Bespoke SEMH Provision for Pupils with EHC Plans (13-19 years)

Description

This service is for an independent school to provide alternative educational packages for fourteen young people in Key Stage 3 to 5. Students supported at the school are those who have EHC Plans for social, emotional and mental health difficulties and whose needs cannot be met in any other provision. This can include young people who have been excluded from specialist SEMH schools. 1:1 staffing ratio is required and will need to be maintained at all times to effectively manage pupil vulnerability and mitigate risks to staff and other pupils. Flexible education plans will need to be designed and delivered that are tailored specifically to the complex and evolving needs of young people with severe SEMH difficulties. This notice serves to inform the intention of West Berkshire Council to award a public contract for the continued provision of highly specialised alternative education services for young people with severe and enduring social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. Lot 1: This service is for an independent school to provide alternative educational packages for fourteen young people in Key Stage 3 to 5 with complex needs. Students supported at the school have EHC Plans for social, emotional and mental health difficulties and whose needs cannot be met in any other provision. This can include young people who have been excluded from specialist SEMH schools. This notice serves to inform the intention of West Berkshire Council to award a public contract for the continued provision of highly specialised alternative education services for young people with severe and enduring social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties under Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The proposed contract will be for a period of 3 years with the option to extend for a further 2 years. The current contract expires on 31st August 2025. The council issued a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in October 2024 to advertise and seek expressions of interest for the delivery of highly specialised education packages for young people with severe and enduring social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. The council has received no expressions of interest from any other provider in the service currently provided by Engaging Potential Limited in the four months since the PIN was published. When the contract was last tendered there were no other suitable providers. The Council therefore believes Engaging Potential Limited are the only organisation able to deliver the requirements of the Service; these being the specialist nature of the therapeutic provision which supports very complex and challenging pupils with the recognition of the relationship and in-depth understanding of the current cohort of 14 pupils currently managed by the Provider. If the contract is not awarded, the Council will have no suitable placements for these students which would lead to costly additional placements on the high needs block. It could be detrimental to the students, taking them out of their local area and enduring travel times of 2 hours plus and additional costs on the home to school transport budget.