East Sussex County Council – Education Division Restructure information

Date: Tuesday, 12th Sep 2023 | Category: General

As schools return, this week sees the launch of the council’s re-structured education division, Education East Sussex. The rebranded service has been designed to meet the challenges faced by everyone who engages with education in the county.

Education East Sussex is formed of highly-skilled teams and colleagues from the former Standards and Learning Effectiveness service and ISEND (Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).

The year-long restructure came about following changes in the role of the LA in education and new national priorities.

Working in partnership with education providers, Education East Sussex will focus on vulnerable groups, including young people with SEND, and take the lead on:

• supporting schools with low rates of attendance and high levels of exclusion. New area-based teams are in place to support the families of young people as well as schools
• working to help underperforming areas of the county and specific groups
• meeting the challenge of Increased pressure on places to meet special educational needs and demand for statutory assessments.

The new service continues to be headed up by Elizabeth Funge, supported by three areas: SEND and Safeguarding, Inclusion and Partnerships, and Participation and Planning.

An information booklet for schools has been produced, which ESSCP colleagues may find helpful. The booklet sets out how the division is now organised and provides key points of contact for teams. Although it is intended to be a resource for schools it may be of value to colleagues across the department. Being clear about who does what is so important to the effective joint working we need to do for children.