared vision for Hillingdon to be a place where children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision, and their families, are supported to lead happy and fulfilled lives from early years through adolescence into adulthood, within communities that understand and include them. RECOMMENDATION That the Select Committee notes the update. SUPPORTING INFORMATION Background information The Hillingdon SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy 20 23–2028, launched in December 2023, is now in its third year of implementation and continues to provide the overarching framework for SEND improvement across the local area. The Strategy was coproduced with children and young people, families, schools, the Hillingdon Parent Carer Forum (HPCF), health partners (ICB), voluntary and community organisations, and the Local Authority, reflecting a shared commitment to inclusive practice and improved outcomes. The vision remains for Hillingdon to be a place where children and young people with SEND and those who access Alternative Provision are supported to lead happy, fulfilled lives in inclusive communities, with the right support provided at the right time and in the right place. The Strategy also supported in the last three years the borough’s wider responsibilities, including delivery of the Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public DSG Safety Valve Agreement, by strengthening early intervention, improving mainstream inclusion and ensuring a more sustainable SEND system. SEND & AP Strategy Governance Governance arrangements for the SEND & AP Strategy are well established and embedded. Delivery is structured around multi-agency Ambition Groups aligned to the Strategy’s five ambitions, supported by dedicated project working groups responsible for drivi ng specific areas of delivery. Clear oversight and challenge are provided through the SEND Operational Group (SOG), with strategic leadership and accountability resting with the SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB). This governance model is operating effectively and provides clear lines of responsibility, escalation and assurance. It enables partners to monitor progress of each ambition, address risks and ensure that improvement activity remains focused on outcomes for children and young people. Recent SEPB Highlight Reports, including January 2026, confirm that delivery remains on track, with actions progressing as planned and strong evidence of collaborative system leadership. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission undertook a joint inspection of Hillingdon’s Local Area Partnership between 29 April and 3 May 2024. The inspection identified inconsistencies in experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND; however, inspectors also highlighted the partnership’s robust self-evaluation, high ambition and strong multiagency working. Importantly, the inspection recognised that the SEND and AP Strategy had been developed and launched shortly before the inspection and that its priorities were closely aligned with the areas for Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public improvement identified. This provided a strong and credible foundation for post inspection improvement planning. The inspection identified four key areas for improvement, relating to:  Strengthening multi-agency quality assurance of EHCPs and annual reviews  Improving information sharing and the use of data across the partnership  Further developing workforce confidence and capability across education, health and social care  Improving Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) outcomes These priorities are directly reflected within the Strategy’s ambitions and workstreams and are now being taken forward through structured improvement activity. Improvement Plan and Ongoing Progress Following the inspection, the partnership published the Hillingdon Local Area SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan 2024 –2028 in November 2024. The Improvement Plan operationalises the Strategy, setting out clear actions, milestones and success measures while maintaining the original strategic ambitions. Implementation continues through exi sting governance arrangements, with Ambition Groups, project working groups, SOG and SEPB collectively ensuring oversight, pace and accountability. The alignment between the Strategy, the Improvement Plan and national SEND reform provides a coherent and resilient framework for sustained improvement. Alignment with the National SEND White Paper (2026) Hillingdon’s SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Strategy is closely aligned with the Government’s Schools White Paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving (February 2026) and the emerging SEND reform proposals. This alignment is reflected not just in ambition but in delivery, as evidenced through the actions and progress set out in the SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan and routinely monitored through the SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB). A central theme of the White Paper is earlier identification and timely intervention, particularly in the early years. In Hillingdon, this is being actively progressed through SEPB reported actions including the strengthening of early years SEND pathways, the rollout of the Early Identification Toolkit via LEAP and the Local Offer, and a clearer graduated response supported by SEND reviews and pre- statutory support pathways. These measures are designed to ensure children receive support at the earliest opportunity, reducing escalation and improving long term outcomes. The White Paper’s focus on inclusive mainstream education strongly aligns with Ambition 2 of Hillingdon’s SEND & AP Strategy and is a consistent priority within SEPB oversight. Local actions include the development of clearer Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) guidance, the Inclusion Consistency Framework, peer support and challenge through the Inclusion Network, and targeted workforce development. Together, these actions support schools and settings to take greater ownership of inclusion and deliver more consistent practice across the borough. National reform also seeks to reduce overreliance on EHCPs by strengthening universal and targeted support. In Hillingdon, SEPB has overseen a programme of activity including expanded SEND reviews, early intervention funding, outreach offer development , bespoke advisory and training models, and a strengthened SEN Support offer through PINS Pilot Programme, OAP Workshops, Language Link offer and CAAS (Centre for ADHD and Autism) Transition Support Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Project. These actions aim to meet needs earlier and more effectively, reducing unnecessary escalation to statutory processes while maintaining confidence in decision-making. Improving system navigation and transparency for families is another key feature of the White Paper. Locally, this is being addressed through the redevelopment of the Local Offer (HELLO – Hillingdon Empowering Lives Local Offer), coproduced guidance documents and health directory as well as the continued role of Parent Carer Forum involvement in all Ambition Groups work . These improvements, reported through SEPB, are intended to provide clearer, more accessible information and improve families’ experience of the SEND system. Workforce capability across education, health and social care is a further shared priority. SEPB reported actions include the expansion of the partnership training offer, the Inclusion Network, and strengthened educational psychology and therapy pathways, supporting a more confident and skilled workforce across the local area. Preparation for adulthood and improved Post 16 outcomes also align closely with both national reform and Ambition 4 of the local strategy. Progress reported to SEPB includes strengthened Preparation for Adulthood pathways, high number of supported internships, improved transitions planning, and continued coproduction with young people to ensure their voices shape services and support. Finally, the White Paper’s emphasis on financial sustainability and system efficiency aligns with Hillingdon’s DSG Safety Valve commitments delivery. SEPB continues to oversee key actions including sufficiency planning, reform of the banding framework, expansion of local provision, and a sustained focus on reducing reliance on high-cost independent non -maintained speci alist placements, ensuring that improvements to inclusion and outcomes are delivered within a sustainable local system. Overall, the SEND & AP Strategy, underpinned by effective multiagency governance and strong partnership leadership, provides a robust response to inspection findings and national reform, with demonstrable progress in improving systems, practice and outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Hillingdon. Strategy Implementation through Ambition Groups The five ambitions outlined in our SEND and AP Strategy 2023-2028 focus on the delivery of local area services for children and young people with SEND and their families are:  The right support, at the right time, in the right place We will improve children's and parents' experienc e of the SEND system by delivering the right support in the right place at the right time.  Fully inclusive education for all We will support all schools and settings in Hillingdon to be inclusive and welcome children and young people with SEND.  Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon's children and young people We will deliver a new, ambitious, and innovative provision that enables children and young people with SEND to receive excellent education in their local community.  Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public We will enable all children and young people to achieve independence, take part in activities they want to be part of, build good relationships and have meaningful outcomes in adulthood.  There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children to access alternative provision We will create a 3 -tiered model for alternative provision that offers flexible interventions and supports children back into mainstream where possible. Ambition 1 - The right support, at the right time, in the right place Objective 1: Review and refine early intervention offer  Early Identification Toolkit completed, published on LEAP website for schools and the HELLO Local Offer, with training developed alongside the My Support Plan -positive feedback.  Support Information Guidance for families awaiting neurodiverse assessments co -produced with PCF input, commissioned via Family Hubs and Children’s Centres, with QR code access through the Local Offer and sharing at first CDC contact.  Parent information events delivered ( second event took place January 2026) with high engagement and multiagency input, responding directly to parent survey . Feedback comments included: o “The event was excellent. I learned about services I didn’t know existed and will keep attending to find the right support for my daughter.”, o “Very good presentations. Everything was clear and easy to understand.”, o “The event was very useful in helping me understand how to access services for my son’s needs.”, o “I really appreciated the event, learned a lot, and will attend future events.”, o “The information provided was relevant to my enquiry.”  Strong progress has been made with PINS 2 project moving from development into commissioning and delivery, informed by shared materials and joint work with four partner boroughs. Objective 2: Review and refine approaches to early identification, assessment and reviewing of EHCPs  QA Framework for EHCPs in final draft stage, developed through co-production, with robust templates in place and monthly audit cycles using Invision 360.  New Annual Review templates co -produced with schools, families and young people and moving into implementation.  SEND EHC Team workforce strengthened, including recruitment of additional Annual Review Coordinators and EHC Coordinators as well as Data Information Management Officer and additional Resolution Officer.  EYES system being implemented, supporting improved data capture and monitoring for SAS and EPS as well as other educational teams.  Improved processes for early years tracking and health notifications, reducing risk of children falling through the net (robust monthly EY Tracking Panel in place). Objective 3: Develop clear pathways for support and promote inclusive practice  Inclusion Network (formerly SENCO Forum) redesigned and embedded, with consistently positive feedback and increased peer mentoring. Inclusion Network sessions fully co-produced and themed in response to school feedback. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public  SEND Reviews and revisits expanded, with more schools participating and progress towards increased coverage.  Waiting Well pathways implemented, supported by the Care and Support Directory from health now live on the Local Offer.  Data sharing and dashboards progressed, including SEPB dashboard being in final draft stage and improved monitoring of statutory processes. Objective 4: Develop new collaborative agreement for Children’s Integrated Therapies  CITS collaborative agreement signed and in operation, with ongoing monitoring and joint problem-solving around delivery challenges (therapist shortages). Objective 5: Improve outcomes for children with EHCPs and SEND Support.  EHCP outcomes tracking configured in EHM database (met / partially met / not met).  My Support Plan for CYP on SEN Support reviewed and finalised collaboratively with settings to ensure it is fit for purpose. Graph 3. SEN Support % and Sen EHCP Support % by Census Return Children with SEND Support and EHCPs in mainstream have increased term on term since we launched the strategy. In Autumn 2024, 12.2% of our children and young people in mainstream settings were receiving SEND Support, and 2.8% of our children and young peo ple in mainstream settings were in receipt of an EHCP. In Autumn 2025, 12.7% were in receipt of SEND Support (national – 14.2%), up by 0.5%, and 3.1% were in receipt of an EHCP in mainstream schools, up by 0.3%. This evidences that more children and young people on SEN Support and with EHCPs are being educated in mainstream schools. There is still a significant difference between primary and secondary SEND children attending mainstream schools across the borough – primary children with EHCPs are currently at 3.3% (national – 3.5%) and secondary is 2.7% (national – 3.1%). Changes in SEND Support and EHCP levels in mainstream schools (based on Autumn census data for each year): Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public (Source - Annual Review v2. PBI report) 20-week timeframe: Following a refinement in methodology to closely align to SEN2 methodology, by excluding cases subject to mediation and tribunals, Hillingdon has demonstrated continued improvement in timeliness. 20-week performance increased from 66% in Calendar Year 2024 to 73% in 2025 for new EHCPs issued within 20 weeks. Hillingdon continues to perform significantly above the national average, where only 46.4% of new EHCPs were issued within 20 weeks in calendar year 2024. This positive position has been maintained despite a 9% increase in new assessment requests from last year and ongoing staffing challenges arising from vacancies, alongside a robust managerial approach to spend that has limited the use of agency cover. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Objective 6: Develop training opportunities across the partnership  Partnership training programme developed and rolling out, including OAP training, SEND finance workshops and EHCP/Annual Review processes. SAS and EPS training offer for schools refreshed, aligned to outcomes, banding and inclusive practice.  Designated Social Care Officer has been in post since October 2025 and working across agencies to support SEND social care function as well as developing the training offer across various social care teams, educational teams and educational settings. Ambition 2 - Fully inclusive education for all Objective 1: Promote Hillingdon’s approach to inclusion, including increasing uptake of SEND Reviews Hillingdon continues to promote a strong, systemwide approach to inclusion through the SEND Advisory Service (SAS), supporting schools to strengthen early identification and inclusive practice. The SEND Advisory Team works closely with schools to deliver SEND Reviews and the Inclusion Commitment programme, enabling settings to reflect on their SEND pract ice, identify areas for development, and implement timely, needs led support at SEND Support level. In line with the ambition focused on early intervention and reducing escalation to statutory processes, the Council is actively increasing the number of schools undertaking SEND Reviews, to an additional 12 school s. Schools proactively engaged through their linked SEND Advisor and Education Improvement colleagues, with targeted recommendations provided to support improvement. Schools that have completed SEND Reviews are encouraged to share learning and best practice through peer mentoring, the Inclusion Network, and wider partnership foru ms. This peer led model supports consistency, shared ownership, and collective improvement across the system. In addition, SAS training offer includes bespoke whole school training tailored to a setting’s identified needs, alongside universal training offers linked to ordinarily available provision and inclusive practice. The impact of SEND Reviews and associated training is monitored throughout the year, ensuring continuous improvement and alignment with SEND & AP Strategy ambitions for inclusive, sustainable practice. SEND Reviews: April 2024 – March 2025 School SEND Reviews completed Primary 11 Secondary 1 Top 3 next steps themes: Theme % OAP/QFT/Adaptive Teaching 88% Co-production with parent/carers 50% Meta-cognitive strategies 25% Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Progression towards next steps: 0 = None 1 = Partial progress 2 = completed  At the start of the SEND Review, schools scored an average of 0.16 out of 2  At the midterm review settings scored an average of 1.21 out of 2  At the one-year review settings scored an average of 1.4 out of 2. This indicates that SEND reviews are supporting the identification of school development needs and ensuring attention is directed towards making changes, thus resulting in positive progress scores. Data from 2024/25 shows that the services continue to have a positive impact. 44 permanent exclusions were issued, of which 11 were rescinded, leaving 33 upheld. This is the lowest number ever recorded in Hillingdon since 2017/18, including during the pandemic year. Of the upheld exclusions, 12 involved pupils with SEND (36%). Although this is a slight increase from the 11 SEND exclusions recorded in 2023/24, it remains broadly in line with the overall downward trend seen over recent years. Among the 12 pupils with SEND excluded in 2024/25, one had an EHCP and one was undergoing an EHC Needs Assessment (EHCNA), mirroring the profile seen in 2023/24, when one pupil with an EHCP was excluded. Improved multidisciplinary working continues to help prevent exclusions through earlier and more coordinated intervention. However, limited alternative provision especially for primary aged children remains a significant challenge, restricting early preventative options at a time when primary exclusions are rising locally and nationally. Work is under way to expand access to high‑quality alternative provision, particularly for younger pupils, supported by enhanced trauma ‑informed practice and targeted interventions to help children remain successfully in mainstream settings. Objective 2: Improve functionality of the Local Offer The Hillingdon Empowering Lives Local Offer (HELLO) was fully rebranded and launched in September 2025 following co -production with young people and their families as well as with professionals, creating a clearer, more accessible single point of information for children, young people, families and professionals. An evaluation and improvement plan for the Local Offer is in place, informed by Parent Carer Forum and Young People’s feedback, which has been published and shared publicly. A Local Offer steering group has been established to oversee continuous improvement and ensure regular updates to content. All key guidance documents (including Ordinarily Available Provision, banding related guidance and inclusion resources) have been reviewed, branded and published on both HELLO and LEAP website for schools, improving consistency and ease of access for settings. Objective 3: Support and empower settings to play their part in a fully inclusive system An Inclusion Consistency Framework is being co -produced with schools to establish a shared understanding of inclusive practice across Hillingdon. This is supported by a suite of aligned initiatives rather than a single intervention. Key inclusion projects under this objective include:  Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance- (EBSNA) Response and Outreach Service Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public (EROS) pilot following successful LIIA grant funding (£25,000). The initiative focuses on early psychological insight, outreach consultation, and capacity building within mainstream education, with the aim of sustaining engagement in school and preventing escalation into more specialist provision. The EBSNA and attendance workstream links closely with AP and early intervention acti vity, supporting earlier, more coordinated responses to prevent escalation to exclusion or specialist placement.  Parttime timetables protocol, implemented to promote lawful, time limited use with clear reintegration expectations  Adaptive Teaching Framework is being coproduced supporting schools to strengthen inclusive classroom practice and mainstream teaching.  Accessibility Strategy, under development to clarify expectations on reasonable adjustments and access across the local area.  A self-evaluation and QA tool aligned to the new Ofsted framework is being developed to support schools in evidencing inclusive practice and identifying areas for improvement.  Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) guidance and checklists have been fully reviewed, updated a nd published, with training workshops taking place to support consistent implementation across schools and partners. Objective 4: Review and refine support for SEND children with transitions, attendance, exclusions and vulnerable groups The CAAS Transition Pilot supporting pupils with ADHD/ASD transferring to mainstream secondary schools has been extended for a further year and expanded to every Hillingdon secondary mainstream schools, reflecting positive early impact on inclusion and transition stability. This should support families and children to feel more confidence in their transition to a local secondary school as specialist support will be available before and after the transit ion for children with ADHD and ASD. Fair share arrangements continue to be used during phase transfer to support inclusive placements in line with parental preference, alongside direct engagement with mainstream schools to challenge and support consultation responses and identify training needs. Annual Review guidance has been reviewed in response to stakeholder feedback and will be aligned further with SEND reforms. The updated templates for Annual Review have been coproduced with schools and all agencies and moving towards republication. SEND Youth Forum (Aim High) contributes directly to this ambition through participation in projects such as Dragon SEND, SEND version of Walking in Our Shoes Training ensuring young people’s experiences inform inclusion, transition and attendance work. This year Ambition 2 has moved from policy and guidance development into system -wide implementation, with a strong emphasis on consistency, inclusion and prevention. The focus is on equipping mainstream settings with clear expectations, practical tools and ongoing support, while embedding co-production and young people’s voice across all strands of work. Ambition 3 - Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon's children and young people Objective 1: Review SEND funding approach Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public  The mainstream banded funding framework has been implemented, with learning from early delivery incorporated into updated guidance, now published on LEAP and the HELLO Local Offer.  A structured process to convert e xisting EHCPs to the new banding framework is being completed, ensuring consistency and equity across cohorts.  The Special Schools Banded Funding Framework has been fully implemented, with: o All pupils allocated a band under the new descriptors. o Termly mod eration panels established with special schools to consider new admissions, changes in need and in year adjustments.  Early Support Funding (ESF) and SEN Inclusion Funding (SENIF) methodologies have been coproduced with settings, finalised and published, aligning pre -statutory funding with the wider banding model. Following Schools Forum consultation and the Minister’s decision on Schools Block transfer for the new financial year 26/27 the ESF funding has been paused however the Local Authority is committed to inclusive practice, early identification, and meeting all statutory SEND duties, and continuing to work with schools on longer-term solutions while awaiting SEND reform details.  In-year adjustment processes are operational, providing a clearer, more transparent route to respond to changing need.  Funding decisions are now clearer, more consistent and transparent, supporting confidence across mainstream and special settings.  Alignment between SEN Inclusion Funding and EHCP funding strengthens early intervention and sustainability. Objective 2: Develop new SRPs, Designated Units and assessment provision with appropriate quality assurance  The SRP/DU Quality Assurance pilot has concluded and informed the implementation of a co-produced QA model across SRPs and Designated Units.  QA templates and review documentation have been updated to reflect the new banding framework and feedback from the pilot.  A new SRP/DU network group has been established, providing: o Peer support between provisions, o A forum to share practice, o Ongoing quality assurance oversight.  Audit activity has commenced, with: o One SRP/DU audit completed, o Further audits scheduled for S ummer Term 2026 to ensure consistency across settings.  Admission guidance for SRPs, DUs and special schools has been extensively coproduced and is nearing publication, with final amendments following engagement with schools. There is now a clear QA infrastructure in place to ensure specialist provision is cons istent, accountable and aligned to local expectations. Improved confidence that specialist places are being used appropriately and effectively. Objective 3: Create additional places in local special school provision  Pinn River School opened in January 2026, providing additional local special school capacity and supporting children to be educated closer to home.  Meadow High satellite provision is under construction, with completion scheduled for August 2026.  Progress continues on specialist FE provision, in cluding developments at the Barra Hall HRUC campus, with opening planned for Summer 2026.  