25 November 2022
The NNPCF steering group and management team recently met with Katherine Cowell, the SEND lead from the DfE regions group.
The regions group was set up recently and supersedes the office of the regional school’s commissioner. The regional directors work locally across children’s social care, SEND, schools and area-based programmes. The new department brings together the department’s existing regional functions across social care, SEND, regional schools commissioners and the Educations and Skills Funding Agency. The objective being that the DfE is able to take a more joined up regional approach across these areas.
You can find more information here: Regional Department for Education (DfE) Directors – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The teams have responsibilities for oversight of academies, trusts and significant changes to the set up of schools (for example adding a resource base). For SEND they engage in inspection responses, what works in SEN programme as well as DBVS and sector led improvement.
The NNPCF representatives raised many of the issues that parent carer forums report with the treatment of children with SEND by some academies and academy trusts including exclusions, part time timetables, behaviour and attendance policies that do not make reasonable adjustments including citing specific examples.
Katherine stated that, at present, the regional directors have limited powers to intervene in schools and in very specific circumstances (for example if the DfE receives complaints that have already been raised through the individual school / trust’s complaints policy or if there are concerns about governance).
We agreed that the regional directors would build contacts with each of the NNPCF regions so that forums can share their experiences and start to build a closer working relationship.
Look out for more information for engagement opportunities in your regions.