Terms of Reference

Senior Leadership Team (SLT) - Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP)

1. Purpose

The SEND and AP Senior Leadership Team provides strategic oversight, leadership, and operational coordination across all SEND, Alternative Provision and Virtual School functions. The Team ensures delivery of statutory duties, continuous improvement, and compliance with regulatory and inspection requirements.

2. Areas of responsibility

The team are responsible for the following areas:

• Virtual School for children in our care and extended duties of the Virtual School Head Teacher
• Alternative Provision (AP) and Education Plans
• Children not in school (CNIS)
• Exclusions and suspensions
• Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessments, plans, and annual reviews
• Personal Education Plans (PEP) for children in care
• Extended duties related to SEND such as governance and complaints
• Placements for those permanently excluded
• Additional Resource Provisions (ARPs)
• Specialist placements management
• SEND tribunals and mediation processes
• Early Years SEND offer
• Early Support Nursery
• SEND support services and interventions
• Specialist Teacher Support

3. Objectives

The teams objectives are:

• provide leadership and governance for all SEND and AP service delivery
• monitor performance against statutory duties and key performance indicators
• ensure effective coordination between services and with partner agencies
• oversee preparation and response to Ofsted and other inspections, ensuring alignment with inspection frameworks
• identify risks, issues, and opportunities for service improvement
• review and approve strategic plans, policies, and service developments

4. Governance and accountability

• the team reports to the SEND Strategic Group and wider council leadership as required
• it feeds relevant updates and escalation items into the council's governance and scrutiny structures

5. Meeting Frequency

Meetings will be held fortnightly on a Thursday.

6. Responsibilities of members

Members are responsible to:

• attend and actively participate in meetings
• prepare and present updates and reports from their areas
• collaborate on cross-service issues and initiatives
• support implementation of agreed actions
• contribute to inspection readiness and evidence gathering

7. Administration

Administration are responsible for:

• agendas distributed two days before - any agenda items to Strategic Lead three days before
• minutes and action logs circulated within 5 working days after meetings
• maintain records of decisions and monitor progress of actions

8. Review

Terms of Reference to be reviewed annually or as required.

Discussion topics for meetings (first meeting of the month)