The SEND Sufficiency Strategy has been published, providing a clear, evidence-based framework for future place planning and investment. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public  Ongoing development of the SEND Power BI dashboard, enabling improved reporting on: o Cohorts and trends, o Refusals to assess and outcomes of mediation/appeals, o Placement types, age and primary need.  Increased local capacity reduces reliance on independent non- maintained provision.  Strategic planning is now underpinned by live data and forward-looking sufficiency analysis. Objective 4: Develop a SEND school outreach offer  Outreach and in reach models from SRPs and specialist settings to mainstream schools have been initiated.  Outreach has been embedded as a standing agenda item within the SRP/DU network, ensuring it develops consistently.  The Local Authority is working with special school s to develop more established Outrea ch offer to all schools to provide support, expert advice and guidance.  Early evidence of specialist expertise being used preventatively, supporting mainstream schools to meet needs and reduce escalation. The Centre for ADHD and Autism Support (CAAS) Transition Project is a targeted, borough -wide initiative led by the Centre for ADHD and Autism Support to support children and young people with ASD and ADHD who have EHCPs as they move from primary into mainstream secondary education. The project provides early, structure d and proactive transition support to reduce anxiety, prevent placement breakdowns and help pupils remain successfully engaged in mainstream settings during a known point of vulnerability. Building on evidence from an initial successful pilot, the expanded programme now works across all Hillingdon secondary schools, strengthening mainstream capacity, promoting placement stability and contributing to wider SEND and inclusion priorities set out in the SEND and AP Strategy. Ambition 4 - Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community Objective 1: Develop further opportunities for children with SEND to take part in clubs and activities The Care and Support Directory has been completed and launched, providing a single, accessible source of information on SEND related activities, services and community support. SEND Youth Forum (Aim High) is actively contributing to identifying gaps in act ivities and shaping priorities, ensuring opportunities reflect the lived experience of children and young people. Activities and services are now being regularly updated on the Local Offer, improving visibility and participation. Engagement with young peo ple has included direct dialogue with senior leaders, allowing CYP to share experiences, successes and barriers relating to participation, education and employment. Children and young people have improved access to information and opportunities, with their voices directly influencing what is developed and promoted. Community participation is increasingly shaped by coproduction rather than service led design. Objective 2: Development of Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) outcomes The Preparation for Adulthood Strategy is being developed working with young people on accessible version, coproduced with the Aim High Youth Forum. PfA has been embedded into revised Annual Review templates, ensuring consistent focus on adulthood outcomes from Year 9 onwards. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Multi-professional co-production workshops (November–December 2025) have shaped PfA content within EHCP processes. The Transition Panel has been reviewed, involving a Transition Nurse, strengthening multiagency representation and improving operational pathways for young people approaching adulthood. Young people’s aspirations are increasingly central to planning, review and transition decisions. Objective 3: Further develop post-16 pathways, employment and supported internships Based on the latest DfE NEET by characteristics data, 6.5% of all young people with an EHCP in Hillingdon are recorded as NEET. This is 21% reduction from the last year. The Supported Employment Forum (SEF) and Supported Internship (SI) work continue to function very effectively, with promising initiatives. Opportunities have been created through collaborative efforts to support further pathways. The SEF has benefitted from increased representation from businesses, health and several new schools. The forum has regularly more than 35 representatives meeting in person with the aim of ensuring improved pathways to employment for young people with SEND. As a result, the borough now has 6 large businesses hosting a supported internship/ Project SEARCH with capacity for at least 50 young people for the upcoming academic year 2026/2027 and recruitment is underway. For academic year 2024/2025 approximately 45% of Hillingdon young people achieved paid employment following their SI/ Project SEARCH programme. As a re sult of Hillingdon’s success in delivering Supported Internships, the LA was approached by the DfE to deliver on their behalf a supported internship pilot for young people of Hillingdon with SEN who do not hold an EHCP. This pilot is funded in full by the DfE with no cost to the local authority and it is hoped to continue into 2026/2027. Once the DfE complete their evaluation of the pilot programme, findings will be shared. The Pathways Guide has been co‑ reviewed by Project SEARCH interns to ensure it reflects lived experience and has now been published on the HELLO Local Offer. Careers related activity includes:  Careers Leads Network established and meeting termly.  Training delivered to Careers Leads and SENCOs focused on CEIAG for SEND learners.  Supported internship delivery and outcomes are being monitored and evaluated, including through independent research. This resulted in:  Post16 pathways are more diverse, inclusive and employment focused.  Young people without EHCPs now have new routes into supported employment, addressing a previously unmet need. Objective 4: Regularly gather feedback from SEND children and embed co-production SEND Youth Forum (Aim High) is established and embedded within local area SEND governance. Young people have contributed to:  PfA strategy development,  SEND training (e.g. “Walk in Our Shoes”),  Autism strategy consultation materials. A Co-production Charter has been developed and formally launched at the Inclusion Conference (March 2026). Mechanisms are being developed to evidence and evaluate co -production across services. CYP voice is increasingly embedded in governance, strategy and service design, not Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public limited to consultation. Co-production is moving towards systematic monitoring and accountability. Objective 5: Improve support for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs EBSNA Protocol is being developed and expanded through the EROS (EBSNA Response and Outreach Service) following successful LIIA funding (£25,000). EROS is a multiagency, ear ly intervention outreach model that supports children and young people experiencing emotionally based school nonattendance by strengthening schools’ existing inclusive practice. Through early psychological input, consultation, training, and family support, it helps prevent escalation into specialist provision, sustain engagement in mainstream education, and promote coordinated, preventative responses across the system. EROS pilot launched, with:  Dedicated induction period  Joint training with partner services (e.g. P3),  Strong collaboration between education and health. SEMH Educational Psychologist appointed to the EHCP Plus Team ( since January 2026). Thrive Directory development progressing, improving clarity of SEMH pathways. Initial multi-agency “Pathways in Place” meetings held, producing actionable next steps for individual CYP. SEMH support is shifting towards earlier, coordinated intervention, particularly for EBSNA. The Local Area Partnership is working to develop support system to ensure that schools have clearer pathways and specialist support for complex SEMH needs. Ambition 5 - There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children to access alternative provision Objective1: Create a three-tier alternative provision system Development of the three ‑ tier alternative provision (AP) model is ongoing, with different components progressing at varying stages. Time‑ limited AP is developing steadily and is beginning to be used more consistently across the local area . Other aspects of the model, including early intervention and targeted support in schools, are less developed and will require sustained focus to achieve the intended level of consistency and impact. Work is also ongoing to clarify expectations and processes for transitional and longer ‑ term AP placements, recognising that these pathways are not yet fully defined. Work to establish a central AP Hub within LEAP is also progressing and is intended to support implementation as the model develops. The Hub will provide a single point of access for schools and professionals, bringing together referral routes, guidance, case studies and training materials. Its purpose is to improve understanding of available provision and to support schools in navigating the system more consistently as the AP offer becomes more clearly established. Progress on the AP infographic and visual guide has resulted in a draft set of materials designed to provide an accessible overview of the emerging AP system. These resources are intend ed to support greater clarity around expectations, thresholds and pathways once they are finalised. Further refinement is planned to ensure they align with the developing model and input will continue to be sought from partners as the system evolves so that the guidance is effective and fit for purpose. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Vulnerable Learners Clinics (VLCs) are now operating as an early intervention mechanism, with participation from schools continuing to increase. The clinics provide structured, multidisciplinary problem‑ solving at an earlier stage, helping to identify needs before they escalate. Continued monitoring of their impact will support further refinement as part of the wider AP and early intervention approach. As these developments progress, schools are beginning t o access clearer and more appropriate routes into AP. This is supporting a shift towards earlier intervention and more purposeful use of AP as a short‑ term, targeted support mechanism, rather than as a default or longer ‑ term placement. Further work is requ ired to embed this consistently, but early signs indicate movement in the intended direction. A clear, three-tier alternative provision (AP) model has been defined and is now being embedded consistently across the local area. This model sets out graduated pathways of support, ensuring that children and young people are matched to the most appropriate provision at the earliest possible point, based on need and risk. Objective 2: Reduce exclusions and suspensions Updated exclusions and suspensions guidance has been published and made accessible via LEAP, ensuring schools have clear, consistent advice aligned with statutory guidance and local expectations. This has supported greater confidence and consistency in decision-making across the system. Schools are increasingly making use of preventative support offers, including Vulnerable Learners Clinics, commissioned alternative provision and trauma-informed approaches, to reduce the need for suspensions and permanent exclusions. These approaches focus on addressing underlying need and behaviour proactively, rather than responding only at crisis point. Exclusion numbers have continued to reduce, with evidence that schools are seeking advice and support earlier. Practic e is shifting away from reactive exclusion towards earlier, planned and supported intervention. As a result, children, particularly those with SEND, are increasingly being retained in education with appropriate support in place. Objective 3: Increase reintegration into mainstream education A Team Around the Child (TAC) framework to support reintegration into mainstream education is being developed, providing a structured, multi -agency approach to planning and oversight. This framework supports shared accountability and coordinated support around individual pupils. Reintegration planning is now a core expectation within AP placements and is embedded within commissioning arrangements. Providers are expected to work actively with schools and professionals to plan for return to mainstream education wherever appropriate, rather than reintegration being treated as an informal or secondary consideration. Recruitment of Stronger Schools Officer s strengthens capacity to deliver reintegration work, ensuring sufficient resource and expertise to support pupils, families and schools through transition back into mainstream settings. As a result, reintegration is becoming more planned, structured and outcome focused, rather than incidental. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Objective 4: Improve commissioning and quality of alternative provision Commissioning arrangements have strengthened further. The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) has expanded to 39 approved AP providers, widening the number of high‑quality, specialist support available. Standardised Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are now in place, setting clearer expectations for providers around support planning, progress monitoring and reintegration responsibilities. This has improved consistency and transparency in commissioned provision. A quality assurance framework for AP providers has been implemented, with further refinement planned. This framework supports ongoing monitoring, improvement and accountability, ensuring that provision meets agreed standards and delivers positive outcomes for children and young people. Overall, AP commissioning is now more robust, transparent and accountable, with improving quality and consistency across the provider landscape. Objective 5: Reduce the number of children requiring tuition Increased AP capacity has reduced reliance on individual tuition, particularly through the development of new in borough AP offer and the expansion of the DPS provider base. This has enabled more children to access structured provision rather than isolated, short-term tuition. Providers are working closely with the local authority to develop age-appropriate pathways, including for primary aged children, ensuring that provision is developmentally appropriate and aligned with longer-term educational outcomes. As a result, more children are accessing purposeful, planned provision with clearer learning and reintegration objectives. AP pathways are increasingly aligned to reintegration into mainstream education and improved long-term outcomes, reducing dependency on tuition as a default response. Challenges 1. Neurodevelopmental demand and capacity  ASD and ADHD waiting times remain the most significant system pressure, with waits of up to three years.  This persists despite additional assessments, “Waiting Well” approaches and planned AI diagnostic tools and pathway reforms.  Demand continues to exceed capacity, impacting children and families and placing additional pressure on schools to meet needs without timely diagnoses. 2. Mainstream inclusion and placement patterns  Reliance on specialist provision remains high, with around 35% of children with EHCPs educated in special schools, above London and national averages.  Some mainstream schools report lower confidence in supporting complex SEMH and EBSNA needs, contributing to attendance issues, placement instability and increased parental requests for Alternative Provision. 3. SEMH complexity and workforce development  Rising SEMH need, alongside delayed diagnoses and fragmented pathw ays, places sustained pressure across education, health and social care. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public  Delivery of initiatives such as Thrive, EROS and Mental Health Support Workers are constrained by workforce capacity and cross agency availability.  Ongoing upskilling and workforce de velopment across education, health and social care remain critical. 4. Data integration and system maturity  Progress has been made through EYES and local dashboards, improving visibility of trends.  Data sharing across the local authority, ICB and providers r emains complex, limiting timely insight and system -wide oversight and requiring further coordination and investment. 5. Alternative Provision and reintegration  Reintegration from Alternative Provision into mainstream remains variable across schools.  Capacity constraints, inconsistent practice and parental confidence issues continue to delay reintegration in some cases.  Further development of reintegration frameworks and quality assurance for AP providers is planned. Summary of achievements 1. Strong partnership delivery and embedded co-production The SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan (2024–2028) remains Green, with delivery on track across all five Ambition Groups and strong, visible joint leadership through the SEND Operational Group (SOG). Gov ernance arrangements are well embedded, enabling shared ownership, challenge, and accountability across education, health, social care, and wider partners. Co-production is now embedded system-wide, extending well beyond strategy development into the operational tools that shape everyday practice. Parents, carers, children and young people, schools, and partners have actively co-designed:  Annual Review templates,  Quality assurance frameworks,  Mainstream and special school banding guidance,  Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) documents,  The Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) strategy  Local Offer content. The Aim High SEND Youth Forum continues to grow in influence, with young people directly shaping PfA activity, EHCP experience surveys, workforce training content, and broader inclusion initiatives, ensuring lived experience meaningfully informs system improvement. 2. Earlier support, clearer pathways and stronger system tools Significant progress has been made in strengthening early identification and consistency of support. The Early Identification Toolkit is complete and published on both LEAP and HELLO, supported by a developing training programme that has received positive early feedback from schools and settings. Support for families awaiting neurodevelopmental assessment has improved through the near completion of clear, accessible Support Information and Guidance, coproduced with the Parent Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Carer Forum (PCF), commissioned by the ICB, and designed for easy access via QR code at first contact with the Child Development Centre. SEND reviews and peer support arrangements have expanded, with:  Increased coverage of SEND reviews across settings, including more revisits and improved consistency of practice.  Strengthened SENCO peer learning through PINS and Inclusion Network activity. Quality assurance across EHCP processes has been significantly strengthened. A robust QA framework for draft EHCPs is now embedded, underpinned by monthly audits. New education, health, and social care advice templates have been implemented, including CAMHS and CDC, with social care templates progressing following the DSCO appointment. Co -produced Annual Review templates are ready for implementation. The EYES system is live, improving data c apture, monitoring, and reporting, with further benefits anticipated once the EHCP family portal is implemented. 3. Inclusion, mainstream confidence and Local Offer transformation The refreshed Local Offer, HELLO – Hillingdon Empowering Lives, launched in September 2025 and is now actively managed through a steering group, with continuous improvement driven by Parent Carer Forum feedback and user insight. The Inclusion Consistency Framework is progressing well, bringing together a coherent set of tools and expectations, including:  The EBSNA Protocol (now strengthened and expanded through EROS),  The Adaptive Teaching Framework,  Part-time timetables protocol,  Accessibility Strategy, and  Inclusion self-evaluation aligned to the new Ofsted framework. Transition support has strengthened, particularly through the extension of the CAAS Transition Pilot to additional secondary schools, the embedding of a fair share approach to mainstream placements, and revised Annual Review and transition guidance to improve planning and continuity. 4. Provision sufficiency, funding reform and quality assurance SEND funding reform has been delivered at pace. New mainstream and special school banding frameworks have been implemented, with all special school pupils re -banded. Termly moderation panels and in year adjustment panels are now embedded, strengthening consistency and financial oversight. ESF and SENIF methodologies have been reviewed and coproduced with settings. Capital and place planning has progressed well, including the opening of Pinn River School in January 2026, construction underway for the Meadow High satellite site (due August 2026), and approval of secondary SRP expansion alongside further feasibility work. The SEND Sufficiency Strategy has been published and is under active review. Quality assurance of SRPs and Designated Units has been strengthened through a co -produced QA model, routine audits, and a newly established SRP/DU network, supporting shared learning and consistency across settings. 5. Preparation for Adulthood, SEMH and community inclusion Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Preparation for Adulthood has moved decisively from concept into ongoing delivery improvement through career pathways aligned to PfA outcomes . Dedicated Local Offer content is in place, the PfA strategy is nearing finalisation, and a young people’s version is in development. PfA is now embedded within new Annual Review templates and workforce training offers. Supported Internships have expanded, building on continued Project SEARCH success and a D fE funded pilot for young people without EHCPs, which is independently evaluated. SEMH support has been strengthened through the successful launch of EROS (EBSNA Response and Outreach Service) with £25k LiiA funding, recruitment of a dedicated SEMH Educat ional Psychologist to the EHCP Plus Team, and ongoing development of the Thrive directory alongside Pathways in Place meetings. 6. Alternative Provision and exclusion reduction The Alternative Provision offer has expanded and strengthened, with 39 providers now on the DPS, increasing flexibility and choice for schools. Vulnerable Learners Clinics are increasingly used, supported by improved commissioning arrangements, strengthened SLAs, and a clear QA framework. Exclusions have reduced year on year, supported by revised exclusions and suspensions guidance, clearer early intervention pathways (including VLCs and TAC), and more effective use of AP to prevent permanent exclusion. Next steps 1. Maintain focus on system pressures and outcomes  Continue to monitor neurodevelopmental waiting times and SEMH demand, recognising system-wide constraints and the limits of local control.  Seek assurance on whether recent interventions are stabilising demand and mitigating risk, even where full resolution is not yet achievable. 2. Strengthen oversight of inclusion and placement trends  Track whether investment in inclusive practice and early intervention is beginning to influence: o Placement patterns, o Attendance and exclusion trends, o Reliance on specialist provision.  Request clear evidence of impact in future updates. 3. Assure delivery of SEND reforms and quality  Maintain oversight of the implementation and embedding of: o Better quality EHCP, Annual Review and QA frameworks, o SEND funding and banding reforms, o System improvements (EYES, dashboards). 4. Monitor sufficiency and future readiness  Continue to receive updates on new provision and capital delivery, ensuring risks to timescales and interim mitigations are visible.  Ensure sufficiency planning remains aligned to emerging demand and trends. 5. Track effectiveness of Alternative Provision and reintegration Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public  Seek assurance that improvements in Alternative Provision commissioning are translating into: Reduced exclusions, Improved reintegration outcomes, Reduced long-term reliance on tuition and AP. 6. Champion co-production and lived experience  Note progress in embedding co-production across the SEND system.  Request assurance that the Co -production Charter is influencing decisions and service change in practice, not just policy PERFORMANCE DATA  Increased Mainstream Inclusion: There has been an 10.3% increase in EHCP caseloads in mainstream provision (from 44% in 2022/23 to 54.3% in January 2025).  Increased Supported Internships: 45 YP with EHCPs attend work -based learning activity in line with their PfA outcomes which is 7% increase (from January 2025 to January 2026).  Reduction in EHCP Growth: The number of open EHCPs has slightly decreased last year: -1.0% change in January 2025 (SEN2 data 2025) and now increased by 8% (January 2026) but still below national average at 11% of growth (SEN2 data 2025), reflecting improved early intervention and support despite 25% increase in EHCNA requests in Hillingdon since 2022. It is importa nt to note the anticipation of the new SEND reforms has led to a sustained increase in EHCNAs, which other LAs have also reported.  Reduced Reliance on Independent Provision: Placements in Independent, Non - Maintained Special Schools (INMSS) have dropped from 11% to 9.5% (SEN2 data 2025) and currently (as of March 2026) is at 7.2%.  Reduced number of CYP with EHCP declared as NEET (Not in education, training or employment aged 16-25): 21% decrease from January 2025 to January 2026.  Expansion of Local Provision: Four new Specialist Resource Provisions/Designated Units have opened, with another school due to open a new secondary SRP from September 2026, and special school capacity is being expanded, despite some initial construction delays.  Improved Early Identification and Support : More children are being identified and supported earlier, with new panels, and an assessment centre ensuring right support at the right time for those who need it. There is a 40% increase from last year of children with SEND (SEN Support/EHCP) whose recorded educational placement is an Early Years Provider.  Annual Reviews and EHCP Quality: The backlog of annual reviews has been addressed, and a new quality assurance tool is improving EHCP quality and timeliness. There was a 44% increase (from January 2025 to January 2026 ) in EHCPs ceased thanks to improved outcomes, with young people’s ongoing education or training needs now met without an EHC plan and 55% increase in ceased EHCPs as young people moved to higher education.  Inclusive Practice in Schools: The SEND Advisory Team has increased SEND Reviews in schools, and the Inclusion Commitment programme is widely adopted. New funding models and exceptional funding support highly inclusive schools. The new CAAS project is being rolled out to every Hillingdon secondary school ensuring a more successful transition experience for our families moving to secondary school.  Alternative Provision: A three -tiered AP system is being developed, with new clinics, Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public improved commissioning, and a focus on reintegration and reducing exclusions.  Reduction in Exclusions: Permanent exclusions for pupils with SEND have dropped by 21% compared to the previous year.  Young People’s Voice and Co -Production: Young people’s voices are increasingly embedded in governance and service design, with the “Aim High” youth forum leading on various forums, training sessions and consultations. The co-production charter is in place with all local area agencies’ commitment to ensure coproduction at all levels. RESIDENT BENEFIT Through the consultation process Hillingdon residents and particularly those with children and young people with SEND and who access AP were given the opportunity to share their views on the identified key priorities and approach. We listened to residents and the Parent Carer Forums and shaped the Local Area SEND & AP Strategy in light of their comments and views. The strate gy outlines the Local Area’s commitment to improving the outcomes for children and young people with SEND and those who access AP and will encourage active engagement and participation from parents, carers, and young people in strategic developments. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Implementing the SEND and AP Strategy has significant financial implications but is demonstrably improving the sustainability of the High Needs system. As at Month 9 in 2025/26, the DSG is forecasting an in- year High Needs overspen d of £9.6m, which is £2.9m lower than originally budgeted, contributing to a cumulative DSG deficit of £75.5m. This improved position reflects the impact of strategic reforms set out in the SEND and AP Strategy, including reducing reliance on high-cost independent placements, expanding local maintained and mainstream specialist provision, revising banding and top-up frameworks, and strengthening early intervention. Without these reforms, demand led pressures and provision costs would have continued to rise unchecked, resulting in a materially higher in-year overspend and a significantly larger DSG deficit. The Strategy therefore represents a critical mechanism for cost containment, value for money, and longer-term financial recovery, while maintaining statutory provision and improving outcomes for children and young people. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS There are no legal impediments to the recommendation set out at the beginning of the report. The strategy assists the local authority with complying with its duty under s27 Children and Families Act 2014. Local authorities must keep their educational and training provision and social care provision for children and

