The district SEND teams and Central Officers have worked hard to finalise the 556 EHC Plans that relate to children who are due to transfer across educational key stages in September 2023. The deadline for this critical work was this week.   I am extremely pleased to inform you that, as of the deadline,  the team had finalised 95% of EHCPs, with 99% of all plans either finalised or at a proposed final stage.  This is by any measure an incredible achievement.  In real terms this means that children with EHCPs and their families know which school they will be attending in September 2023 and transition arrangements can start in earnest to ensure a positive start in their new educational settings.  The team is now focussing all efforts to work with children, families and schools to finalise the remaining 6 EHC Plans.

I want to express my thanks to the SEND teams across Staffordshire for their hard work, dedication and solution focussed approach to realising this outcome.  Our next major milestone is our Post-16 phase transfers and I will provide you with a further update regarding this in March.

As you are aware, we are driving forward on our SEND improvement journey and this achievement represents a clear indication that our collective efforts are leading to real and sustainable change.

Dr Halit Hulusi

Head of SEND