Pilot scheme hopes to improve Send provision

In January, the pilot scheme, called a locality model, was announced

Torbay Council hopes a pilot scheme will allow children to receive special educational needs and disability (Send) provisions sooner.

Nick Bye, lead member for children's services at the council, said he planned to visit South Gloucestershire which ran a similar scheme.

The services are commissioned by the Torbay Local Area Partnership, made up of Torbay Council and NHS Devon Integrated Care Board.

In January, the pilot scheme, called a locality model, was announced and later launched.

The council previously said the aim was to "provide help in a locality or area-based way with representatives from local health, education and other services working together collaboratively to identify children and young people's needs and provide support as early as possible".

Some people have experienced problems with the service in Torbay.

Tommy, 7, is now being home educated by his mother Rachel

Tommy, 7, who has autism, was receiving one-to-one support in school.

His mother Rachel said this was withdrawn at the start of the latest academic year so she was now forced to educate him at home.

She said: "We've gone from a situation in just a couple of weeks, really, where he was thriving, hitting all of his targets in excess actually, doing brilliantly and suddenly he's had to come out because he can't cope with just day-to-day aspects of the school life.

"It's meant that our household has been turned upside down."

Mr Bye said: "Schools [there] have access to support for children, or more support for children with special educational needs, particularly behavioural issues, particularly with speech, language and communication, right at the basics."

"They don't need then to rely on getting an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) or the fight that sometimes there seems to be over getting an EHCP and the delays."

In a joint statement, Torbay Council and NHS Devon said: "We are committed to ongoing improvement across all Send provision and will continue to work with parents, carers and practitioners to develop and strengthen it"

07 July: This story was updated to remove lines that said the pilot had been launched following the release of an Ofsted report, as it had been announced in advance of the report.