2023 - 2028 Strategy Hillingdon Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy for Children and Young People 0-25 years EDUCATION HEALTHSOCIAL CARE VOLUNTARY SECTOR Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Background and Context 4 3. National Strategic Context 6 4. What are Special Educational Needs? 7 5. What is Alternative Provision? 8 6. The Aim of the Strategy 9 7. ICS Integrated Health and Care Strategy 10 8. Our Shared Principles 13 9. Engagement 15 10. COVID impact 16 11. Leadership and Governance of SEND in Hillingdon 17 12. Consultation – Key Messages 18 12.1. What have children and parents told us? 18 12.2. What have professionals told us? 20 13. The Hillingdon context 21 13.1. Population 21 13.2. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) 23 13.3. Hillingdon’s Schools 27 13.4. Alternative Provision in Hillingdon 28 14. SEND Support and Early Identification 30 15. Education Health and Care Plans 31 16. SEND Data Outcomes 34 17. DSG Safety Valve Agreement 36 18. Previous Inspection Outcomes 37 19. Our Ambitions 38 20. Next Steps 59 21. Appendices 60 Appendix 1: Glossary of Terms 61 Appendix 2: Contextual Information about Hillingdon 65 Appendix 3: Legal requirements underpinning the Local Area SEND Strategy 66 Appendix 4: Child and Adolescents Mental Health Service 70 Appendix 5: ICS Pyramid of care for improving health outcomes for babies, children, and young people 74 2 2023 - 2028 Strategy Hillingdon Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy for Children and Young People 0-25 years Foreword In Hillingdon, our aspiration is for every child and young person to be and feel safe, enjoy good physical, emotional and mental health, have pride in their unique identities, feel that they belong and have opportunities to thrive. Working in partnership, under the SEND Executive Partnership Board, the Local Authority, Integrated Care Board (ICB) and our Parents and Carers Forum have developed a strong vision to reflect our belief that Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is everyone’s business. The Hillingdon SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2023 – 2028 outlines our vision, aspirations, and priorities for children and young people with SEND and their families to lead happy and fulfilled lives from early years through adolescence to adulthood, in communities that accept and understand them. To achieve this, we want our children and young people to always be at the heart of everything we do. In developing this strategy, we listened to the experience and views of children who told us what they liked, what worked well, as well as what they would like to change and where we need to improve. We are grateful to the children and families who responded to the consultation and who helped us develop an ambitious strategy for the Local Area that reflects the experiences and needs of our children, young people and families in the true spirit of co-production. We want to also thank everyone who contributed to this strategy representing schools, service providers and voluntary sector partners. We would particularly like to recognise the efforts and involvement of our Hillingdon Parent Carers Forums who, through regular meetings with the Local Area Partnership as well as through consultation and survey contributed to this strategy and we look forward to continuing to work with them over the next few years. We consulted on an initial draft strategy from July 2022 to August 2022 with an online consultation survey and Easy Read versions made available. The consultation focused on asking respondents if we had the right vision and whether the three key priorities were the right ones. However, it was clear that the original priorities needed further consideration in light of the feedback. Local area partners worked together to create five new shared ambitions which include a new focus on improving outcomes for children who access Alternative Provision (AP) as well as children with SEND. This enabled us to ensure we could align our work to the national developments in the new SEND and AP Improvement Plan whilst also sharply focusing on what our stakeholders fed back and what our data told us we needed to do to improve outcomes further. We believe that our children and their families play a continuing, central role in helping us to achieve the outcomes in our strategy, to feedback on progress and to tell us what they need to improve their experiences. We are committed to continuing to engage and consult with our children and their families on a regular basis. We look forward to working in collaboration with our partners and families to ensure that our children and young people with SEND and those who access AP achieve their aspirations. Abi Preston - Director of Education & SEND 3 2. Background and Context Hillingdon’s children and young people are the future of Hillingdon. We are just as ambitious for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and those who access Alternative Provision (AP) as for every other child. They are entitled to the best possible life opportunities that we can give them at every stage through from their birth and early childhood through education and as they transition into adulthood and employment. Our vision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and those who access Alternative Provision (AP) is the same as for all children and young people in Hillingdon: We want Hillingdon to be a place where children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families lead happy and fulfilled lives from early years through adolescence to adulthood, in communities that accept and understand them. The purpose of this strategy is to set out how we will do this for those children and young people with SEND and those who access AP. It has been informed by and aligned with the following: We believe that our children and their families play a continuing, central role in helping us to shape the strategy, to offer guidance on how to make it accessible and in helping us to develop it further. We are committed to continuing to engage and consult with our children and their families on a regular basis. • Local Area Joint SEND Needs Assessment (JSNA) 2022 • Local area SEND Inspection November 2016 • Co-production meetings, workshops and consultation This SEND and AP strategy is aligned with various strategies/plans across the local area including the: • Hillingdon Council Strategy 2022-2026 • CNWL Strategy for 2022-2025 • Hillingdon Council Draft School Improvement Strategy • Hillingdon Council Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2025 • Hillingdon Joint Autism Needs Assessment 2022 • Hillingdon Autism Strategy 2023 • Hillingdon Family Hub Strategy 4 5 • Hillingdon Council Carers Strategy 2023-2028 • Hillingdon Early Help Strategy 2021-2025 • Hillingdon Safeguarding Children Education Inclusion Toolkit • Hillingdon Safeguarding children and young people with complex needs and disabilities • Hillingdon SEND Sufficiency Strategy This document describes our vision and the outcomes we want for our children and young people with SEND and those who access AP. It describes the context within which we work, the principles underlying how we will work and our strategic priorities for the next five years to help deliver improved outcomes for children and young people with SEND and children accessing Alternative Provision. This strategy builds on the work of the previous strategy and has been jointly developed by the London Borough of Hillingdon, the NHS in collaboration with children and young people, Hillingdon Parent Carer Forum and other key stakeholders. 3. National Strategic Context The legal framework The following primary legislation and guidance specifies or duties and governs our practice: • SEND Code of Practice (0-25 years) 2015 • Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 • SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan 2023 • Equality Act 2010 • Education Act 1996/2011 • Children Act 1989/2004 • Mental Health Act 2010 • Care Act 2014 • Mental Capacity Act 2005 • Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 • Breaks for carers of disabled children regulations 2011 • Children and Families Act, 2014 established a clear programme of SEND reforms which developed best practice in service quality and service delivery into a set of robust requirements: - a person-centred, joined-up approach to identifying and meeting the needs of children, young people and their families - increased engagement and participation of young people and families so that they have greater choice and control, are listened to and their concerns are resolved swiftly - a published Local Offer of support, services and provision, how to access it and how to raise concerns or seek redress - the use of effective practice, data and wider intelligence and independent assessment to drive improvement - clearly defined and understood roles and responsibilities - increased integration of services and joint commissioning across the LA and Health This legislation sits in the context of the Equality Act 2010. Public bodies must give due regard to: • eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act • advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not • foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not 6 4. What are Special Educational Needs? A child or young person can be described as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her. A child and young person is considered to have a learning difficulty if they have: • significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or • a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream school or mainstream post-16 institutions. For children aged two or over, special educational provision is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by relevant early years providers. • Children and young people may have needs in one or more broad areas of need and these can change over time: • communication and interaction including children with autistic spectrum disorder • cognition and learning • social, emotional and mental health difficulties • sensory and physical difficulties Most children and young people will have their needs met at an early stage and they will access support through their school or setting (in schools this is called SEND support). Children and young people with the most complex needs will have an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This plan is statutory and sets out clearly the child or young person’s SEND, along with the provision they need to help them overcome the barriers to learning that these needs present. 7 5. What is Alternative Provision? The definition of alternative provision is education arranged by local authorities for pupils who, because of exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education; education arranged by schools for pupils on a fixed period suspension; and pupils being directed by schools to off-site provision to improve their behaviour. Alternative Provision can take many different forms, depending on the individual needs of the child. It is important the school or Local Authority service commissioning the provision is clear on whether the provision is a registered school with a DfE number, or an unregistered setting as this will have considerations regarding how many hours a pupil can access the provision. In all cases, the provision should be both efficient in its delivery of education and suitable to the child’s age, ability, and aptitude; and to any special educational needs they may have. Provision will differ from pupil to pupil, but there are some common elements that alternative provision should aim to achieve, including: • good academic attainment on par with mainstream schools, particularly in English, mathematics, and science (including IT), with appropriate accreditation and qualifications • that the specific personal, social, and academic needs of pupils are properly identified and met to help them to overcome any barriers to attainment • improved pupil motivation and self-confidence, attendance, and engagement with education; and clearly defined objectives, including the next steps following the placement such as reintegration into mainstream education, further education, training or employment Alternative provision should be good quality, registered where appropriate, and delivered by high quality staff with suitable training, experience, and safeguarding checks. It should have clearly defined objectives relating to personal and academic attainment. Where an intervention is part-time or temporary, to help minimise disruption to a pupil’s education, it should complement and keep up with the pupil’s current curriculum, timetable, and qualification route. 8 6. The Aim of the Strategy Our SEND and AP Strategy is aligned to the five desired outcomes for all our children and young people in the borough, as per our Hillingdon Children and Young People’s Plan 2021 -2024: Our ambition for residents • Live active and healthy lives. • Enjoy access to green spaces, leisure activities, culture and arts. • Live in a sustainable borough that is carbon neutral. • Be/feel safe from harm. • Live in good quality, affordable homes in connected communities. • Stay living independently for as long as they are able. • Achieve well in education, with opportunities for learning at all ages. • Have opportunities to earn an income that supports their families. Five desired outcomes for our children • To be the best versions of themselves. • To enjoy good physical, mental and emotional health. • To have pride and understanding of their unique identities. • To have a stable home where they feel they belong. • To be and feel safe and loved and empowered. Our strategy is in line with current legislation and with the aims of the SEND Reforms that, through the Children and Families Act 2014 and supporting SEND Code of Practice, January 2015, required Local Areas (made up of the Local Authority and Integrated Care Board) to implement a set of reforms to support children and young people with SEND and their families. The Act aimed to fundamentally change the relationship between professionals and children and young people with SEND and their families while maintaining the existing protections in the system. Whilst the Act did not change the definition of SEND, it placed the views of children, young people and parents at the heart of the system. Education, health and social care services working together to ensure that we achieve the best possible outcomes for young people, including the skills and confidence to live and work independently. 9 7. ICS Integrated Health and Care Strategy The ICS Integrated Health and Care Strategy includes a focus on babies, children and young people. Childhood is a critical time to get things right for families. Needs and risks change as we grow from babies, into infants, children, and young people. Rarely can changes be made in children’s health services without considering the impact on education, social development, and families. Inequalities in childhood shape our long-term health outcomes, and our later independence in society. Having a supportive family, and a good education are some of the biggest protective factors for health outcomes. NW London Integrated Care Partnerships can now bring together key people within our health, education, and care systems with responsibilities across prevention, early years, education and children’s social services. The NW London ICS programme for babies, children and young people (BCYP) will tackle childhood inequalities in a systematic way and will challenge the status quo where necessary to co-produce improved services and deliver better health outcome for children and families. NWL ICS principles Our strategy for babies, children, and young people (BCYP) is underpinned by these key principles: • Listen with humility to children and their families; involve them in decisions about themselves. • Use local, multi-agency qualitative and quantitative evidence to coproduce service improvements with families. • Enable families to have better access to advice, preventative care, and early help, particularly in the first 1,000 days from conception. • Consider the childhood and family health inequalities, holistic needs of the child, their physical, emotional, and mental health, and the wider determinants of health by working with agencies across health, social care and voluntary sector. (Detailed child mental health plans are in the chapter on Mental Health, Learning disabilities, and Autism). • Balance the focus on reactive care with the proactive care to prevent later development of ill health in adulthood. • Deliver care in the most appropriate setting; locally where possible, centralised where necessary, and making best use of the health and care estate. • Improve equity of access, experience and outcomes across all ages, places, protected characteristics and other vulnerable groups. • Integrate our publicly funded resources in North West London to the benefit of all children. 1010 Child with a single long-term health condition: Children and their parents in NW London with long-term conditions have told us it is difficult to navigate the health, education, and care system. As children grow, their care transitions to adult services. This occurs at a vulnerable time of their lives. Experience of transition is often poor. Health education can help maximise self-care and independence. The following are priority areas of focus for children with a single long-term condition: Asthma is significantly more common in black and minority ethnic groups. For children requiring admission to hospital, there is a widening difference between the least and most deprived population deciles. Environmental factors such as air pollution, access to second-hand smoke and poor-quality housing all contribute to poorer outcomes for children and young people. Diabetes Type 1 diabetes is affecting rising numbers of children and young people in the UK. Poor management of the condition in childhood can have severe long-term health implications. CYP with Type 1 Diabetes from minority ethnic backgrounds and those in more deprived areas have consistently poorer blood glucose control. Epilepsy: Optimal management of epilepsy improves health outcomes and can also help to minimise other impacts on social, educational and employment activity. Poor management of epilepsy can be life-threatening and may lead to children and young people requiring unplanned emergency care. Epilepsy is the most common cause of treatable death in children and young people with a learning disability aged 4-18. 27% of CYP aged 0-24 diagnosed with epilepsy are in the most deprived quintile, compared with 17% in the least deprived quintile. Epilepsy affects an estimated 112,000 CYP in the UK. 11 Child with Complex Health Needs: Advances in paediatric care mean that more children with complex medical problems (for example, heart disease or neurodevelopmental problems) are surviving their early years. Given the susceptibility of these children to poor health outcomes, these advances in medical care have important knock-on implications for the design and delivery of community healthcare, and the forecasting of ‘special school’ places and the health workforce needed in schools. Importantly, their medical needs must also be understood and addressed within the context of the child and family’s life circumstances. There is growing recognition that many other factors contribute to a child’s complex health needs for example, family problems, fragmentation of health, education, and care provision, psychological difficulties or social issues. Supporting children with complex health needs is a priority area of focus for NW London ICS. This includes supporting their social development and maximising their independence and decision-making as they grow older. When a child or young person has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), we will meet the statutory requirements as a minimum. We will spread best practice across NW London ICS. NW London ICS BCYP programme will work to co-produce a framework for speech and language therapy to improve equality of access, experience, and outcome. 12 8. Our Shared Principles To achieve this vision, families, support services and educational settings in Hillingdon have agreed the principles we expect each other to adopt when working with or caring for children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision. We will work together to ensure that children, young people, and young adults with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision will: • be able to achieve the best they can in early years, at school and in Further Education including training, supported internships and employment and beyond into their adult lives. • have greater confidence and trust in the support we offer reporting better experiences of a system which is based on dignity and affirmation. • have services that work in partnership to offer families joined up offers to improve outcomes and the achievements of their children and young people. • have their needs identified early, with appropriate support put in place at the earliest opportunity to empower children to achieve to the best of their abilities. • have opportunities to attend inclusive local good quality education settings that meet the needs of our children, with seamless transitions throughout their academic career. • be supported to develop the skills necessary for independence, in learning and everyday life. • have access to support, in order to gain and sustain employment. • have their health, social care and education needs understood, identified, and met in line with their aspirations. • live in a society where people understand, respect, and accommodate differences and promote inclusion. • have good quality support to live as independently as possible. • Be given access to a diverse, imaginative and engaging curriculum that is relevant and appropriate. • Be involved in developing a plan which focuses on their reintegration back into mainstream school, where appropriate. 13 Our aspiration is that all children in Hillingdon feel included, understood and welcomed regardless of their needs. We understand that the barriers felt by children and young people with SEND are a result of the way society is organised, rather than something intrinsic to the child. It is our roles to remove the barriers children face to enable them feel part of their community and ensure inclusion is at the heart of all we do. Through the co-production of this strategy, we want to: • Ensure joint ownership of the SEND and AP Strategy, its vision and aims. • Ensure there is a multi-agency integrated approach where children and families are engaged and families and carers feel they only need to tell their story once. • Share and align our practice to have stronger joined up services working with families and carers in response in key areas such as early identification, assessment, transition, person centred and outcomes- oriented approaches, to ensure our workforce have the skills and knowledge required and access appropriate professional development. 