A message from Christine McInnes:
2 May 2025 weekly update
2 May 2025
This week Christine provides an update on Communities of schools, and the Early Years reform.
Dear Colleagues
I think 2024 will be remembered for a long time as the year of consultations - I know it felt relentless from your perspective and it certainly did from ours. Thank you for the fantastic engagement with all the consultations and the thoughtful feedback which has really helped us to shape the various outcomes appropriately. Having got all of that groundwork, business cases and the decisions out of the way, we can now focus on delivering which is a great place to be. This week's bulletin provides an update on a few SEND related developments.
Communities of schools
I said that our last HT briefings had record breaking attendance but this week's Community of Schools induction meetings have been hugely well attended - thank you from all of us at KCC. Thank you both for the contributions over three years to developing this transformational project and your engagement in the most recent meetings with circa 500 attendees to date and two more meetings to go.
All of the information can be found here at Communities of schools - KELSI and this is regularly updated.
I very much hope you can see in the processes and materials the way your feedback has been used to shape the current approach. Just a summary of some key points-
You said ... | We did ... |
Make better use of the great SEND inclusion expertise in the Kent system | ✔️ Input from Kent leaders is shaping all the development work and has been critical to creating the Communities of Schools model. We are delighted that so many Kent leaders have courageously stepped up into a system leadership role to become the first Chairs of the Communities. Strategic financial planning is supported by Kent practitioners who are members of the High Needs Funding Sub-Group of the School Funding Forum that advises the LA. Inclusion Champions are taking the lead on developing toolkits and guidance including the Kent School SEND Report proforma (which ensures your school is meeting all the statutory requirements for publication of information) and the SEND Inclusion Continuum of Needs and provision (available later this term), as well as a range of other projects. |
There is no transparency on use of the special needs budget | ✔️ We are now publishing all KCC's Safety Valve reports to the DfE on the KCC website which provide an over-view of what's happening with the High Needs Funding block quarterly as well as progress on our priorities. We have published SEND notional budget allocations, guidance on this and Community funding on Communities of Schools Financial Information - KELSI. We are simplifying the funding model for children and young people with more complex need in partnership with schools and this change will be implemented from September 2026. Officers reported to the KCC SEND Scrutiny Sub-Committee during 2023-2024 Browse meetings - SEND Sub-Committee and are reporting regularly (including financial reporting) to the full KCC Scrutiny Committee
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Services are difficult to access | ✔️ A link worker model is being implemented so that each school has a named member of staff as their contact. Services are being embedded in schools to improve access to the services. The reduction in bureaucracy means there is more staff capacity in the system to provide advice, guidance and support instead of spending disproportionate amounts of time writing and reviewing paperwork. |
There is far too much paperwork | ✔️ We are putting greater trust in professional judgement so are not requiring the same level of reports going forward. This frees up professional time in schools as well as in the LA. |
You need to take a phased approach to such a big change, we are worried about our school budgets | ✔️ When Communities of Schools went live on 1st April 2025, we introduced a 75% protection to school budgets for 4 terms to allow a phasing in of the Communities pot of funding. This means you can work with your Chair and Community group to test out and refine decision-making and how Community resources will be allocated. The learning from this phase will inform the full implementation (and removal of individual budget protections) which will start on 1st September 2026. |
Early Years reform
Delivery of Early Years requirements in KCC is spread across Integrated Children’s Services (Social Care), Education and SEN and TEP is commissioned to deliver aspects of Early Years. We started a review in 2022 which found that while there is good practice, the system is often too complicated and slow, making it hard for children and families to get the help they need.
To address these issues we are making several changes following a public consultation, including:
Better Support for All: A new 'link worker model' is being implemented providing named contacts for early years settings and childminders, offering proactive support without needing referrals
Clear Guidance: Updated Best Practice Guidance will help early years providers understand what inclusive practices are expected. This will be available online, with training sessions for professionals
Targeted Help: Special Education Needs Inclusion Funding (SENIF) practitioners will now be called SEN Support and Inclusion Practitioners (SIPS). They will work more independently to support children with specific needs
Outreach Model: The Specialist Nursery Intervention service is piloting an outreach model, focusing on place-based support to minimize disruption for children while building capacity and confidence in mainstream settings. The service will be renamed Early Years Outreach Intervention. This model has been piloted in Dover since 2022 and in other areas since September 2024, with full implementation expected by September 2025
Streamlined Support: A new Early Years Professional Resource Group is simplifying access to additional support for children, using a single referral route.
These changes aim to make the system more efficient and inclusive, ensuring better outcomes for children across Kent.
And finally…
The early May bank holiday weekend is just around the corner. I hope you all enjoy the time off and have a restful break. Let's hope the weather stays good to us so we can all enjoy some sunshine.
With best wishes
Christine McInnes
Director of Education and SEN