1. Does your council have a panel / equivalent that is reviewing independent special school costs / fees, including for individual children?
No

2. If so, please can you provide details on when it was formed, who sits on it, how often it meets? If there is a terms of reference, I’d like to receive a copy of this also.
N/A

3. Please can I request the result of these panel meetings? I’d like them broken down by individual placement if possible to show the starting annual cost against the negotiated/revised cost. Or for instance, if there was another decision such as the child moving back into state education. I do not expect this to include the name of the school, but please provide it if deemed possible. Please can this information be provided within a spreadsheet.
N/A

4. Please can you provide any formal report the panel has made on overall changes, such as, but not exclusively, an annual report.
N/A

5. If your council has sought to reduce fees paid for existing placements, how was this negotiated within the requirements of s63(2) of the 2014 Children and Families Act, under which LAs must pay the requested fees for education and training at independent schools?
The Council has a responsibility for the efficient use of public resources, as well as delivering provision specified within an EHCP (Section F). The Council considers cases on an individual basis, and if appropriate, would discuss fees paid for existing placements with that provider, if there is a change to provision, or certain provision is no longer required.

6. If the council doesn’t have a formal panel, do you have any other mechanism for completing this work? If so, please can you provide details.
See question 5. The annual review process for children with an EHCP also supports this work.