14 9. Engagement Through this strategy we are committed to listening to and hearing the voices of all our children to ensure they are a part of our journey and that in making our plans and in developing our strategies we include what our children and young people want from services in the local area. During this strategy we are committed to work in partnership with all the stakeholders to find the best ways to engage more frequently and effectively with our younger residents. Meaningful co-production happens when all voices are actively listened to from the start and throughout the planning process. This involves a mutual respect for each other’s views, with an open and honest relationship that is transparent and continually evolving to achieve meaningful and positive outcomes. Our Hillingdon Local Area co-production Charter underlines the way in which we work together to create a culture where professionals and families: 1. Are open and honest 2. Value the lived experience 3. Do what matters 4. Are accountable and responsive 5. Work together The next steps will lead to producing an Engagement Plan in collaboration with our children and young people and the existing Children Rights and Participation teams and engagement groups. In 2024-25 we will survey our children and their families on what is the best way to listen to them in a way that promotes meaningful participation, inclusion and equality to inform our Engagement Plan. 15 10. COVID impact The impact of COVID on children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision and their families has been significant. There were inevitably changes to children’s daily routines, caused by home schooling and reduced availability of therapeutic services. Although some children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision reported valuing the opportunities afforded by online learning and smaller in-person classes, more often we heard of families under intense pressure not being able to access their usual support networks, children and young people’s increased isolation, disrupted routines and backlogs in treatments and services. Moreover, there may be some underlying needs that have gone undetected during the period when children were not attending school. Situations like these can have a negative impact on children’s emotional and mental wellbeing. For some, it may have led to increased agitation, anxiety, and more challenging behaviours. We did learn from the challenges we had to face during the lockdown experience, and we implemented successfully more flexible ways in which families can be supported using virtual platforms (Children’s Integrated Therapy Service) and a range of other technologies. The use of virtual tools has had a positive impact on the way we engage with our families and children making it easier for them to tell us their experiences and ensure services are responding accordingly. Equality, our partnership working with colleagues has improved and became more efficient and effective as we are increasingly able to meet virtually. A good example of this is the Multidisciplinary Panels which have good representation from all agencies and schools. Despite the challenges, the pandemic also created opportunities. It enabled flexibility for both families and staff to meet and interact online and improve coproduction as well as to work more effectively together with SEND processes. This communication is improving relationships between families, schools and SEND services. Many of these adaptations have been continued post COVID. The local area SEND partnership uses a mixed approach of in person and online meetings and events to make the most of the partnership working opportunities. The Council teams realigned also to place a greater focus on joined up working, partnership approaches and early intervention. SEND, education and social care moved to sit under one central directorate enabling the service to have a more holistic approach to supporting our children and families across the Borough. There is a clear long term impact that our children and families will face as a result of COVID however there has been significant learning from this crisis and many opportunities for the local area to improve outcomes for all children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision. 16 11. Leadership and Governance of SEND in Hillingdon Planning and delivering the priorities outlined within this strategy will require close collaboration and planning across partner agencies, parent carers and schools. Strong governance, accountability and challenge will be provided through the Hillingdon SEND Strategic Executive Board and the Hillingdon Health and Wellbeing Board. Good governance will be key to how we drive forward improvement for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The following groups, boards and individuals are accountable to ensure we meet our aims for children and young people. This strategy identifies our ambitions which are delivered through our multi-agency SEND Strategic Executive Board. The Board oversees our multi-agency SEND Operational Group and the priority groups that sit underneath it. The groups meet regularly and drive changes and improvements in their areas. These Priority Groups have a dual role in delivering the vision of the Local Partnership at operational level and feedback to the Board any developments, learning and issues that inform the strategic plans. The groups and the board continue to review the action plans to ensure that we remain focussed on the right priorities and make solid progress to achieve them and improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND in Hillingdon. Hillingdon Council Children, Families and Education Select Committee Hillingdon Children Safeguarding Partnership Integrated Care System Northwest London Hillingdon Health & Wellbeing Board Hillingdon Health Care Partnership (HHCP) SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB) SEND Operational Group High Needs Sub-Group Schools Forum Ambition group 1: Inclusion & Early Intervention The right support, at the right time, in the right place Ambition group 2: Inclusion Fully inclusive education for all Ambition group 3: SEND Sufficiency Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon’s children and young people Ambition group 4: Post 16, SEMH & Co-Production Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community Ambition group 5: Alternative Provision There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children to access Alternative Provision SEND Governance review 17 12. Consultation – Key Messages 12.1. What have our children and parents/carers told us? In developing the strategy, we have listened to the views of parent, carers and children and young people. The consultation was responded to by 74% of parents and carers of children and young people with SEND. There was a consensus among respondents that the aim and priorities described in the strategy were appropriate and welcomed. However, it was clear that the original priorities needed further consideration in light of the feedback. Originally, we shared our plans to have 3 priorities: Early support, additional places and transition. However, in light of some of the themes that came out of both the parent feedback and professional feedback, we decided to amend our priorities in light of this – we now have four ‘ambitions’. Close working with our Hillingdon Parent Carers Forums in the delivery of this strategy, will continue to ensure family’s voice remain central to achieving our ambitions. 18 ‘For our young people transitioning and moving into the borough, more early intervention support is needed. We found it difficult to navigate the systems once we arrived in Hillingdon and we would like planning to happen much earlier.’ ‘Teachers in mainstream schools lack awareness of how ASD is presented in girls which has a detrimental effect on their mental health.’ ‘Better understanding of SEND behaviours and triggers so teacher manage classroom situations more productively.’ ‘We know there is increased pressure on mainstream schools to support some children who should otherwise require specialist provision, due to a lack of school places in borough. This delay in moving can be stressful.’ ‘Increase SEN trained LSA’s.’ ‘We still feel we have to tell our story again and again, so there needs to be a more integrated approach, with professionals working together’. ‘Some SENDCos do not understand of the needs of our children and this can impact on them getting the right type of support within school.’ ‘We feel more training and understanding is needed in mainstream settings of children and young people with unmet autism or Social Emotional and Mental Health needs, which is often played out in their behaviour.’ 18 19 Listening to Autistic People: What Autistic People have told us Consultation by North West London Clinical Commissioning Group in 2021 with experts by experience identified the following key areas where improvements were required to support autistic people: • Meaningful co-production with autistic people as equal partners in training and service design. • Reducing waiting times for diagnosis with support whilst people wait. • Adaptations to the autism assessment process (including use of language) so that it is a more positive experience. • Provision of person-centred post diagnostic support – a combination of face to face and remote. • Developing autism aware communities. • Using autism flags to identify autistic patients so that reasonable adjustments can be made. • Developing autism expertise in mental health services. • Improved access to GPs. • Access to practical and peer-led support. • Adapting the current Talking Therapies (also known as Improving Access to Talking Therapies or IAPT) model to meet the needs of many autistic people. • Shifting to service provision based on needs so that autism does not become a diagnosis of exclusion. HACS (Hillingdon Autistic Core & Support) undertook consultation about post-diagnostic support in 2022 and this identified six key areas of concern that are listed below in order of priority to consultees: • Development of a peer support programme • Social relationship building opportunities • Employment support • Clinical support • Benefit support • Independence and life skills 12.2. What have professionals told us? • Mainstream Headteachers and SENDCo’s are concerned that they are being asked to continue with provision for children and young people with SEND when it is felt that specialist provision is more appropriate but there is no capacity to meet this need in borough. • It is felt that there remains a lack of special school places in Hillingdon to provide for young people with autism or SEMH and more skilled and trained staff are needed to meet the needs of children and young people with SEMH needs. • The Children’s Integrated Therapy Service is not able to offer early intervention and non-statutory support for children and young people with emerging therapy needs. • Earlier identification of complex learners at phase transfer stage is needed, so that suitable provision can be identified. ‘Build better links with CAMHS and other local services.’ ‘I think work needs to be done with local businesses and organisations to enable them to offer employment to young adults with SEND.’ ‘Particularly agree with the need for pre-statutory support and pathways.’ ‘Would be interested to know what work you would do with school to prevent FTE and PEXs.’ ‘More social skills and life skills training should be provided for those children leaving school to allow them to be safe and more independent as adults.’ ‘Specialist provisions are full but recent place planning figs. showed that primary schools are not all full. Having spaces does not always mean that a school can meet needs of all SEND children.’ 20 13. The Hillingdon context The Hillingdon Joint Strategic Needs Assessment informs this strategy at Borough and Ward level. Fall 27%90+ 85 to 89 80 to 84 75 to 79 70 to 74 65 to 69 60 to 64 55 to 59 50 to 54 45 to 49 40 to 44 35 to 39 30 to 34 25 to 29 20 to 24 10 to 14 25% 25% 21% 20% 19% 24% 10% -10% -2% 19% 21% 1% 17% 34% 12% 2% Rise -10 -5 05 10 15 20 25 30 35 5% 5 to 9 0 to 4 15 to 19 The table below shows the changes in population in the last 10 years (2020 census). 13.1. Population Hillingdon is the second largest of London’s 32 boroughs covering an area of 42 square miles over half of which is a mosaic of countryside including canals, rivers, parks and woodland, interspersed with historic towns and villages. It shares borders with Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hounslow, Ealing, and Harrow. In Hillingdon, the population size has increased by 11.7%, from around 273,900 in 2011 to 305,900 in 2021. This is higher than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800 (source: ONS). The 2021 Census showed that in the last 10 years Hillingdon’s population has grown overall by 11.7% with a 12.9% increase in children under 15 years. 71,000 children under the age of 18 live in Hillingdon. There are over 7,700 children and young people aged 0-25 years with SEND in Hillingdon which constitutes approx. 10% of our children. 2121 The population is diverse and growing and people are living longer. It includes more affluent areas (within the top 20% nationally) as well as areas of deprivation (within the lowest 20% nationally). In 2019/20, there were 11,671 children under 16 living in low-income families in Hillingdon. The proportion of 17% of children is below London and England proportions of 18% and 19%. Townfield and Yeading have the highest percentage of children (under 16 years old) in low- income families. Hillingdon’s rate of Looked after children is currently 50 per 100,000 – this is higher than both statistical neighbours and England. This is also double the rate the borough had in 2020-21. This growth is due to the recent spike in arrivals of unaccompanied asylum seeker children. Of the 185 looked after children who became looked after in the last 6 months - 128 were unaccompanied asylum seeker children. 2222 % of pupils with SEN (2022/23 (academic)) 15.4% 17.3% Percent Hillingdon Mean for All English authorities 17.3 15.4 0 5 10 15 20 13.2. Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) During 2022-23, Hillingdon identified 15.4% of pupils who have either an EHC Plan or are receiving SEND support. This compares to an average of 16.9% in London. (source: LG Inform) Hillingdon historically had higher levels of children with EHCPs than the national average but the gap has closed more recently in 2022-23. In June 2023, there were 3400 EHCPs. 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 Percent 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.8 4.0 3.8 4.1 4.3 4.4 % of pupils with a statement or EHC Plan (from 2018/19 (academic) to 2022/23 (academic)) 3 4 5 Mean for All English authorities % of pupils with statements or EHC plans (All schools) Hillingdon % of pupils with statements or EHC plans (All schools) % of pupils with SEN (2022/23 (academic)} % of pupils with a statement or EHC Plan (from 2018/19 (academic) to 2022/23 (academic)) 2323 However, the percentage of children receiving SEND support is below the national average across England. Hillingdon had 11.1% of children with SEND support compared to 13% nationally. % of pupils with SEND Support in all schools (from 2018/19 (academic) to 2022/23 (academic)) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 12.1 10.9 10.8 10.4 10.5 11.1 12.2 12.2 12.5 13.0 9 12 15 % of pupils with SEN Support in all schools (from 2018/19 (academic) to 2022/23 (academic)) Mean for All English authorities % of pupils with SEN Support (All schools) Hillingdon % of pupils with SEN Support (All schools) Percent 2424 In Hillingdon, 16.3% of looked after children receive SEND support, compared to 26.3% nationally. 34.1% of Looked After Children in Hillingdon have an EHCP, compared to 31.5% nationally. The primary need for children with SEND in Hillingdon is Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), followed by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is followed by Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). The table below shows the primary needs for children across Hillingdon compared to national (The following charts show the breakdown of need in Hillingdon by primary, secondary and special school, compared to the national averages and ranked by prevalence): 35.4 10. 8 11. 1 5 . 9 5 . 5 5 . 3 4 . 9 2 . 1 2 . 3 1 . 3 1 . 5 0.5 0 . 8 0.4 0.4 0 . 3 0 . 5 0.1 0 . 2 14. 5 3 . 0 8 . 8 4 . 6 17. 3 43.6 P e r c e n t % of SEN pupils with primary need: speech, language and communication needs (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: autistic spectrum disorder (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: social, emotional and mental health (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: no specialist assesment of type of need (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: specific learning difficulty (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: other difficulty/disability (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: moderate learning difficulty (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: physical difficulty (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: hearing impairment (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: visual impairment (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: multi-sensory impairment (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: severe learning difficulty (Primary) % of SEN pupils with primary need: profound & multiple learning difficulty (Primary) Primary need in primary schools (2022/23 (academic)) Mean for All Engl ish authorities 2022/23 (academic)Hill ing don 2022/23 (acade mic) 19. 1 0 10 20 30 40 50 Primary need in primary schools (2022/23 (academic)) 2525 0 5 10 15 20 25 13.5 14.3 9.1 16.8 4.7 3.1 2.0 3.0 2.7 1 . 2 1 . 2 0 . 2 0 . 3 0 . 1 0 . 3 3.1 4.6 8.9 23.4 20.7 20.3 P e r c e n t % of S EN pu p i ls with primary need : autis tic spectrum d i sorde r (S eco n dary) % of S EN pupils with primary nee d. s p e e ch, l ang uag e and c o mmunications nee ds (Se c o ndary) Primary need in primary schools (2022/23 (academic)) Mean for All Engl ish authorities 2022/23 (academic)Hill ing don 2022/23 (acade mic) % of SE N pupils with primary n e e d: s p ecific l ear ning difficul ty (Se c o ndary) % of SEN pu p i ls with p rimary nee d: s ocial , emotio nal and mental h e al th (Second ar y) 13.2 14.6 18.6 % of SE N pupils with p rimary n e e d: moderate l ear ning difficul ty (Se c o ndary) % of SEN pu p i ls with p rimary need : other difficul ty/d i s abil ity (S econd ar y) % of S EN pu p i ls with primary need: S EN support b ut no s p e cial i s t asse ssm e nt o f type of n eed (S econd ary) % of SEN pu p i ls primar y need: h e ar ing impairme nt (Sec o ndary) % of SE N pupils with p r imar y nee d: p hys ical di s ability (Se cond ar y) % of SEN pu p i ls with primary n eed: vi s ual impairme nt (Sec o ndary) % of SE N pupils with primary n e e d: s eve r e l earning difficul ty (S eco n dary) % o f SE N pupils with p rimary n e e d: p rofo und & mul tipl e learning difficul ty (Se c o n dary) % of SE N pupils with p r imar y nee d: mul ti-s ensory impairme nt (S eco ndary) Primary need in secondary schools (2022/23 (academic)) 2626 The majority of children with EHCPs in Hillingdon are male, which is in line with national statistics. 13.3. Hillingdon’s Schools In Hillingdon, 11.0% (410) of children are in Outstanding schools. This is 3.0% lower than the national (14.0%). However, 47.0% (1,780) of children attend Good schools, 11.0% greater than the national (36.0%). More children attend good or outstanding schools in Hillingdon than the national average. The percentage of children attending schools that have a grading of Requires Improvement and Inadequate percentages are 2.0% (90) and 1.0% (50) respectively. That is 3.0% lower than the national cohort for Requires Improvement (5.0%) and 1.0% lower than the national for Inadequate (2.0%). Ofsted ratings Hillingdon National 28.6% Not SpecifiedFemale Male 71% 0.04% 28.7% 71.2% 0.1% (source: SEN2) OFSTED RATINGS 11% Hillingdon National Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate Not Inspected Not Inspection Applicable 47% 2% 1% 17% 25% 14% 36% 5% 2% 17% 25% (source: SEN2) 2727 13.4. Alternative Provision in Hillingdon DfE statistics on pupil numbers show there were 12,785 pupils on roll in AP schools (pupil referral units and alternative provision free schools / academies) in January 2021 compared to 15,396 the previous year. On average in Hillingdon there are around 145 children who require access to an AP at any given time. The need for this access can vary from their SEND, being issued with a permanent exclusion, being medically unfit to attend school, being newly arrived to the borough or a place may be commissioned directly by a school for a time-limited period to address a specific need. Of these 145 children, the majority require access to an AP either for their SEND or because they have been permanently excluded from their mainstream setting. There were 3,928 permanent exclusions in the 2020/21 academic year in England. This is over 1,000 permanent exclusions lower than in the 2019/20 academic year and around half the number of permanent exclusions in the last full academic year before the pandemic. This gives a permanent exclusion rate of 0.05, this is the equivalent of 5 permanent exclusions for every 10,000 pupils. Source: DfE data: Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England. 2020/21 2828 The permanent exclusion rate for pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is 0.08%, and for pupils with SEN with no EHCP (SEN support) is 0.15%, compared to 0.03% for those without SEN. The suspension rate is also higher at 12.98% for pupils with an EHCP and 11.86% for pupils with SEN support, compared to 2.80% for those without SEN. During academic year 2022/23, Hillingdon processed a total of 58 permanent exclusions. 51 of these were issued by Hillingdon schools and 7 were from out of borough (OOB) schools but the child was resident in Hillingdon. 48 of these children went on to require an AP place. The number of children requiring access to an AP and their needs changes month by month, therefore the AP offer in Hillingdon is broad and flexible. Providers currently commissioned by the local authority and our schools include: • AP Free Schools • AP Units • Further Education Colleges • Sixth Form Centres • Online learning • Tuition Centres • Personal tutors 2929 14. SEND Support and Early Identification In 2022, nationally 12.6% of the school population are on SEND Support, from 12.2% in 2021. In London, 11.4% of the total school population are on SEND Support, however in Hillingdon this position is lower with 10.3% of the school age population. It is a strategic priority for the Local Partnership to continue to work closely with the local schools and partners to ensure that we identify early and accurately children who may have a SEND need and we aim to provide proportionate and effective support at point of need. The strategy endorses the work the partners are doing to promote early identification and create a framework where the findings and the evidence produced by these initiatives are assessed and included in future plans. From 2021, the way in which professionals and families apply for an EHCP changed. All requests now go through the Stronger Families Hub in order for applications to be triaged and assessed holistically. This offers a single point of contact for families to access support from: Social Care, Early Help, SEND, Adolescent Development Services, Portage, Stronger Families (Locality Key working teams), SEND Key Workers, attendance and Children Missing from Education (CME) teams. It now enables health professionals to submit SEND Early Health Notification, once they have identified that a child may have long term SEND. Schools, post 16 and early years providers can request support for children with SEND. To promote early identification and proportionate and effective intervention for our children, we have invested in our SEND Early Help and intervention model. This model sets out how pre-statutory support will be offered and how this will support demand management. As part of the model, we reconfigured our SEND Specialist Advisory Service (SAS) enabling it to better identify emerging SEND needs earlier and offering pre-statutory support to our children and families. This leads to the right support being offered at the right time. This approach is supported by the development and implementation of a multiagency developed Early Identification Toolkit that promotes a graduated approach that achieves effectiveness through working in partnership with families and education providers, engagement with outside agencies and applications for additional funding where needed. Another area of focus was to develop a comprehensive multiagency Early Years pre-statutory support offer. Our offer now includes an array of services that aim at providing proportionate support and intervention to our children as soon as need is identified and by working together with the families and education providers. One example is the introduction of Early Support Funding (ESF) for those children who require additional support but, with the right support, can close the gap with a time-limited source of support. This is one of a few pre-statutory funding streams the Council offers to support schools without requiring an EHCP. Review Assess Do Plan 3030 15. Education Health and Care Plans In the last 5 years, there has been a significant increase in numbers of pupils with EHCPs, SEND support has remained fairly stable; DfE statistics for 2022-23 show 4.4% of pupils with an EHCP in Hillingdon schools (4.4% nationally). In June 2023, there were 3400 EHCPs in Hillingdon. An analysis of the distribution of SEND needs across the Borough demonstrates that the highest incidence of EHCPs is in the south of the Borough along with higher levels of EHCPs in Harefield ward. The statutory assessment process for an EHCP takes place over a 20- week period, from the request being received to an EHCP being finalised. Nationally, over the past year 55.6% of assessments were completed within the 20-week timescale, a decline from the previous year at 58.7%. As of January 2022, SEN2 data, the cumulative average in Hillingdon for completing assessments within 20 weeks has significantly increased in the calendar year (2021) from 22.7% in 2019 and 34.1% in 2020 to 87% in 2021. The number of children and young people with an EHCP with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) as a prime need has increased from 584 in 2017/18 to 896 in 2021/22. Our projections indicate further growth of 20% in the next coming 5 years. Hillingdon has an extensive and rich range of inclusive education provision, from Early Years through to Further Education with dedicated and tailored specialist provision. We recognise that we need to continually improve our services and to be flexible in the offer so we can adapt to changing and increasing needs. Our ability to develop, adapt and increase provision in line with demand will be essential to meet the outcomes of our children and young people in the future. We know that children and young people achieve better outcomes when we have a clear focus on working together. We are proud of our collaborative working with our education provisions that provide exceptional education and pastoral care for our children and young people with SEND. Our Hillingdon Safeguarding Children’s Partnership recognises that children and young people with SEND are more vulnerable to risk of harm. Our joined-up approach seeks to deliver support and intervention at the earliest stage to ensure they are protected. We recognise that many service providers, partners and community groups play an important part in supporting our young people into adulthood. 32 16. SEND Data Outcomes Key Stage 1 outcomes Our SEND Data outcomes for Key Stage 1 have historically been in line with or above national for SEND Support, however, our outcomes for children with EHCPs has historically been below national until 2022 outcomes. At this point, children achieved roughly in line with national for reading and above national outcomes for writing and maths. Key Stage 2 outcomes For Key Stage 2 outcomes, it is a similar picture where outcomes are above national for reading, writing and maths for children with SEND Support. For children with EHCPs, outcomes are higher than national in all aspects except for reading (in 2020 and 2022). 