DfE plans £2.3m spend on council SEND consultants

Ministers are planning to spend more than £2 million on SEND consultants to advise councils on system reform this year, Schools Week can reveal.

All councils were assigned a SEND adviser this financial year to support areas as they created local SEND reform plans.

Analysis of contract documents shows the Department for Education has issued contracts worth up to £2.31 million to 35 advisers so far.

Among them are former senior council officials, but others include a multi-academy trust and an educational assessments company.

The DfE has previously used advisers to work with councils, including as part of previous deficit-reduction safety valve and delivering better value in SEND schemes.

But James Bowen, an assistant general secretary at the school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The fact that councils are having to rely on advisers is a symptom of a SEND system that has been under severe strain for far too long.

“What is needed is not more short-term fixes, but for the government to ensure its long-term plans for SEND reform truly give local authorities, schools and families the funding, capacity and support they need to deliver consistently for children with additional needs.”

Advisers are often assigned more than one council. The DfE said they acted as “trusted external experts” and provided advice and challenge to help leaders improve SEND services and outcomes.

They also shared effective practice from other areas of the country.

Staff shortages

If approved by ministers, councils’ SEND reform plans will unlock a 90 per cent bailout of their high-needs deficit.

A landmark Schools Week transparency project revealed how most councils so far have warned a shortage of specialist staff threatens to undermine the reforms.

A letter to town halls earlier this year stated that councils whose plans did not meet approval thresholds would be expected to improve them, with “continued support from advisers”.

Brian Gale has been contracted for up to £165,600 to work with seven councils, including Devon, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.

The value is the maximum that advisers can claim, so they may take home less than the total figure listed.

Revealed: What SEND reforms are proposed for your area?

Gale will also advise Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, which posted a near £180 million cumulative high-needs deficit in March.

He has been a longstanding SEND adviser for the DfE, and was previously the director of policy and campaigns at the National Deaf Children’s Society.

Kevin Burns has been awarded contracts worth up to £158,400 for his work supporting eight councils this year. He is a former headteacher and assistant director at North Tyneside Council.

School improvement and recruitment firm Propelo will support nine councils for up to £142,800, contract documents show.

Also on the list is The Sea View Trust, contracted to support Trafford council for up to £14,400.

The trust’s website lists improvement services and says it is recognised for “gold-standard SEND provision and inclusion”. It also runs a DfE behaviour hub. It did not respond to requests for comment.

Support for two councils

OxEd and Assessment will support two councils in a contract worth £23,250.

Its website states it is a University of Oxford “spinout company”. It was launched by Charles Hulme and his team, who created the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which is funded by government to help primary school pupils.

It develops educational assessment and interventions “which have been shown to improve educational outcomes for children”.

The DfE said advisers were appointed because of their expertise and track record in SEND improvement.

A spokesperson said: “We have always been clear that we will work alongside local government to get our reforms right – to make sure every child gets the right support, early on, without a fight.

“Expert advisers have been allocated to support local areas to identify improvement priorities, monitor progress, manage risks, and share best practice, so they can develop effective plans and start delivering change for local families.

“Local plans are an important part of our £4 billion-backed once-in-a-generation reforms, which include £200 million to support local authorities build the capacity they need for transformation.”