The Council has agreed to draw up an action plan, with timescales, setting out the action they will take to ensure it carries out annual reviews in accordance with statutory timescales. The action plan should also ensure it has processes in place to put appropriate cover in place for both planned and unplanned extended absences of case officers to maintain continuity of case management and minimise disruption to service delivery.

The Council will review the cases of each of the 137 permanently excluded pupils placed on the waiting list between December 2024 and March 2025. Where its six-day statutory duty to provide alternative provision was not met it will:1. contact the parent or guardian of those identified pupils and advise them it did not meet its six-day statutory duty for alternative provision and provide them with an update; and 2. provide details about how those identified can complain through the Council’s corporate complaint procedure.The Council will produce an action plan to identify how it will meet its six-day statutory duty to provide alternative provision to pupils after permanent exclusion. The action plan should include but is not limited to:1. a review its commissioning arrangements with alternative provision providers to ensure it has sufficient capacity;2. the actions it will undertake to reduce capacity constraints within its alternative provision system; 3. the actions it will take to reduce current waiting lists and times for permanently excluded pupils; and 4. timeframes for any action to be taken.

The Council has agreed to provide us with an action plan, specifically around how the Council intends to reduce OT assessment wait times.

Review its process for implementing Education, Health and Care Plans following Tribunal decisions to ensure that special educational provision specified in Section F is secured promptly upon issue of the final Plan and is not delayed by internal funding approval or panel processes.