2019/2020 2020/2021 2021/2022 Achieving ARE Reading Writing Maths Reading Writing Maths Reading Writing Maths Hillingdon Pupils All 76.2% 70.1% 78.4% 74.6% 69.5% 77.7% 69.7% 59.2% 71.4% SEND Support 44.3% 31.9% 49.9% 40.9% 32.1% 50.3% 43.6% 31.2% 49.3% EHCP 12.1% 8.3% 14.6% 12.7% 7.8% 15.6% 11.8% 9.7% 17.4% National All 75.5% 70.0% 76.1% 74.9% 69.2% 75.6% 66.8% 57.6% 67.6% SEND Support 38.0% 28.7% 41.3% 35.0% 26.0% 38.8% 29.6% 19.7% 33.2% EHCP 17.8% 11.5% 18.1% 15.6% 9.4% 16.6% 12.0% 7.3% 13.7% 2019/2020 2020/2021 2021/2022 Achieving ARE Reading Writing Maths Reading Writing Maths Reading Writing Maths Hillingdon Pupils All 77.6% 81.0% 78.5% 75.9% 81.7% 82.9% 76.0% 72.7% 76.4% SEND Support 50.2% 43.4% 48.4% 44.7% 46.6% 51.5% 51.5% 39.0% 47.6% EHCP 15.5% 14.7% 20.9% 20.9% 16.5% 24.1% 14.6% 13.0% 15.1% National All 75.3% 78.3% 75.5% 73.2% 78.4% 78.7% 74.6% 69.4% 71.5% SEND Support 43.1% 37.6% 41.8% 40.9% 38.8% 46.2% 43.8% 30.5% 39.8% EHCP 17.0% 13.3% 15.6% 16.4% 13.6% 17.0% 16.2% 10.6% 14.8% 33 Key Stage 4 outcomes At key stage 4, the gap between children on SEND support and non-SEND children’s outcomes are similar to national in 2020 and 2021 but the outcomes in 2022 show a slightly smaller gap than national outcomes. For children with EHCPs, the gap was historically larger and this has closed somewhat by 2022 where the gap is roughly in line with national. However, the gap between the outcomes at SEND support and EHCPs are significant and need further consideration when setting our priorities. 2020 2021 2022 Hillingdon Pupils Standard 9* to 4 Strong 9* to 5 Standard 9* to 4 Strong 9* to 5 Standard 9* to 4 Strong 9* to 5 Not SEN 81.2 61.1 80.2 56.1 80.8 60.2 SEN Support 42.4 20.6 42.8 20.9 45.3 26.7 LBH Gap - not SEN & SEN Support 38.8 40.5 37.4 35.2 35.5 33.5 National gap - Not SEN & SEN Support 38.1 35.3 36.9 35.8 37.9 34.0 EHCP 16.8 4.0 12.4 7.0 15.2 7.3 LBH Gap - Not SEN & EHCP 64.4 57.1 67.8 49.1 65.6 53.9 National gap - Not SEN & EHCP 49.3 48.1 63.2 50.2 62.5 53.9 34 35 17. DSG Safety Valve Agreement Hillingdon is one of many Local Authorities that have successfully secured a Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Safety Valve Agreement. The Council reports quarterly to the Department of Education to monitor progress against our objectives: • Early intervention including standardising good practice and inclusivity across the mainstream sector by promoting the use of SEND reviews, Early Support Funding, Early Health Notifications, the use of the Educational Psychology service, outreach support and pre-statutory family support services. • Developing consistent processes for support through EHCPs and stakeholder engagement. • Updating the Council’s approach to top-up funding to ensure the right support at the right time is provided to our children and young people. • Developing further specialist provision in schools and reducing reliance on out of Borough placements whilst optimising the use of mainstream settings. • Explore different models for alternative provision and continue to review existing commissioned places whilst quality assuring the provision that is in place. • Further develop the collaboration between agencies when supporting children and young people. • Having robust data sets to base strategic planning on and appropriate governance. Hillingdon’s Safety Valve Agreement was agreed in March 2022 and a strong governance framework was established along with a delivery plan. Progress is monitored through the DSG Delivery Group and reported to the DSG Programme Board. Specific Priority Groups are set up and they are contributing to the evaluation of services, ensuring the sustainability of service delivery and the delivery of priorities outlined in the SEND & AP Strategy and in the Safety Valve Agreement. Our Safety Valve plan is fully interwoven into our strategic objectives for ensuring effective SEND support is in place across our Borough. 18. Previous Inspection Outcomes The previous inspection of the local area took place in November 2016. There were many strengths identified across the services, such as ‘Leaders in the local area are dedicated to developing strong joint working practices that result in improved outcomes for all groups of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.’ A number of areas of development were identified as part of the inspection and this strategy aims to address these along with our own self- evaluation of where we need to further develop key aspects of our offer: Key themes that were identified for areas of development are as follows: • EHCP targets and desired outcomes provided by health and social care • Processes to identify additional needs in those who are home educated or out of school • Involvement of GPs in carrying out health assessments for people who have learning disabilities • Waiting times for CAMHS • Improvements to the Local Offer • Designated Medical Officer capacity • Provision of specialist equipment • Attainment of children on SEND Support • Threshold for social care support from the Children with Disabilities team • Use of reliable information The majority of these areas have been improved since the last inspection but we have included many of these in our ambitions for improving the provision and services for children with SEND and families. 36 Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon’s children and young people 19. Our Ambitions Local Area Ambitions for Children, Young people, and Young Adults with SEND Our strategy is underpinned by five key ambitions: Fully inclusive education for all Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community The right support, at the right time, in the right place There is a flexible offer and range of intervention for children to access alternative provision Ambition 1 Ambition 3 Ambition 2 Ambition 4 Ambition 5 37 Ambition 1 The right support, at the right time, in the right place We will improve children’s and parents’ experience of the SEND system by delivering the right support in the right place at the right time Context: There is clear evidence in research that helping families as early as possible and providing support at the right time can reduce the likelihood of problems escalating (and the need for more intensive interventions) and improve long term outcomes. NASEN reported on the importance of early intervention services, as reported by Cerebra. A recent study of over 600 families found that less than 30% of children had received targeted early intervention support in the preceding 12 months. In Hillingdon, early intervention services are delivered through a multitude of ways. The SEND Advisory Service (SAS) offer a range of support free of charge for schools to support children with SEND needs (without an EHCP). Support is provided by specialist advisors as well as a range of funding streams to close the gap early. Referrals for EHCPs are managed centrally through one front door within the Stronger Families Hub. This enables the Council to offer support from a

Hillingdon Local Area SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan 2024-2028 October 2024 Working in partnership with: • London Borough of Hillingdon • North West London Integrated Care System • Hillingdon Parent Carers Forum • Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust • SENDIAS Service • Schools and education settings • Third sector organisations Context SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) is a key priority for the Hillingdon Local Area and is owned strategically an d politically across the system by senior leaders who are collectively ambitious for children and young people with SEND and their families. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have recently undertaken a joint inspection of Hillingdon’s Local Area Partnership between 29th April and 3rd May 2024. The purpose of inspection was to: • Provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with SEND. • Where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements. The inspection outcome was that “the local area partnership’s arrangements lead to inconsistent experiences and outcomes for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The local area partnership must work jointly t o make improvements and publish its plan based on the recommendations set out by inspectors”. Our Commitment and strategic vision This Hillingdon SEND Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan aims to take forward the learning from the Ofsted/CQC inspection process and will set out how the Partnership will address the priority actions for improvement identified through the inspection. The Partnership will also incorporate actions required to fulfil ambitions from Hillingdon SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2023 – 2028. This Plan has been co-produced with all partners through a series of workshops and various meetings. The Hillingdon Local Area Partnership, led by the Hillingdon Council and the NHS Integrated Care Board , accept the findings of the inspection report. We recognise that some children and young people with SEND and their families have not received the service and outcomes they ne ed and deserve. The Local Area Partnership are continuing to take action to address the areas for development highlighted in the report, alongside our broader SEND and AP ambitions, to lead to improved lived experiences for all. Working in partnership, under the SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB), the Local Authority, ICS and our Parents and Carer s Forum have developed a strong vision to reflect our belief that SEND is everyone’s business. The Hillingdon SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy 2023 - 2028 outlines our vision, aspirations, and priorities for children and young people with SEND and their families. The five ambitions outlined in our SEND and AP Strategy 2023-2028 focus on the delivery of local area services for children and young people with SEND and their families are: • The right support, at the right time, in the right place We will improve children's and parents' experience of the SEND system by delivering the right support in the right place at the right time. • Fully inclusive education for all We will support all schools and settings in Hillingdon to be inclusive and welcome children and young people with SEND. • Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon's children and young people We will deliver a new, ambitious, and innovative provision that enables children and young people with SEND to receive excell ent education in their local community. • Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community We will enable all children and young people to achieve independence, take part in activities they want to be part of, build good relationships and have meaningful outcomes in adulthood. • There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children to access alternative provision We will create a 3-tiered model for alternative provision that offers flexible interventions and supports children back into mainstream where possible. Coproduction The Hillingdon SEND Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan has been coproduced during dedicated stakeholder sessions delivered between July and October 2024. The overarching governance sits with the SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB). Terms of Reference have been approved for this partnership work with specific objectives for leaders. The views of parents, carers and young people have been included in the development of this plan via established forums: • Parent carer representatives have shared their thoughts about what families would expect to see in this plan and, more importantly, the changes that families want the plan to urgently deliver, in terms of improved service delivery and better outcomes for children and young people with SEND. • Children and young people gave feedback on their experiences and shared improvement ideas through targeted sessions and have selected a new name for their SEND Youth Forum: “Aim High". Educational settings have been involved in developing this plan through a dedicated Schools’ Leaders Coproduction Session, with 70 representatives from a range of educational settings across Hillingdon. A Schools’ SLT survey and School Governors’ survey captured feedback and provided actions for improvement across all areas identified during the inspection. Social Care and Health have actively participated in Leader Improvement sessions to build on the stakeholder feedback and shape them into joint system wide actions with clear timelines and success metrics. Governance The Hillingdon SEND Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan will be monitored by the SEND Executive Partnership Board (SEPB) within an established SEND governance structure. The board will ensure there is integrated leadership for all aspects of SEND, with the involvement of parents, carers and young people. This board will also provide both high support and high challenge across the part nership, facilitating solution-focused practice to resolve issues and barriers which impact on the timely delivery of actions. The board will remain within existing governance structures to ensure clear lines o f accountability and oversight by local councillors , via the Select Committee, and the ICB’s governing body. This board , together with the SEND Operational Group, will provide effective governance, leadership and oversight to address the priority actions and areas for improvement identified in the inspection report. The SEPB will ensure the objectives of the programme are clearly defined, and Key Performance Indicators and Quality Assurance activity measures are set to track progress and achieve the desired impact. The operational delivery of the improvements will be implemented through reviewed action plans of the Ambition Groups and scrutinised by the SEND Operational Group. To fulfil this plan’s objectives and to ensure the effective working relationship across the partnership, SEPB will remain jointly chaired by Directors in Health and Children’s Services. Membership of this Board also includes members of Hillingdon Parent Carer Forum. Monitoring Progress The progress against targets and outcomes against success measures will be monitored bi-monthly by the governance groups. The SEPB will receive reports from the leads of Ambition Groups and the SEND Operational Group providing assurance to members of the Board and to enable any emerging concerns to be raised. The effectiveness of these monitoring arrangements will be kept under review. Each of the Ambition Group members will be responsible for monitoring their specific action plans and providing evidence of impact to demonstrate improvement. Actions will be signed off by the SEND Operational Group and included in the updates to the SEPB. Leaders will be held to account for the areas they lead on and will provide detailed changes and mitigations when actions are not being progressed as expected, and to take the steps necessary t o improve outcomes. Updates on progress will be communicated t o children and young people, families and wider stakeholders via existing communication channels, such as the LBH Forum of Parent Carer Representatives & Family Support Agencies, and the Local Offer. The performance dashboard will incorporate key measures identified within each of the improvement priorities such as key performance indicators and quality assurance activities. Areas for improvement identified during inspection Ofsted and CQC SEND inspection of Hillingdon Local Area took place between 29 th April and 3 rd May 2024. During the inspection there were identified four main areas of improvement, and these are addressed within this action plan. These are: 1. Leaders in education, health and social care should collaborate in a multi -agency approach to strengthen and embed their quality assurance framework of existing, amended EHC plans and annual reviews. This includes: • improving the quality and timeliness of contributions from health and children’s social care practitioners into the plans • improving the quality and timeliness of annual reviews • more effectively using the voice and aspirations of children and young people when shaping their EHC and/or amended EHC plan • ensuring that PfA is more effectively planned from Year 9 onwards • improving the specificity of outcomes, ensuring that they help the child or young person in readiness for transfer through to their next phase of education • significantly increasing the timeliness with which final amended EHC plans are issued. 2. Leaders should improve how well information about children and young people and their families is shared and used between and across all those involved in the partnership. This should focus on ensuring that: • systems to share information about children and young people are more robust and prevent them from ‘falling through the net’ • when children and young people move between settings, schools and colleges, information is shared in a timely way so that everyone works together to ensure that the support for children and young people is implemented quickly • leaders use a wider range of information to inform how they evaluate children and young people’s needs and understand families’ lived experiences. 3. Leaders need to refine their strategies for training the workforce across education, health and social care in better understanding and supporting children and young people and their families. This should include how well mainstream schools identify children’s needs in relation to SEND and then effectively plan provision that meets their needs, thereby helping to avoid the risk of suspension and/or permanent exclusion. 4. Leaders across the partnership need to further improve their support for young people in PfA. They should focus on: • ensuring that those young people with a learning disability under the age of 18 can receive a formal diagnosis when required to ensure a smooth and planned transition through to adult services • ensuring that all children and young people benefit from an effective and timely presentation to the transition panel • more robustly capturing the voice of children and young people and their lived experience about the partnership’s approach to PfA. Improvement Plan REFERENCE TABLE Areas of Improvement from Inspection: Ambition Group Objective & Actions 1.1 improving the quality and timeliness of contributions from health and children’s social care practitioners into the plans 1.2 1.2 improving the quality and timeliness of annual reviews 1.2 & 1.6 1.3 more effectively using the voice and aspirations of children and young people when shaping their EHC and/or amended EHC plan 4.2 & 4.4 1.4 ensuring that PfA is more effectively planned from Year 9 onwards 4.2 & 4.3 1.5 improving the specificity of outcomes, ensuring that they help the child or young person in readiness for transfer through to their next phase of education 1.5 1.6 significantly increasing the timeliness with final amended Plans issued following Annual Review 1.2 2.1 systems to share information about children and young people are more robust and prevent them from 'falling through the net' 1.1 2.2 when children and young people move between settings, schools and colleges, information is shared in a timely way so that everyone works together to ensure that the support for children and young people is implemented quickly 1.1 & 2.3 2.3 leaders use a wider range of information to inform how they evaluate children and young people’s needs and understand families’ lived experiences. 1.1 & 4.4 3.1. training the workforce across education, health and social care in better understanding and supporting children and young people and their families. 1.6 3.2 how well mainstream schools identify children’s needs in relation to SEND and then effectively plan provision that meets their needs, thereby helping to avoid the risk of suspension and/or permanent Exclusion 2.2 & 5.2 4.1 ensuring that those young people with a learning disability under the age of 18 can receive a formal diagnosis when required to ensure a smooth and planned transition through to adult services. 4.2 4.2 ensuring that all children and young people benefit from an effective and timely presentation to the transition panel 4.2 4.3 more robustly capturing the voice of children and young people and their lived experience about the partnership’s approach to PfA. 4.2 Integrated two-year-old review 1.2 Strengthen early identification of needs 1.1 & 2.2 Children and young people in Hillingdon wait too long for Neurodisability assessments. In Hillingdon, CYP are assessed on different pathways for Autism and ADHD, and in some cases, this means CYP having to wait twice for a full assessment of their needs. 1.3 the short break offer is not well developed. Some children and young people wait too long to access provision, for example due to a lack of appropriate equipment. 4.1 the local offer is not well established, many CYP and their families do not know about it 2.1 CYP are not directly represented on the local offer steering group or in SEND governance groups 4.2 Local Area Partnership Improvement Plan to implement SEND and AP Strategy 2023-2028 Actions are based on strategic ambitions and recommendations following Local Area Ofsted Inspection Ambition Group 1 Objective 1: Review and refine early intervention offer Areas of Improvement from Inspection: Leaders should improve how well information about children and young people and their families is shared and used between and across all those involved in the partnership. This should focus on ensuring that: • systems to share information about children and young people are more robust and prevent them from 'falling through the net' • when children and young people move between settings, schools and colleges, information is shared in a timely way so that everyone works together to ensure that the support for children and young people is implemented quickly (see also 2.3). • leaders use a wider range of information to inform how they evaluate children and young people’s needs and understand families’ lived experiences Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.1.1 Education settings, children and families have access to clear, understandable information to enable access to Early Help Services. Coproduce Support Information Guidance for CYP and their families while awaiting neurodiverse assessments. → To commence project in January 2025 for completion by May 2025 CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB DCO CDC Consultant Paediatrician 1.1.2 Training and information sessions for parent/carers/CYP to be designed as per parental/CYP’s feedback → 2 parent information days will take place by October 2025 SEND Advisory Team Manager & PEP 1.1.3 Review current early intervention offer and refining it to meet the needs of CYP their families and educational settings. EI toolkit will be developed further. → Reviewed EI toolkit to be published by July 2025 SEND Advisory Team Manager & PEP 1.1.4 Strengthen multidisciplinary Early Intervention by increased accessibility to SEND specialist advice and support within Specialist Inclusion Services. → SEND Advisory Team and Educational Psychology Service joint school visits to commence by February 25 → To lead on one year pilot with Harrow LA and ICB for Partnership in Neurodiversity for Schools (PINS) project to be implemented in 20 Hillingdon primary schools. Pilot to finish by September 2025 SEND Advisory Team Manager & PEP CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB 1.1.5 There is effective multiagency working across the Partnership in supporting CYP with SEND, especially at transition points in their education, through joint plans, effective and timely information sharing and evaluation of families’ lived experiences. Effective information sharing across Partnership agencies supports early intervention, prevents CYP ‘falling through the net’. → The Partnership will develop protocols for information sharing, confidentiality and merged multidisciplinary meetings (where appropriate) across partnership to be established and im- plemented by March 2025 → Configure EHM database system and build in reports to share information between SEND EHCP team, social care and health teams regarding Annual Review due dates. Report to be build and securely shared across partnership. by January 2025 and every term thereafter. → The Partnership will utilise existing Early Years Tracking Panel that includes Early Health No- tifications to prevent children ‘falling through the net’ by reviewing the membership of the panel and ensuring robust case monitoring system is in place by February 2025 → Based on CYP’s ‘lived experiences’ feedback the Holistic Support process map across edu- cation, health and social care to be developed by June 2025 and implemented by September 2025 → Develop surveys for CYP and their families to evaluate services. Surveys will be developed and implemented by October 2025 Borough Director Hillingdon NWL ICB DCO Director of Education & SEND AD of SEND & Inclusion Ambition Group 1 Objective 2: Review and refine approaches to early identification, assessment and reviewing of EHCPs Areas of Improvement from Inspection: Leaders in education, health and social care should collaborate in a multi-agency approach to strengthen and embed their quality assurance framework of existing, amended EHC plans and annual reviews by: • Improving the quality and timeliness of contributions from health and children’s social care practitioners into the plans • Improving the quality and timeliness of Annual Reviews (see also 1.6) • Significantly increasing the timeliness with final amended Plans issued following Annual Review Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.2.1 Improved quality of statutory advice for EHCP (EHCNA) and advice for Annual Reviews through processes that are rigorous, sustainable The Partnership will co-develop the EHCP Quality Assurance Framework based on views and experiences of CYPs and their families. Both health and social care agencies will ensure accurate quality monitoring is built into operational service delivery. → The EHCP education, health and social care advice templates to be developed to support better quality of information within statutory advice (for both EHCNA and Annual Review) By January 2025 CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB DCO and lead to plans of consistent quality. → The Partnership will utilise new EHCP Annual Review tool within Invision 360 to regularly au- dit the Plans following Annual Reviews and monitor the quality of amended plans. Annual Re- view Invision 360 tool to be in use by May 2025 → Partnership Task & Finish Group will be established to design QA Framework. by February 2025 → QA Framework and templates to be published by September 2025 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH 1.2.2 Improved timeliness of statutory advice for EHCNA and Annual Reviews The SEND EHCP Team will increase workforce establishment to ensure there are sufficient officers to respond to annual reviews in a timely manner and will provide appropriate ongoing training to upskill the officers to ensure the review is high quality. → Recruit 6 substantive Annual Review Coordinators by February 2025 → Recruit 2 additional EHC Coordinators to lower caseloads and ensure an increase in timeli- ness in issuing final EHCPs following reviews by February 2025 → Configure EHM database system and build in report to monitor timeliness of the statutory ad- vice. Report will inform health and social care of Annual Review due dates to enable them to participate in the process and monitor relevant agencies meeting the 6 weeks (EHCNA) and 2 weeks (Annual Review) statutory timeframe. Report will be shared with schools to support their timely planning of the Annual Reviews. Report to be build and securely shared across relevant agencies within partnership. by January 2025 and every term thereafter. → Capture planned dates of Annual Reviews to be held by schools annually and monitor pa- perwork expected from each school with follow up communication where necessary by September 2025 → As per action in 1.1.5 Annual Review due report will be created and shared with health and social care teams to improve internal monitoring of timeliness of the statutory advice for Annual Reviews. AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH 1.2.3 Ensuring that Educational Settings work in close collaboration with health and social care to inform Annual Review contributions from these agencies. Both Annual Review Guidance with checklist for schools and Annual Review Proformas will be reviewed in consultation with CYP to enable settings to ensure relevant professionals’ involvement. → Reviewed Annual Review Guidance with checklist be published by March 2025 → Coproduced new Annual Review Proformas to be published by June 2025 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH 1.2.4 Early years providers and 0- 19 Healthy Child Programme Health Visitors work together to deliver the 2.5-year developmental review, initially for children with known SEND or significant developmental delay. 