RESOLVED :

A. That Cabinet agreed to award a new contract for the placement provision of Non-Maintained and Independent Special Schools for Merton’s vulnerable children and young people with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for a period of five (5) years (until 31 March 2028) with no potential of an extension. The contract value is set out in Appendix A.

B. That Cabinet agreed the providers as listed in Confidential Annex A of this report are awarded a place on the new ‘Pseudo DPS’ as they have passed the accreditation and enrolment evaluation process, whilst recognising that further organisations will be able to join throughout the duration of the ‘Pseudo DPS’ if they pass both the accreditation and enrolment stages.

C. That Cabinet delegated its authority to the Director of Children, Schools, and Families to implement the ‘Pseudo DPS’ and make the decision to award all contracts where the selection criteria has been followed under the ‘Pseudo DPS’ during its term validity of 5 years (until 31 March 2028)

The Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning presented the report and thanked officers for their work, noting that some out of borough placements would also be required for children with complex needs which could not be met in Borough.

RESOLVED :

A. That Cabinet agreed to award a new contract for the placement provision of Non-Maintained and Independent Special Schools for Merton’s vulnerable children and young people with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for a period of five (5) years (until 31 March 2028) with no potential of an extension. The contract value is set out in Appendix A.

B. That Cabinet agreed the providers as listed in Confidential Annex A of this report are awarded a place on the new ‘Pseudo DPS’ as they have passed the accreditation and enrolment evaluation process, whilst recognising that further organisations will be able to join throughout the duration of the ‘Pseudo DPS’ if they pass both the accreditation and enrolment stages.

C. That Cabinet delegated its authority to the Director of Children, Schools, and Families to implement the ‘Pseudo DPS’ and make the decision to award all contracts where the selection criteria has been followed under the ‘Pseudo DPS’ during its term validity of 5 years (until 31 March 2028)