The Council will provide guidance to officers working in education to cover:the need to follow the elective home education policy when a parent arranges education outside of school for their child;the need to consult schools even during school holidays; andthe need to ensure officers consult all the schools it has identified at the same time, rather than on a piecemeal basis.

The Council has agreed to review all current cases where parents, carers or young people have been provided with direct payments to arrange special educational needs provision and ensure they have received direct payment agreements, in line with the requirements of the SEND Code of Practice.The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the importance of ensuring direct payment agreements are provided to people who arrange special educational needs provision using a personal budget. It will remind staff these documents should clearly set out the rules around the use of direct payments and it is not in line with the SEND Code of Practice to only include this information in the Education, Health and Care Plan.The Council will outline how it will ensure that in future - through updated letter and form templates if necessary - that it will offer people a right of review of relevant decisions around personal budgets, including decisions to end them.

The Council will provide refresher guidance to staff involved in SEN school transport decisions and appeals. This could include a briefing paper, circular or evidence of a discussion at a team meeting. The Council should remind staff to ensure that all relevant factors (such as the child’s needs, family circumstances, and travel suitability) are properly considered and clearly reflected in decision letters. This is to ensure compliance with the statutory guidance: ‘Travel to School for Children of Compulsory School Age’.

Remind staff about the importance of properly considering an applicant’s specific circumstances when making transport decisions. In line with the Ombudsman’s ‘Principles of Good Administrative Practice’ the Council should remind staff of the importance of ensuring decisions are properly recorded;Remind staff of the need to consider a child’s ability to walk to school rather than their ability to use a bus service; andRemind staff of the requirement to seek the applicant’s consent before providing travel expenses, such as a taxi allowance.