0-19 Healthy Child Programme will work together with the wider partnership to introduce a method of integrating 2-2.5-year developmental reviews between health and early years settings, initially for children with identified developmental delay or identified SEND. → To develop methodology utilising Systm1 data to measure progress against this plan. To commence discussions by November 2024 → To launch pilot of agreed integrated model with selected early years providers by March 2025 CNWL HCP Lead DCO AD Children Family Support Services LBH 1.2.5 0-19 Specialist Public Health Nurses (Health Visitors) will receive 100% referrals of known vulnerable pregnancies from The Hillingdon Hospital via the 0-19 children's contact centre. All referrals will be triaged and allocated to a HV who will offer a face-to-face antenatal contact. Systm 1 will be reconfigured to identify the nature of contact (face-to-face or remotely), reasons if not seen and referral source in order to capture measurable data. → To commence monitoring of referrals from THH by December 2024 → To have agreed Systm1 updates related to capturing this data by April 2025 CNWL HCP Lead DCO AD Children Family Support Services LBH Ambition Group 1 Objective 3: Develop clear pathways for support Promote Hillingdon’s approach to inclusion including increasing uptake in SEND reviews & peer mentoring Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • Children and young people in Hillingdon wait too long for Neurodiversity assessments. In Hillingdon, CYP are assessed on different path- ways for Autism and ADHD, and in some cases, this means CYP having to wait twice for a full assessment of their needs. Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.3.1 ICB will work to create consistent alignment of resourcing and development of a standard core common offer to improve services and reduce variation in CYP neurodevelopmental (ND) services. Pre-assessment and ‘waiting well’: → NWL ICB will work with referrers and families to ensure the service has information for triage and signposting during ‘waiting well’. → NWL ICB will provide parents / carers and CYP with a roadmap of assessment pathway and estimated timelines by April 2025 → Referral and signposting process for parents / carers to 'waiting well' support to be imple- mented by April 2025 MHLDA NWL ICB → ICB will launch a procurement exercise in November 2024 to commission a peer-led service for CYP with Autism and ADHD and their families. The service will offer pre and post diag- nostic signposting and support to enable CYP and their families to ‘wait well'. Service will be implemented by April 2025 Assessment and diagnosis: → Joint assessments which are multi-disciplinary and simultaneously assess ASD / ADHD / Tics if multiple are indicated by April 2025 → Share diagnosis following the joint assessment with relevant education provider / referrer / GP with CYP / parental consent to commence by April 2025 1.3.2 CNWL will expand their current data capture to include a greater depth of information regarding numbers of CYP and waiting times for assessment on ASD and ADHD referral pathway CNWL Service Leads, Business Intelligence Team and ICB representatives will work together to implement increased breadth of data capture. → BI to commence implementation of changes to IT systems by March 2025 CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB CNWL Business Intelligence CNWL Service Leads 1.3.1 Parents/carers have access to information regarding health services and are offered support for their CYP while awaiting diagnosis. The Hillingdon ICB and CNWL will work within Partnership to develop ‘Waiting Well’ support through informal cafe style respite, introduction to Autism programme, Brilliant Parents programme and School Transition Workshops for families awaiting ASD diagnosis. → ‘Waiting Well’ initiatives will be implemented as a part of Pilot scheme from April 2024 to March 2025 DCO CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB 1.3.2 The Partnership has clear pathways of support which all professionals and parents understand and report being effective. Hillingdon early years settings and mainstream schools will increase their uptake in SEND reviews and peer mentoring to strengthen inclusion. → SEND Advisory Team will undertake more SEND reviews, or revisits. There will be an in- crease from 62% to 93% of all Hillingdon settings undertaking SEND reviews to support schools’ improvement around inclusion. Plan for SEND review visits or revisits to be created and monitoring of outcomes Reviews to be completed by March 2026. → SENCO Hubs will be set up to support peer mentoring by June 2025 SEND Advisory Team Manager & PEP Head of Education & Lifelong Learning Ambition Group 1 Objective 4: Develop new collaborative agreement & ways of working for Children’s Integrated Therapies Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.4.1 New collaborative agreement with Children’s Integrated Therapies is in place and effective and appropriate to meet the needs of the local area. The LA, ICB and CNWL will create a Collaborative Agreement to demonstrate how key aspects of the local area will work together to meet the therapeutical needs of CYP with SEND (age 0-19). Outcomes will be monitored regularly. → New Collaborative Agreement will be signed off by March 2025 → Quarterly reviews of outcomes will commence by June 2025 Head of Children’s Services & Operations CNWL SEND Lead Commissioner LBH Ambition Group 1 Objective 5: Improve outcomes for children with EHCPs and SEND Support Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • 1.5 improving the specificity of outcomes, ensuring that they help the child or young person in readiness for transfer through to their next phase of education. Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.5.1 All CYP with SEND have SMART outcomes outlined in their EHCP or My Support Plan. All stakeholders measure the outcomes and intervene where outcomes are not improving. The Partnership will monitor outcomes of EHCPs and My Support Plans to ensure they are improving. → All will have systems in place to QA the outcomes of EHCNAs & EHCPs including transition points which will be implemented via QA EHCP Framework, training offer, and regular inter- nal auditing systems. by September 2025 → Develop further training offer for schools, along with a traded coaching offer for SENCos or teachers, to improve confidence in creating SMART outcomes and in delivering differentiated curriculums and support to meet CYP’s needs. by September 2025 DCO Service leads for CDC, CAMHS and CITS Director of Education& SEND LBH 1.5.2 Monitor the outcomes of amended EHCPs via Annual Reviews and new EHCPs across the Partnership to ensure swift action can be taken if not sufficient progress is made towards outcomes. All agencies across the Partnership will work on improving outcomes for CYP with SEND within their internal processes as part of QA Framework and outcomes will be monitored at the point of Annual Review to ensure that CYP make sufficient progress. → Report from EHM on EHCP outcomes (met/partially met/not met) to be created By March 2025 → EYES (database) will be implemented to enable more effective data management by Autumn 2025 Borough Director NWL ICB CYP Delivery Manager Hillingdon ICB DCO CNWL Head of Children’s Services & Operations AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH Ambition Group 1 Objective 6: Develop training opportunities for LBH staff, health, social care and schools Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • training the workforce across education, health and social care in better understanding and supporting children and young people and their families Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 1.6.1 There is an improved knowledge and confidence in identifying and effectively supporting SEND across Partnership agencies: education, health and social care as well as educational settings. This leads to improved quality of the EHCPs, better inclusive Partnership Training Programme and information sessions to be designed for schools, education, social care and health staff, tailored to partnership priorities and professionals’ feedback. The impact and outcomes of training session will be monitored through feedback. → Task & Finish Group will be set up to develop Partnership Training offer. by March 2025 → First part of the Partnership Training Programme to be implemented by September 2025 and second part of the training programme to be implemented as rolling programme by September 2026 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH DCO 1.6.2 practices and smarter outcomes for CYP with SEND. The Partnership will coproduce a series of information workshops, webinars, training sessions on EHCNA and AR processes to ensure all relevant agencies and educational settings have the knowledge and resources required to improve the EHCPs. → Information workshops and webinars to be fully developed and implemented by March 2026 → Termly SENCo Forums will continue to be delivered on themes related to early identification and preventative work as well as EHCP processes and inclusive practice as per school pro- fessionals’ feedback. More bespoke sessions will be developed by February 2025 and continue or regular basis. AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH SEND Advisory Team Manager & PEP SUCCESS MEASURE FOR Ambition 1 Baseline performance Target Source 1.1.2& 1.1.3& 2.2.1 & 2.2.2 SEN Support in Hillingdon is in line with national averages Baseline 23/24 census data Hillingdon SEN Support 11.86% National 13.41% 24/25 25/26 26/27 27/28 Census Data 12.00% 12.50% 13.00% 13.50% 1.1.4 The impact of ESF increases leading to CYP’s needs being met earlier and closing the gap leading to 3-6% decrease of children applying for EHCP after receiving ESF within 1 year Baseline FY 23/24 29% By April 25 By April 26 By April 27 By April 28 DSG PBI dashboard 24% 20% 17% 14% 1.2.1 & 1.2.2 a % of health advice that meet the 6 weeks and 2 weeks reporting deadlines for EHCNA and Annual Review will increase New measurement no baseline yet 6 weeks performance for EHCNA 2 weeks performance for AR By Oct 25 By Oct 26 By Oct 27 By Oct 28 EHM / PBI 6 weeks at 70% 6 weeks at 80% 6 weeks at 90% 6 weeks at 100% 2 weeks at 50% 2 weeks at 60% 2 weeks at 70% 2 weeks at 80% 1.2.1 & 1.2.2 b % of social care advice that meet the 6 weeks and 2 weeks reporting deadlines for EHCNA and Annual Review will increase New measurement no baseline yet 6 weeks performance for EHCNA 2 weeks performance for AR By Oct 25 By Oct 26 By Oct 27 By Oct 28 EHM / PBI 6 weeks at 70% 6 weeks at 80% 6 weeks at 90% 6 weeks at 100% 2 weeks at 50% 2 weeks at 60% 2 weeks at 70% 2 weeks at 80% 1.2.1 & 1.2.2 c & 1.2.3 Annual reviews 4 -week and 12-week timeline improved Baseline 23/24 4-week decision met at 17% 12-week final amended date met is 38% By Oct 25 By Oct 26 By Oct 27 By Oct 28 EHM / PBI 4-week decision at 50% 4-week decision at 60% 4-week decision at 70% 4-week decision at 85% 12-week Amended Final at 50% 12-week Amended Final at 60% 12-week Amended Final at 70% 12-week Amended Final at 85% 1.2.3 b & 1.6.1 & 1.6.2 Overall Quality of new Plans and Final Amended Plans following AR will improve Baseline April 24 (based on monthly audit cycle of 20 EHCPs) Baseline for: overall quality of EHCPs By Apr 25 Based on 25 EHCPs per month By Apr 26 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 27 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 28 Based on 30 EHCPs per month Audit Tool Invision 360 • G ‘good’ - 40% (43% national average) • RI ‘require improvement’ - 37% ( 42% national average) • IN ‘inadequate’- 23% (14% national aver- age) G 43% RI 32% IN 18 % G 45% RI 30% IN 15% G 50% RI 27% IN 12% G 60% RI 25% IN 9% 1.3.3 Increase in the number of Hillingdon early years settings taking part in SEND Reviews or revisits. Baseline 23/24 30% There will be 10% increase each year from the baseline By Apr 25 By Apr 26 SAS database + 10% + 10% 1.3.3 Increase the percentage of Hillingdon mainstream primary schools taking part in first SEND Reviews or revisits. Target 100% of all identified schools 68 Baseline 23/24 75% By Apr 25 By Apr 26 SAS database + 15% +10% Increase the percentage of Hillingdon mainstream secondary schools taking part in first SEND Reviews or revisits. Target 100% of all identified schools 22 Baseline 41% By Apr 25 By Apr 26 SAS database +41% + 18% Schools’ SEND Reviews outcomes will increase Baseline Outcomes measure (scale 0-2) Baseline Average 1.4 schools performance following SEND Review By Apr 25 By Apr 26 SAS database 1.6-1.7 1.8-1.9 Number of early years settings and schools being part of Inclusion Commitment will increase. Baseline 11% of early years settings 11% of schools By Apr 25 By Apr 26 By Apr 27 By Apr 28 SAS database +10% +10% +10% +10% +10% +10% +10% +10% 1.4.1 Waiting times for the therapeutic input CYP receiving therapy (1:1 or group session, workshop, training) within 12 weeks of receipt of referral by therapy type: SALT, OT, Physio. Baseline May 24 June 24 Baseline Quarterly SALT 62% 63% 74% OT 24% 57% 61% Physio 100% 100% 100% By April 25 By Apr 26 By Apr 27 By Apr 28 SALT 75% SALT 75% SALT 75% SALT 75% CNWL database OT 75% OT 75% OT 75% OT 75% Physio 100% Physio 100% Physio 100% Physio 100% 1.5.1 & 4.2.1 Quality of EHCP Outcomes in Sections C, D & E will increase Baseline April 24 (based on monthly audit cycle of 20 EHCPs) ▪ Section C 50% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ ▪ Section D 18% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ ▪ Section E 87% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ By Apr 25 Based on 25 EHCPs per month By Apr 26 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 27 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 28 Based on 30 EHCPs per month Invision 360 C 55% C 65% C 70% C 75% D 55% D 65% D 70% D 75% E 87% E 88% E 89% E 90% Ambition Group 2 Objective 1: Improve functionality of the Local Offer Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • the local offer is not well established, many CYP and their families do not know about it. Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 2.1.1 Local Offer is well established, regularly reviewed and many CYP and their families can easily access it. The Partnership will review all information currently on the Local Offer to check it is still relevant and up to date and identify gaps. The Local Offer will be rebranded to help residents understand what it is and will be marketed more widely, monitoring the level of engagement over time and involving young people in the design and content. The Partnership will work in collaboration to raise awareness of the Local Offer with the community and to regularly promote the website. → New branding for the Local Offer will be in place with a new name through coproduction by December 2024 → Task & Finish Group will be set up to collate feedback from Families, CYP and other Professionals to evaluate the Local Offer and address all the gaps. Evaluation and improvement plan for LO to be implemented by March 2025 → First draft of new Local Offer by October 2025 → Regular survey on functionality of Local Offer to be coproduced and implemented by October 2025 → Promotion of the Local Offer will be led by the above Task & Finish Group through so- cial media platforms, information forums for parents/carers and YP and by identifying LO champions across all agencies. Promotional activities to be designed and implemented by October 2025 and thereafter termly reviewed by AG2. AD Children and Family Support Services LBH AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH Ambition Group 2 Objective 2: Support and empower settings to play their part in a fully inclusive system Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • how well mainstream schools identify children’s needs in relation to SEND and then effectively plan provision that meets their needs, thereby helping to avoid the risk of suspension and/or permanent Exclusion. Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 2.2.1 There are established frameworks across the Partnership to support educational settings with the identification of SEND needs, inclusion and putting support in place through Ordinarily Available Provision to strengthen inclusion in local mainstream settings. The Partnership will review and update the OAP framework, create OAP checklists to support settings in strengthening inclusion in local mainstream settings. → OAP guidance to be reviewed and published. (please see also actions 1.6.1 & 1.6.2) by December 2024 → OAP checklists are published and promoted to schools and settings by January 2024 PEP 2.2.2 The schools’ community will coproduce an Inclusion Consistency Framework to ensure that an inclusive environment across the Partnership educational settings is transparent and coordinated. → The Task & Finish Group will be created by January 2026 → Inclusion Consistency Framework will be coproduced & implemented by March 2026 Head of Education & Lifelong Learning LBH Ambition Group 2 Objective 3: Review and refine support for SEND children with transitions, attendance and exclusions and vulnerable group Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 2.3.1 Ensuring that agencies across education, social care and health are working collaboratively with educational settings to develop strategies to support CYP and their families through transition points in their education. The Partnership will: → coproduce relevant guidance documents and information for professionals, and CYP and their families, on transition points in education to prevent placement breakdown and reduce requests for a change of placement to specialist where mainstream deemed appropriate by July 2026 → Implement transition Pilot programme (run by LBH education in partnership with CAAS) for 4 secondary schools to support transition of CYP with ADHD & ASD with EHCP transferring to secondary mainstream provision by October 24 EHC Service Manager SUCCESS MEASURE FOR Ambition 2 Baseline performance Target Source 2.1.1 Number of views and returns on Local Offer website Baseline (01.10.23- 01.10.24) → Views 1330 → Bounce rate 40% By Oct 25 By Oct 26 By Oct 27 By Oct 28 LBH Website Views 1530 Views 1730 Views 1930 Views 2130 Bounce 42% Bounce 45% Bounce 48% Bounce 50% 2.2.1 & 2.2.2 Increase by 2 % each year the number of CYP with EHCPs attending local mainstream to increase inclusion. Baseline 22/23 - 44% By April 25 By April 26 By April 27 By April 28 EHM / PBI 48% 50% 52% 54% 2.3.1 Total number of suspensions and exclusions for CYP with EHCPs or on SEN Support. Baseline Jul 24 occurrences SEN Support Susp. Number: 561 Excl. Number: 14 EHCP Susp. Number: 344 Excl. Number: 3 % decrease from baseline By Jul 25 By Jul 26 By Jul 27 By Jul 28 Education internal data Susp. -10% Excl. -10% Susp. -5% Excl. -10% Susp. -2% Excl. -5% Susp. -2% Excl. -5% Susp. -10% Excl. -30% Susp. -5% Excl. -30% Susp. -2% Excl. -60% Susp. -2% Excl. -10% Ambition Group 3 Objective 1: Review SEND Funding approach Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 3.1.1 Hillingdon SEND funding framework is reviewed and provides fair and transparent allocation of HNB funding in line with CYP’s needs. The Partnership will continue banding review to enable continuum of support for CYP on SEN Support as well as with EHCPs. → Mainstream Banding Model implementation commenced in September 2024 and con- version to the new model will be completed by September 2026 → Special Schools Banding model review to be completed by February 2025 and implemented by July 2027 Director Education and SEND LBH Ambition Group 3 Objective 2: Develop new SRP, Designated Units and Assessment base with appropriate quality assurance Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 3.2.1 Quality assuring existing SRP/DU/AB provision by regular reviews to create a consistent approach to supporting children with SEND. The Partnership will develop a quality assurance framework for SRPs, DUs and AB. → Pilot on SRP Review to be completed by March 2025 → Develop QA model for all SRPs, DUs, AB and carry out the reviews for all by September 2027 SEND Education Advisor LBH 3.2.2 Developing more specialist provision within mainstream to meet the range of needs locally in the Borough, including additional SRP places, Designated Units (DU) and Assessment Base (AB). The LBH will continue developing provision following the opening of 2 new primary SRPs, 2 DUs and AB. → Secondary SRP provision and specialist FE provision expansions will be developed by September 2027 Senior SEND & Inclusion Commissioner LBH School Place Planning Manager LBH Ambition Group 3 Objective 3: Create additional places in local Special School provision Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 3.3.1 Reviewing current SEND provision and developing further SEND school places as required to meet the current and projected demand. The Partnership will ensure that the types of needs in special schools are fit for purpose for the current cohorts and that the needs are constantly reviewed through Early Years tracking panel, and regular reports on trends and cohorts. → SEND PBI Dashboard to be further developed to enable regular reporting on trends and cohorts by July 2025 → SEND Sufficiency Strategy to be published by March 2025 → Admission Guidance to specialist provision will be developed and published by July 2025 → Pinn River and Meadow High Schools expansion to be completed By January 2026 School Place Planning Manager LBH AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH Ambition Group 3 Objective 4: Develop a SEND school outreach offer Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 3.4.1 Creating a new SEND outreach and in-reach model to support mainstream settings with a range of needs. The Partnership will work together to create outreach and in-reach offer for mainstream schools. → Centre for ADHD and Autism Support (CAAS) pilot commissioned by the LA to strengthen transition for EHCP students transferring from primary to secondary main- stream. Review impact of pilot and consider next steps by September 2025 → Outreach and In-reach offer from special schools and SRPs to mainstream will be de- veloped to support with a range of needs. by September 2026 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH Director Education & SEND LBH SEND Education Advisor LBH SUCCESS MEASURE FOR Ambition 3 Baseline performance Target Source 3.2.1 Number of SRPs, DUs and AB that have regular reviews will increase. There will be ongoing review for all. Baseline September 2024 - 3/15 reviews completed By Sept 25 By Sept 26 By Sept 27 By Sept 28 EIP internal database 6 10 15 15 3.4.1 & 2.2.1 & 2.2.2 Increase by 2 % each year the number of CYP with EHCPs attending local mainstream to increase inclusion. Baseline 22/23 - 44% By April 25 By April 26 By April 27 By April 28 EHM / PBI 48% 50% 52% 54% Ambition Group 4 Objective 1: Develop further opportunities for children with SEND to take part in clubs & activities Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • the short break offer is not well developed. Some children and young people wait too long to access provision, for example due to a lack of appropriate equipment. Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 4.1.1 Ensuring that activities and opportunities for CYP with SEND across local area are accessible and provide range of possibilities within their interests including respite offer. The Partnership will work with CYP and their families to establish gaps in local area for activities. → The Partnership will ensure events and activities for CYP are update on the Local Offer regularly to widen participation. (part of action 2.1) By October 2025 SEND Education Advisor AD Child and Family Support Services 4.1.2 → The Partnership will explore the development of short breaks offer through DPS and spot purchasing as well as a hub to ease access to short breaks to families. The Part- nership will review the reasons for the delay in CYP accessing short breaks and will work across agencies to improve timely access to short breaks. Short breaks offer development plan informed by the review to be established by October 2025, AD Permanence & Specialist Services Ambition Group 4 Objective 2: Development of Preparation for Adulthood outcomes Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • ensuring that PfA is more effectively planned from Year 9 onwards • ensuring that those young people with a learning disability under the age of 18 can receive a formal diagnosis when required to ensure a smooth and planned transition through to adult services • ensuring that all children and young people benefit from an effective and timely presentation to the transition panel YP are not always presented early enough to the transition panel and their views are often overpowered by parents. • more robustly capturing the voice of children and young people and their lived experience about the partnership’s approach to PfA. • CYP are not directly represented on the local offer steering group or in SEND governance groups Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 4.2.1 There is a strong collaboration with CYP and their families to capture their voice, ensure YP’s involvement in SEND governance, PfA is embedded across all agencies that work with CYP with SEND from Year 9 onwards and YP are presented to transition panel in a timely manner. The Partnership will work in line with the coproduction charter to ensure effective use of the voice of CYP in shaping EHCPs and will develop partnership's approach to PfA by coproducing a PfA strategy document. New Annual Review Templates (action 2.2) will include coproduced part for PfA. Training for schools (action 6.2) will include PfA. The Partnership will monitor PfA implementation through EHCP QA Framework (action 2.1) → PfA Strategy to be coproduced and published by October 25 AD SEND & Inclusion 4.2.2 The Partnership will review transition panel to ensure there are representatives from all relevant agencies to make it more robust and review the ToR of the panel to improve operational pathways across agencies to enable smooth transition for YP while focusing on their personal PfA Outcomes. → Transition Panel Terms of Reference and membership will be reviewed by March 2025 AD Permanence & Specialist Services CNWL Transition Nurse/CCN Leads DCO 4.2.3 The Partnership will work with CYP and their families to establish clear platforms for capturing YP’s voice and involve them in the local area decision. Hillingdon Hospital LD Nurse supports CYP with SEND and complex health need to develop ‘My Health My Plan’ (Hospital Passport) that is PfA focused. → SEND Youth Forum to be established by January 2025 → YP with SEND to become members of Ambition Groups within Local Area SEND Gov- ernance by February 2025 → ‘Walking in our shoes’ to be developed themed on CYP with SEND by April 2025 SEND Education Advisor 4.2.4 Young People will have access to an assessment for Learning Disability to receive a formal LD diagnosis. NWL ICB will commission review of specialist services for people with LD → To undertake a mapping exercise to highlight the gaps for MHLDA services. Findings will be presented to MHLDA Board and LDA Steering Group by November 2024 → NWL ICB will investigate the scale of the issue, the impact on CYP and what is happen- ing across other parts of the country. This will inform the decision to develop a business case seeking investment and service model options. by November 2025 Head of Children’s Services and Operations CNWL Ambition Group 4 Objective 3: Further develop options for Post 16 through supported internships, provision, work and employment Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • 1.4 ensuring that PfA is more effectively planned from Year 9 onwards (see also 4.2) Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 4.3.1 All agencies across the Partnership are working with employers and FE providers to create more opportunities and pathways to support wider education, employment and training opportunities, including Supported Internships. The Partnership will involve YP with SEND in designing opportunities in local area for internships, work and employment. → Supported Employment Forum to be further developed By March 2025 → Pathways Guide to be further developed from existing Routes into Work Guide. By July 2025 Work Inclusion Partnerships Manager 4.3.2 Strengthening practice in career advice and guidance for YP with SEND from Year 9 and onwards. Careers Leads/SENCos have better understanding of their role in supporting YP with SEND in improving Careers, Education, Information, Advice, and Guidance (CEIAG). The Partnership will raise awareness about the importance of planning PfA more effectively from Year 9 onwards and will provide support to Careers Leads/SENCOs around CEIAG through the following: → Training Sessions to Careers Leads/SENCOs about supporting YP with SEND in im- proving CEIAG. First session will be delivered by May 2025 and thereafter 1 session per term. → Careers Leads Network termly meetings are implemented where Gatsby Benchmarks are discussed with all schools with strong emphasis on involving SEND students. Meetings implemented and run termly. → Pilot programme with few schools to implement vocational profiling as a part of the CEIAG for EHCP students and SEN Support students. Pilot to commence by November 2025 Head of Education & Lifelong Learning LBH Ambition Group 4 Objective 4: Regularly gather feedback from SEND children to understand what is working and what isn’t To develop a shared vision and expectation of responsibility, through the development of a Co-production Charter, across all service providers who support children and young people with SEND Areas of Improvement from Inspection: • 1.3 more effectively using the voice and aspirations of children and young people when shaping their EHC and/or amended EHC plan • 2.3 leaders use a wider range of information to inform how they evaluate children and young people’s needs and understand families’ lived experiences. (see also 1.1) Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 4.4.1 Ensuring that CYP with SEND are involved at all stages of support offered by services within the Partnership so that they are clear on their options and can make the best choices for themselves in line with their aspirations. Following the development of Coproduction charter, the Partnership will develop mechanism for coproduction charter implementation, ensuring that all agencies gather evidence of coproduction with CYP and their families. CYP’s voice will be regularly evaluated to inform services’ delivery. → Coproduction implementation contract to be developed and monitored by May 2025 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH Ambition Group 4 Objective 5: Improve support for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health support Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 4.5.1 Ensuring there is an outreach service for CYP with SEND who present with SEMH needs to support them in mainstream settings. The Partnership will develop SEMH Inclusion commitment and further develop Mental Health Support Worker service in schools. → SEMH Inclusion Commitment to be developed by December 2025 → The Thrive Partnership lead by NWL ICB Hillingdon in collaboration with the Local Au- thority will create a Thrive Directory for CYP and their families/carers/schools and pro- fessionals which will signpost to the right service to support their SEMH needs. Directory to be published by March 2025 → EHCP Plus team to be created with LBH Education & SEND to offer specialist advice and guidance to mainstream schools for CYP with EHCP who have SEMH/ complex needs. EHCP Plus Team to be recruited by March 2025 and support fully enrolled to schools by September 2025 LBH SEMH Specialist EP & ICB CAMHS 4.5.2 AD of SEND & Inclusion LBH SUCCESS MEASURE FOR Ambition 4 Baseline performance Target Source 4.2.1 & 1.5.1 Increased quality of PfA outcomes linked to YP’s ambitions. Quality of EHCP Outcomes in Sections C, D & E will increase. (Themed audits specific on PfA) Baseline April 24 (based on monthly audit cycle of 20 EHCPs) ▪ Section C 50% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ ▪ Section D 18% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ ▪ Section E 87% rating as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstand- ing’ By April 25 Based on 25 EHCPs per month By Apr 26 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 27 Based on 30 EHCPs per month By Apr 28 Based on 30 EHCPs per month Invision 360 C 55% C 65% C 70% C 75% D 55% D 65% D 70% D 75% 4.2.2 Improved timeliness of YP with SEND (EHCP and non- EHCP) presented to Transition Panel (adult social care& health) Baseline FY Out of all CYP with SEND who potentially meet threshold for support under the Care Act Assessment are timely presented to the Transition Panel. 97% are presented on time (at the age of 17) E 87% E 88% E 89% E 90% Panel data 98% 99% 100% 100% 4.3.1 a Increased number of students with EHCP accessing Supported Internships Baseline September 2024 18 students with EHCP accessing SI By Sept 25 By Sept 26 By Sept 27 By Sept 28 Work Inclusion Partnership database + 10% + 10% + 10% + 10% 4.3.1b % of YP who successfully move to employment following Supported Internships (SI) Baseline March 2024 43% of YP who moved to employment following SI By Mar 25 By Mar 26 By Mar 27 By Mar 28 45% 48% 51% 55% 4.3.2 % of students with SEND in Education, Employment and Training (EET) Baseline June 2024 % of students: on SEN Support 16-17 year olds = 91.3% Baseline October 2024 with EHCP: By Oct 25 By Oct 26 By Oct 27 By Oct 28 Participation Team Database and EHM SEN Support 16-17 year olds 92.5% 93% 94% 95% 16-17 year olds – 93.8% 16-25 year olds – 86.2% EHCP 16-17 year olds 94% 94.5% 95% 96% EHCP 16-25 year olds 88% 89% 90% 92% Ambition Group 5 Objective 1: Create a three-tiered alternative provision system Key Areas Actions (with timeliness) Lead role & organisation 5.1.1 To ensure the three-tier alternative provision (AP) system is fully integrated into the local education landscape, with mainstream schools having a clear understanding of the system, how to access support, and how to make effective referrals. The Partnership will: → Develop an easy-to-understand infographic or visual guide explaining the three-tier AP system, highlighting the types of support available at each tier by October 25 → Establish a regular communication plan with schools to gather feedback on the AP sys- tem and address any gaps in awareness e.g. annual AP information sessions, feed- back surveys to assess school satisfaction and identify areas for improvement. by June 2025 → Develop an online hub on LEAP where schools can easily access information about the AP system, submit referrals, monitor student progress, and communicate with AP pro- viders. Ensure it includes resources like case studies, guidance documents, and train- ing videos. by January 2025 AD for Education LBH 5.1.2 Ensure mainstream schools are equipped with resources and training to provide early, preventative interventions to reduce the need for alternative provision referrals. → Provide additional resources to schools for early intervention program through Vulnera- ble Learners Clinics. Clinics to be implemented by June 2025 AD for Education LBH

1 Hillingdon Local Area SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan 2024-2028 Highlight Report January 2026 Programme Hillingdon Local Area SEND & AP Partnership Improvement Plan 2024- 2028 implementation Directors co- chairing SEND Operational Group (SOG) LBH- Abi Preston, Director of Education and SEND ICB- Sue Jeffers, Borough Director Hillingdon Project leads LBH -Dominika Michalik, Assistant Director of SEND & Inclusion Rani Dady, Head of Programme Management ICB- Hilary Smith, Designated Clinical Officer Programme delivery: current status Green Reasons for RAG Plan initiated and all actions are on track for delivery Report Completed By Dominika Michalik, Assistant Director of SEND & Inclusion Date 27.01.2026 Summary of Progress From November 2025 To January 2026 Ambition Group Headlines AMBITION GROUP 1 The right support, at the right time, in the right place • Review and refine early intervention offer • Review and refine approaches to early identification, assessment and reviewing of EHCPs • Develop clear pathways for support. Promote Hillingdon’s approach to inclusion including increasing uptake in SEND reviews & peer mentoring • Develop new collaborative agreement & ways of working for Children’s Integrated Therapies • Improve outcomes for children with EHCPs and SEND Support ➢ Work on Support Information Guidance for CYP and their families who are awaiting neurodiverse assessments is going well with completion expected by end of February 26. Feedback from PCF has been incorporated into the document’s planning. The Family Hubs and Children’s Centres Service Manager has been commissioned by the ICB to produce the document, which will include a QR code linking to the Local Offer. The QR code will be shared by the Child Development Centre at first contact. ➢ Second Parent Event took place on 26.01.2 6 with various speakers providing information and guidance. ➢ Early Identification toolkit is available on LEAP and Local Offer. Training is now being developed alongside the MSP which will be rolled out this year. ➢ PINS 2 Project has now progressed to the commissioning stage and is being developed collaboratively with four partner boroughs. This joint 2 • Develop training opportunities for LBH staff, health, social care and schools approach aims to ensure consistency, shared learning, and improved outcomes across the region. ➢ Inclusion Network developing further, positive feedback ➢ Partnership Training Offer is being further developed - OAP training sessions for schools are taking place now. SAS offers universal ones free of charge and bespoke training sessions as part of traded offer. ➢ Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) is setting up pathways for social care statutory assessments and advice. First templates were created and now being implemented. DSCO provided information session to all SEND & Inclusion Services. ➢ EYES has gone live and now at the implementation stage. Awaiting EHCP Portal implementation. ➢ QA Framework : Annual Review Templates review workshops with schools and all other professionals took place and now working on drafts. YP contributed via Aim High and families through SENDIASS and PCF. ➢ New collaborative agreement with Children’s Integrated Therapies is in place. Commissioner liaising with CNWL about some challenges related to therapy delivery. ➢ ICB & CNWL ‘Waiting Well" Pilot initiative continues. It enhances access to both pre - and post -diagnostic support. Waiting times for ASD and ADHD diagnosis remain a significant challenge, with waits extending up to three years and no joint assessments at this stage. ➢ Thrive is preparing to launch its dedicated website and has already published a landing page on the Hillingdon Council website. The initiative will require the reformation of the Thrive group, ongoing work. Major milestones ➢ Positive Parent/Carer event took place ➢ Progress in building SEPB dashboard ➢ Progress in developing Thrive website ➢ Progress in developing social care statutory advice led by DSCO ➢ Early Identification Toolkit and OAP guidance branded and published with workshops scheduled to support further the implementation. ➢ Great success of the Inclusion Network for Education (previously SENCO Forum) Feedback from the three meetings has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants describing the sessions as:“Interesting, inspirational, positive, informed, useful, multi- faceted, motivating, encouraging, and improved.” Risks Action Issues Mitigation Configure EHM database system and build in reports to share information between SEND EHCP team, social care and health teams regarding Annual Review due dates. Report to be built and securely shared across partnership. New technology improvement to share data across the NHS - issues and effectiveness unknown until tested. With the new EHM EHCP portal, officers manually remind schools via an AR spreadsheet. Enhanced management monitoring is now in place. EHM issues deadline notifications and there is ongoing work to ensure correct report on key AR tasks. Full implementation should be completed by March Work has been initiated to build in the report from LA to report on what SEND EHC Team received from school in terms of statutory advice. Currently manual AR due date sharing with schools to ensure improvement of Annual Review Timeline. This is holistic responsibility of all stakeholders. 3 26, six months after launch, to address any issues. CNWL Service Leads, Business Intelligence Team and ICB representatives will work together to implement increased breadth of data capture. Work is ongoing to obtain the data required and to find a way to share this effectively between all organisations. This work is underway but will not be completed by the end of March as it is complex. Challenges to staffing resources – implications for ICB. Business Intelligence (BI) commenced implementation of changes to IT systems. DCO met with CNWL BI team and developed a new data set. Waiting times for ASD / ADHD / diagnosis are at 2 years and not improving. A pilot of AI tool Anathem in Brent CAMHS showed promising time savings of 1–2 hours per diagnostic report, and rollout to Hillingdon CDC and CAMHS is imminent. A collaborative proposal with the other three ND providers in NWL has been developed for a new integrated ND service specification, aiming to streamline ASD and ADHD assessments into a single pathway, establish borough-level triage hubs, enhance early intervention, and expand digital solutions including AI and shared website development. Next steps include rolling out Anathem to Hillingdon services; presenting the integrated ND service proposal to the ICB; and seeking ND SDF funding to increase team capacity, acknowledging that demand will still exceed available resources. Collaborative Agreement -CITS delivery Challenges with OT delivery Head of Commissioning is liaising with CNWL Leads to agree next steps and address challenges. AMBITION GROUP 2 Fully inclusive education for all • Improve functionality of the Local Offer • Support and empower settings to play their part in a fully inclusive system • Review and refine support for SEND children with transitions, attendance and exclusions and vulnerable group ➢ Local Offer HELLO (Hillingdon Empowering Lives Local Offer) being developed further with updated information from various stakeholders. ➢ SEND Youth Forum Aim High developing well with participation in new project Dragon SEND (Working in partnership with Heathrow Airport, an event with schools to develop Entrepreneurial skills for young people with SEND). ➢ To support Inclusion: EBSNA Protocol (will be expanded to EROS Pilot through London Innovation and Improvement Alliance with grant funding of £25,000 that Hillingdon was successful in applying for. ➢ To further support Inclusion- Part-time timetables protocol implemented. Other projects have been initiated: Hillingdon Local Area Adaptive Teaching Framework, Accessibility strategy in being developed as part of inclusion commitment, EBSNA Protocol EROS - focus on ensuring CYP’s voice is captured and support inclusion. 4 ➢ Review of Annual Review templates have been done through co-production workshops and now finalising templates with tools to support AR process for YP themselves. ➢ Extension for another year Transition Pilot Programme run by LBH education in partnership with CAAS for 6 secondary schools to support transition of CYP with ADHD & ASD with EHCP transferring to secondary mainstream provision to ensure CYP have every opportunity to succeed in their school. ➢ Inclusion Consistency Framework – work progressing well on new QA Framework for Inclusion tool that has been developed to support schools with self- evaluation and improvement under Ofsted. Now we are merging this with Inclusive & Equity-Focused Self Evaluation Tool that SAS Developed for SEND. ➢ All guidance documents, including the OAP Framework, have been fully branded and published on Local Offer and LEAP . Major milestones • Hillingdon being awarded grant (£25,000) through London Innovation and Improvement Alliance to support inclusion for EBSNA CYP through EBSNA Response and Outreach Team (EROS) • QA Framework for Inclusion trial implementation- self-evaluation and improvement under new Ofsted framework • Local Offer: HELLO (Hillingdon Empowering Lives Local Offer) is live from 5th September 2025 and being further developed • Collaboratively reviewed and branded in line with SEND & AP Strategy guidance documents are now published and can be used by all stakeholders • Part-time tables protocol is developed and being embedded. Risks Action Issues Mitigation Support settings to ensure that CYP who do not require special school are not placed there. SEN2 return indicated Hillingdon % of CYP in special schools in total remained 35% similar to the last year 34.4% which remains still significantly higher than national. Nationally there has been a decrease from 32.3% to 30.4% this year and regionally there is a decrease in London from 28.2% to 27.6%. LBH Team working closely with special schools and SRP/DU network to support transitions and develop further guidance for mainstream schools about inclusion (EBSNA Protocol; Hillingdon Local Area Adaptive Curriculum, Inclusion Consistency Framework) 5 AMBITION GROUP 3 Provision meets the needs of Hillingdon’s children and young people • Review SEND Funding approach • Develop new SRP, Designated Units and Assessment Centre with appropriate quality assurance • Create additional places in local Special School provision • Develop a SEND school outreach offer ➢ Banding review: Reviewed mainstream guidance in place and we are in the process of converting old banding to the new one. Special Schools Banding completed and in implemented with resource panels in place including in-year adjustment panel. Early Support Funding methodology reviewed to match the banding model and Early Years funding (SENIF) also reviewed through coproduction with EY settings. ➢ Quality Assurance: QA templates for SRPs and DUs created. Guidance document has been updated further to include all feedback. ➢ Expansion Projects: The Pinn River school has opened in January 2026. Construction has also commenced on the Meadow satellite site at Harefield, with completion targeted for August 2026. Barra Hall renovation within HRUC on track. ➢ Bishop Ramsey approved to develop secondary mainstream SRP for 24 CYP. ➢ Admission Guidance: Coproduced with SRPs/DUs and Special Schools, awaiting final amendments for guidance to be published. Major milestones • The Pinn River School has opened. • SRPs and DUs network group set up with positive feedback from members • Reviewed Mainstream Banded Funding Framework and Special Schools Banded Funding Framework published. Risks Action Issues Mitigation Create additional places in local specialist provision Delays with Barra Hall for FE students HRUC senior leadership offered temporary solution at Uxbridge College and Harrow College to accommodate students for this academic year. AMBITION GROUP 4 Children and young people live happy and fulfilled lives where they are included in the community ➢ Develop further opportunities for children with SEND to take part in clubs & activities ➢ Development of Preparation for Adulthood outcomes ➢ Further develop options for Post 16 through supported internships, provision, work and employment ➢ Regularly gather feedback from SEND children to understand what is working and what isn’t ➢ Dedicated page on Local Offer for PfA has been created and being further developed with YP . ➢ Supported Internships Work grant has been extended until March 2026. LBH (as one of 3 in London) has been awarded grant funding to pilot a supported internship programme for young people under the age of 25 who have significant needs but do not hold an EHCP. This pilot will run for the duration of the current academic year. ➢ SEND Youth Forum: AIM High Youth developing well with subgroup of Aim High created at Meadow High 6 ➢ To develop a shared vision and expectation of responsibility, through the development of a Co- production Charter, across all service providers who support children and young people with SEND ➢ Improve support for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health support special school to allow representation from schools during school day. ➢ Short Breaks- tender documentation is scheduled for release shortly, following a recent provider market engagement event and the completion of a draft service specification. The Short Breaks Statement is also undergoing a comprehensive review as part of this process. ➢ SEMH Support: EBSNA Protocol Task and Finish Group work continues on mapping exercise and scoping next steps now with EROS pilot in place. ➢ Thrive directory website is being developed. ➢ The SEMH Educational Psychologist has been successfully onboarded to EHCP Plus Team and started her role in January 2026 on a part time basis (3 days a week). Major milestones ➢ Short Breaks offer review progressing well. ➢ Success of the Aim High SEND Youth Forum SEND version of the “walk in our shoes” training at Inclusion Network ➢ The SEMH Educational Psychologist in EHCP Plus Team in post ➢ Significant number of Supported Internships started in September 2025, success in receiving grant for SI for CYP without EHCP . . Risks Action Issues Mitigation The Partnership will develop SEMH Inclusion commitment and further develop Mental Health Support Worker service in schools. Schools in Hillingdon face significant challenges in supporting CYP with SEMH needs, including a lack of clarity around available services and referral pathways, difficulties in identifying the underlying causes of SEMH issues, and long delays in ASD diagnoses. Rising cases of Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA) are compounded by limited early intervention capacity, while high suicide rates among young people, often linked to isolation and school non-attendance, highlight the urgency of the issue. Unmet SEMH needs are also contributing to increased exclusions and challenging behaviours in schools, and efforts to address these concerns are hindered by fragmented and duplicated services resulting from siloed working across agencies. The ICB, CNWL and LBH officers met to discuss pathways of support for CYP in SEMH and agree next steps: 7 AMBITION GROUP 5 There is a flexible offer and range of interventions available for children and young people to access Alternative Provision • Create a three-tiered alternative provision system • Reduce the number of exclusions and suspensions from and within schools • Increase the number of children successfully reintegrated back into mainstream • Improve commissioning of independent providers to have a more flexible approach • Reduce the number of children requiring tuition ➢ Schools have begun to utilise the Vulnerable Learners Clinics (VLC), further comms sent at regular intervals to encourage uptake. ➢ An easy‑to‑understand infographic and accompanying visual guide are nearing completion, and development of an online AP hub within LEAP is underway to consolidate resources, referral routes and case studies for schools. ➢ Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) increased to 39 AP providers. Schools are also encouraged to engage with and use these providers as and when required. ➢ Further ongoing work is being completed on SLAs for the AP providers are being reviewed to include clear criteria for developing and reviewing support plans, ensuring accountability from AP providers to support effective provision planning that meets the needs of CYP. ➢ Reducing Suspensions and Exclusions: Working with schools to achieve this goal. Uptake of early intervention pathways, including the VLCs and Team Around the Child (TAC) processes, has continued to rise. Exclusion numbers decreased during the last academic year, supported by schools’ enhanced engagement with AP options and trauma‑responsive practice. ➢ A framework for Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings for reintegration is being further improved and linked where appropriate with part-time timetable protocol to ensure a person-centred approach. Working on details related to reintegration process and plans. Major milestones ➢ There is an increase in providers on the DPS since the last report - there are now 39 AP providers. ➢ Successful implementation of Exclusions and Suspensions Guidance. Schools continue to adopt more creative and collaborative approaches to meeting pupil needs, supported by updated Exclusions and Suspensions Guidance and improved AP signposting through LEAP , with growing uptake of early intervention pathways such as the VLCs and TAC processes. Risks Action Issues Mitigation Review existing guidance for educational settings to prevent suspensions and exclusions. Challenges related to consistency across schools in applying guidance so that it can lead to reduced reliance on exclusions and improved outcomes for SEND students. 3 schools Working with schools through various meetings to support implementation of the reviewed guidance. LBH teams work together to offer whole school approach. Internal tracking system being developed 8 reported that they will PEX students with EHCPs. to ensure meaningful support offer to schools.

