A council will seek to deepen its understanding of the costs associated with a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform plan.

A presentation of the Government-approved plan was delivered to Rutland County Council's scrutiny and overview committee on Thursday (October 22) during which officials laid out a roadmap to improve efficiency and slow spiraling costs.

Rutland County Council currently operates a deficit of roughly £5 million between what the Government grants for SEND provision and their real expense.

Under terms set out by the Department for Education, local authorities can receive funding to cover 90 per cent of their existing high-needs provision deficits provided they fulfil certain obligations, such as submitting a strategy for long-term reform.

While Rutland's Local Area Reform Plan was approved by the DfE earlier this month, scrutiny and overview committee members questioned its long-term sustainability at Thursday's meeting.

Committee chairperson Lucy Stephenson told the panel: "The cost of SEND isn't sustainable, full stop. The deficit exists because local authorities have been asked for years to deliver SEND provisions for a significant and increasing demand.

"For me, it's not just about the deficit, it's about whether this plan will stop local authorities from remaining in bankrupting positions.

"I haven't seen enough yet to convince me that this is sustainable moving forward. What we've seen looks great, but the harsh question is whether it's deliverable."

The plan sets out an ambition to educate more children successfully within mainstream education communities, and reduce more expensive specialist placements.

This would be delivered largely by executing a programme called "Experts at Hand": a system whereby different experts, from speech therapists to educational psychologists, would offer specialised support within mainstream settings.

Additionally, the programme would coach school staff while adapting mainstream classrooms to "encourage a culture of inclusivity" around SEND provision.

Gill Curtis, Rutland County Council's head of SEND, inclusion and learning, emphasised the long-term nature of the vision.

"This is a 10-year ambition," Ms Curtis told the committee. "There is no expectation that this is going to turn things around quickly.

"A significant amount of work will have to take place before we genuinely see an impact and a change around the future of our children's education. It's not going to happen overnight, that's my big message here."

"And my big message is that we don't have 10 years because by then local government will be bust," Coun Stephenson said in response.

"Of course we want our children to have equality of opportunity but fundamentally SEND is bankrupting local government. If the DfE is not asking for proper costings then they've missed the point."

The committee agreed to read the plan in greater depth while seeking clarity around its financial sustainability, after which further proposals will be made.