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public CABINET FORWARD PLAN Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Officer reporting Ryan Dell, Democratic Services Papers with report Appendix A – Latest Forward Plan Ward As shown on the Forward Plan HEADLINES To monitor the Cabinet’s latest Forward Plan which sets out key decisions and other decisions to be taken by the Cabinet collectively and Cabinet Members individually over the coming year. The report sets out the actions available to the Committee. RECOMMENDATION That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee notes the Cabinet Forward Plan. SUPPORTING INFORMATION The Cabinet Forward Plan is published monthly, usually around the first or second week of each month. It is a rolling document giving the required public notice of future key decisions to be taken. Should a later edition of the Forward Plan be published after this agenda has been circulated, Democratic Services will update the Committee on any new items or changes at the meeting. As part of its Terms of Reference, each Select Committee should consider the Forward Plan and, if it deems necessary, comment as appropriate to the decision -maker on the items listed which relate to services within its remit. For reference, the Forward Plan helpfully details which Select Committee’s remit covers the relevant future decision item listed. The Select Committee’s monitoring role of the Forward Plan can be undertak en in a variety of ways, including both pre-decision and post-decision scrutiny of the items listed. The provision of advance information on future items listed (potentially also draft reports ) to the Committee in advance will often depend upon a variety o f factors including timing or feasibility, and ultimately any such request would rest with the relevant Cabinet Member to decide. However, the 2019 Protocol on Overview & Scrutiny and Cabinet Relations (part of the Hillingdon Constitution) does provide guidance to Cabinet Members to:  Actively support the provision of relevant Council information and other requests from the Committee as part of their work programme;  Where feasible, provide opportunities for committees to provide their input on forthcoming executive reports as set out in the Forward Plan to enable wider pre -decision scrutiny (in addition to those statutorily required to come before committees , i.e. policy framework documents – see para. below). As mentioned above, there is both a constitutional and statutory requirement for Select Committees to provide comments on the Cabinet’s draft budget and policy framework proposals after publication. These are automatically scheduled in advance to multi-year work programmes. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public Therefore, in general, the Committee may consider the following actions on specific items listed on the Forward Plan: Committee action When How 1 To provide specific comments to be included in a future Cabinet or Cabinet Member report on matters within its remit. As part of its pre -decision scrutiny role, this would be where the Committee wishes to provide its influence and views on a particular matter within the formal report to the Cabinet or Cabinet Member before the decision is made. This would usually be where the Committee has previously considered a draft report or the topic in detail, or where it considers it has sufficient information already to provide relevant comments to the decision-maker. These would go within the standard section in every Cabinet or Cabinet Member report called “Select Committee comments”. The Cabinet or Cabinet Member would then consider these as part of any decis ion they make. 2 To request further information on future reports listed under its remit. As part of its pre -decision scrutiny role, this would be where the Committee wishes to discover more about a matter within its remit that is listed on the Forward Plan. Whilst such advance i nformation can be requested from officers, t he Committee should note that information may or may not be available in advance due to various factors, including timescales or the status of the drafting of the report itself and the formulation of final recommendation(s). Ultimately, the provision of any information in advance would be a matter for the Cabinet Member to decide. This would be considered at a subsequent Select Committee meeting . Alternatively, information could be circulated outside the meeting if reporting timescales require this. Upon the provision of any information, the Select Committee may then decide to provide specific comments (as per 1 above). 3 To request the Cabinet Member considers providing a draft of the report, if feasible, for the Select Committee to consider prior to it being considered formally for decision. As part of its pre -decision scrutiny role, this would be where the Committee wishes to provide an early steer or help shape a future report to Cabinet, e.g., on a policy matter. Whilst not the default position, Select Committees do occasionally receive draft versions of Cabinet reports prior to their formal consideration. The provision of such draft reports in advance may depend upon different factors, e.g., the timings required for that decision. Ultimately any request to see a draft report early would need the approval of the relevant Cabinet Member. Democratic Services would contact the relevant Cabinet Member and Officer upon any such request. If agreed, the draft report would be considered at a subsequent Select Committee meeting to provide views and feedback to officers before they finalise it for the Cabinet or Cabinet Member. An opportunity to provide specific comments (as per 1 above) is also possible. 4 To identify a forthcoming report that may merit a post - decision review at a later Select Committee meeting. As part of its post -decision scrutiny and broader reviewing role, t his would be where the Select Committee may wish to monitor the implementation of a certain Cabinet or Cabinet Member decision listed/taken at a later stage, i.e., to review its effectiveness after a period of 6 months. The Committee should note that this is different to the use of the post -decision scrutiny ‘call-in’ power which seeks to ask the Cabinet or Cabinet Member to formally re -consider a decision up to 5 working days after the decision notice has been issued. This is undertaken via the new Scrutiny Call-in App members of the relevant Select Committee. The Committee would add the matter to its multi-year work programme after a suitable time has elapsed upon the decision expected to be made by the Cabinet or Cabinet Member. Relevant service areas may be best to advise on the most appropriate time to review the matter once the decision is made. BACKGROUND PAPERS  Protocol on Overview & Scrutiny and Cabinet relations adopted by Council 12 September 2019  Scrutiny Call-in App

Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) 126 Outcomes of the proposal for the Amalgamation of Whitehall Infant School and Whitehall Junior School The Council are proposing to amalgamate Whitehall Infant School and extend the age range of Whitehall Junior School from 7 to 11-year-olds to 3 to 11-year-olds to form a single 3 form-entry Primary School. Cabinet will be asked to consider the outcome of the consultation and make a decision in relation to the proposed amalgamation of the schools. Uxbridge NEW ITEM 23 April Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education James Rogers / Abi Preston Julie Kelly Public SI Reports from Select Committees The Committee's recent fostering review will be going to Cabinet under this standard item. All 23 April Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Democratic Services Public 131 Hillingdon’s Section 19 Education Policy The Cabinet Member will consider approval of a Policy setting out how Hillingdon fulfils its duty under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to arrange suitable education for children unable to attend school, clarifying referral, decision-making and commissioning arrangements. N/A NEW ITEM April Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Kathryn Angelini Julie Kelly Public Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers APRIL 2026 Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers SI School Organisation Plan annual update The School Organisation Plan, originally approved by Cabinet in 2024, sets out how the London Borough of Hillingdon in accordance with its statutory duty, seeks to ensure there are sufficient primary, The Cabinet Member will consider the annual update to the Plan. N/A April Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Nav Minas / Abi Preston Julie Kelly Public SI Standards and quality of education in Hillingdon during 2024/25 The Cabinet Member will receive the Annual Report regarding children and young people's educational performance across Hillingdon schools, for publication. N/A April Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Abi Preston / Michael Hawkins Julie Kelly Public SI Reports from Select Committees Reports, findings and recommendations for consideration by the Cabinet, when referred from the appropriate Committee. Various 28 May TBC TBC Democratic Services Public SI Annual Report of the Select Committees This annual report sets out the important work undertaken by the Council's Select Committees during the previous Municipal Year. The Select Committee are responsible for monitoring and scrutinising council services and the Cabinet, holding to account external bodies and making recommendations on policy to the decision- making Cabinet. N/A 14 May (AGM) N/A All Mark Braddock Public * BOROUGH LOCAL ELECTIONS - 7 MAY 2026 * MAY 2026 Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers 26 Biannual Performance Report Cabinet will receive its biannual report performance report for the current year, looking back on how the Council is delivering on key service metrics and the Council Strategy - and looking ahead at planned actions. All 25 June TBC TBC Ian Kavanagh Matthew Wallbridge Public 63 Carers Strategy Update Cabinet will receive a progress report on the Carers Strategy and Delivery Plan and the priorities going forward. N/A Def from Oct 25 25 June TBC TBC Gary Collier Sandra Taylor Public SI Budget Outturn 2025/26 Cabinet will review the Council's budget outturn position for the previous financial year. All 25 June TBC TBC Andy Goodwin Steve Muldoon Public 66 Reports from Select Committees A report from the Select Committee into Homelessness and the customer journey All 25 June TBC TBC Democratic Services N/A Public 93 Stronger Families / Family Help Strategy The Cabinet Member will consider a strategy that aligns with emerging national reforms and strengthens the delivery of early help and family support across the borough. The strategy aims to modernise practice, improve operational effectiveness, and ensure services remain responsive to the diverse and evolving needs of children and families. A central element of this transformation is the redesign of the Stronger Families Early Help service in line with the Family Help model. This model emphasises earlier, more effective intervention; seamless multi-agency collaboration; and the empowerment of families to build resilience and reduce the need for statutory involvement. It also seeks to improve access to the right support at the right time, while embedding a child-centred and whole-family approach within all areas of practice. All June TBC TBC Antony Madden / Vali Danciu / Tehseen Kauser Julie Kelly Public JUNE 2026 Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers 132 Regional End to End Fostering model Cabinet is being asked to approve Hillingdon’s adoption of the Government’s new end-to-end fostering model published in February 2026. This involves aligning the borough’s fostering service with national reforms to grow the number of foster carers, strengthen support for families, simplify rules, improve assessments and allegations handling, and prioritise trusted relationships. Approval will allow Hillingdon to redesign its recruitment, assessment and approval processes to meet the new England-wide standards - such as the proposed six-month assessment timeframe and enhanced quality assurance. It will also enable fuller participation in strengthened regional arrangements, including expanded regional recruitment hubs and future Regional Care Cooperatives. N/A NEW ITEM 23 July TBC TBC Alex Coman Julie Kelly Public SI Consideration of setting a licensed deficit budget for any schools in the Borough A standard report each year, where Cabinet may consider whether it is required to set any licensed deficit budget for any schools that have applied. TBC 23 July TBC TBC Luisa Hansen Steve Muldoon / Julie Kelly Public SI Monthly Council Budget - monitoring report The Cabinet receives a monthly report setting out in detail the Council’s revenue and capital position. All 23 July TBC TBC Andy Goodwin Steve Muldoon Public SI Reports from Select Committees Reports, findings and recommendations for consideration by the Cabinet, when referred from the appropriate Committee. All 23 July TBC TBC Democratic Services N/A Public JULY 2026 Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers SI Urgent Cabinet- level decisions & interim decision- making (including emergency decisions) The Leader of the Council has the necessary authority to make decisions that would otherwise be reserved to the Cabinet, in the absence of a Cabinet meeting or in urgent circumstances. Any such decisions will be published in the usual way and reported to a subsequent Cabinet meeting for ratification. The Leader may also take emergency decisions without notice, which may be ratified at Cabinet later. Various Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC Cllr Ian Edwards - Leader of the Council TBC TBC Public / Private SI School Governing Bodies, Instruments of Government and Governors / Authorising Academy Appointments To approve appointments, nominate appointments and make reappointments of local authority governors and to approve any changes to school governing body constitutions. To also authorise any Member to be a Governor or Director of an Academy. N/A Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Helen Boundy Public SI Release of Capital Funds The release of all capital monies for capital spend and projects requires formal Member approval over £100k (or may be referred to the Cabinet) TBC Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC Cllr Eddie Lavery - Finance & Transformation (in conjunction with relevant Cabinet Member ) All - TBC by decision made various Public but some Private (1,2,3) SI Petitions about matters under the control of the Cabinet Each month, Cabinet Members will consider a number of petitions received by local residents and decide on future action. Some petitions may be referred to a Petition Hearing where the lead petitioner and ward councillors can have their say directly to the Cabinet Member. These hearings will be scheduled on the Council's meeting calendar. TBC Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC All TBC Democratic Services Public Schedule of Individual Cabinet Member Decisions that may be taken each month (standard items non key-decisions) Status Ref Business Item Further information Ward(s) NEW ITEM CABINET meeting Cabinet Member Shareholder Committee Full COUNCIL Cabinet Member(s) Responsible Relevant Select Committee Report Author Corporate Director Responsible Public or Private (with reason) Decision-Maker Cabinet Member Lead & Officers SI To approve compensation payments To approve compensation payments in relation to any complaint to the Council in excess of £1000. n/a Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC All TBC various Private (1,2,3) SI Procurement Decisions To accept quotations, tenders, contract extensions and contract variations valued between £100k and £750k in their Portfolio Area where funding is previously included in Council budgets. n/a Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC Cllr Ian Edwards - Leader of the Council OR Cllr Eddie Lavery - Finance & Transformation / in conjunction with relevant Cabinet Member TBC various Private (3) SI All Delegated Decisions by Cabinet to Cabinet Members, including tender and property decisions Where previously delegated by Cabinet, to make any necessary decisions, accept tenders, bids and authorise property decisions / transactions in accordance with the Constitution. TBC Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC All TBC various Public / Private (1,2,3) SI School Redundancy Payments To consider requests for School Redundancy Payments and council funding of it, and decide whether to approve them on behalf of the Local Authority TBC Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC Cllr Susan O'Brien - Children, Families & Education Children, Families & Education Abi Preston Private (1,3,4) SI External funding bids To authorise the making of bids for external funding where there is no requirement for a financial commitment from the Council. n/a Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC All TBC various Public SI Response to key consultations that may impact upon the Borough A standard item to capture any emerging consultations from Government, the GLA or other public bodies and institutions that will impact upon the Borough. Where the deadline to respond cannot be met by the date of the Cabinet meeting, the Constitution allows the Cabinet Member to sign-off the response. TBC Cabinet Member Decision - date TBC All TBC various Public SI = Standard Item that may be considered each month/regularly The Cabinet's Forward Plan is an official document by the London Borough of Hillingdon, UK

Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public WORK PROGRAMME Committee name Children, Families & Education Select Committee Officer reporting Ryan Dell, Democratic Services Papers with report Appendix A – Work Programme Ward All HEADLINES To enable the Committee to note future meeting dates and to forward plan its work for the current municipal year. RECOMMENDATION That the Children, Families & Education Select Committee considers the report and agrees any amendments. SUPPORTING INFORMATION The Committee's meetings will start at 19:00 and the witnesses attending each of the meetings may include representatives from external organisations, some of whom travel from outside of the Borough. Forthcoming meeting dates are as follows: Meeting Date Room 16 June 2026 CR5 16 July 2026 CR5 22 September 2026 CR5 12 November 2026 CR5 14 January 2027 CR5 11 February 2027 CR5 11 March 2027 CR5 13 April 2027 CR5 PERFORMANCE DATA N/A. RESIDENT BENEFIT The role of the Select Committees is to make recommendations on service changes and improvements to the Cabinet, who are responsible for the Council’s policy and direction. Select Committees directly engage residents in shaping policy and recommendations and the Committees seek to improve the way the Council provides services to residents. Children, Families & Education Select Committee – 14 April 2026 Part I – Public FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS There are no financial implications arising from this report. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS There are no legal implications arising from this report. BACKGROUND PAPERS NIL. APPENDICES Appendix A – Work Programme

March April May June July August September 12 14 No meeting 16 16 No meeting 22 Review: Fostering Policy Review Discussion & Guidance X X Topic selection/ scoping stage X Witness/ evidence/ consultation stage Findings, conclusions and recommendations Final review report agreement X Target Cabinet reporting X Regular service & performance monitoring Reports/ minutes from the Corporate Parenting Panel Jan mins X X Corporate Parenting Panel Membership to agree + subs X Corporate Parenting Panel - update to Terms of Reference Overview of Corporate Parenting Responsibilities X Hillingdon's Youth Offer & Delivery Model - review of implementation of Cabinet decisions from Sept. 2023 X Care Strategy for Children and Care Experienced Young People Youth Justice Service Strategy 2024-2029 (& update) Families First Reforms and Children's Wellbeing & Schools Bill Learn Hillingdon Self-Assessment Review (annual) School Place Planning: School Organisation Plan update X School Admissions update X Hillingdon Music Hub Annual Report To include in Standards report Hillingdon Local Area SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy for Children and Young People 0-25 Years 2023-2028 (& update) X SEND Sufficiency Strategy (& update) X Annual Standards of Education in Hillingdon Report 2024/25 (to include an update on progress of the Education Strategy priorities) 24-25 Business Intelligence Bi-Annual Performance Monitoring Budget & Spending Report X X X X X Cabinet budget proposals 26/27 Minutes of the AGM X Cabinet Forward Plan Monthly Monitoring X X X X X One-off information items Children's Social Care Children's Centres delivery model and Early Years Nurseries - review of implementation of Cabinet's decisions Sept. 2023 School Admissions Arrangements - Whitehall Infant/ Junior Move-ins to the Borough (in-year admissions) Outcomes of consultations regarding: (i) Proposed closures of the Physical Disability (PD) Special Resourced Provision (SRP) at Coteford Infant School (ii) Proposed increasing of the age range for the Assessment Base at Ruislip Gardens Primary School (iii) Proposal for some community schools to lower their age range to take two year olds. Outcome of the consultation for the proposal to amalgamate Grange Park Infant and Nursery School and Grange Park Junior School The proposal to amalgamate Harefield Infant School and Harefield Junior School Update on the Dedicated Schools Grant Proposed Changes to Published Admission Number of Field End Infant School Outcome of the consultation on lowering the age range of Whiteheath Infant School Proposal to Amalgamate Whitehall Schools X Children & Families Support Services Early help/ support available to young people | Services available to low-income families Business Intelligence Council Strategy 2022-2026 consultation Select Committee Terms of Reference update Scrutiny Introduction (Democratic Services) X Witness session on Higher Education - Orchad Hill College Witness session on Higher Education - Uxbridge College Witness session on Higher Education - Brunel University London Place2Be (external witness session on children's mental health) Past review delivery Stronger Families Hub: 2022/23 - 2023/24 Fostering: 2025/2026 Adult & Community Learning Review: 2021/22 Persistent Absenteeism: 2024/25 X MULTI-YEAR WORK PROGRAMME 2022-2026 2026/27 Education & SEND Finance Education & SEND 2025/26 Children, Families & Education Select CommitteeService Areas Children's Social Care Children's Social Care Education & SEND Democratic Services External Democratic Services Children's Social Care