Introduction

REVIEW OF PROVISION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

A Discussion Paper

INTRODUCTION

The LEA, in partnership with schools, parents and other agencies, wishes to establish a framework to guide the development of provision for children with special educational needs in the County. This framework will need to be consistent with the emerging National Framework for Special Education and with principles and recent development initiatives that have already been agreed locally. It should be based on the needs and entitlement of all children to a full, high quality education, ideally within their local communities.

The purpose of this Discussion Paper and the Background Information that supports it is to promote debate across the County. The ideas put forward are based on a review that has been undertaken within the department and practical examples are given of what the implications could be for both mainstream and special schools if these ideas were followed through.

I would stress that no decision will be taken in the future that affects an individual institution without formal consultation and the sharing of plans with those directly affected.

I would welcome your comments on these ideas so that they can be considered before any decision is made to adopt a framework to guide the development of provision for pupils with special educational needs.

Bryan Slater

Director of Education

WHAT IS HAPPENING NATIONALLY?

The Department for Education and Employment Green Paper ‘Excellence for all Children – Meeting Special Education Needs’ was published in October 1997. This was followed, in December 1998, by the related DfEE publication ‘Meeting Special Educational Needs: A Programme of Action’, describing a number of strategies aimed at implementing the policies described in Excellence for all Children. These strategies included requiring Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to:

develop a more inclusive education system through prevention, early intervention, improved professional development and better access;
establish the continuing role for special schools; and
ensure fair and transparent funding arrangements for special educational needs.

WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ACHIEVED IN NORFOLK?

We have already taken a number of steps in Norfolk in response to this guidance from the DfEE. For example:

A policy towards Access to Education has been adopted that states the following:

"All children and young people should experience equality of opportunity and regard and be educated alongside peers within their local communities. Inclusive education is provision that seeks to enable all children and young people to participate fully in the curriculum and life of schools, community and other educational settings."
"The needs of individual children are paramount and those with the most severe and complex needs may receive some or all of their education in specialist provision. Provision will always be as local as possible and curriculum and planning will be co-ordinated with mainstream schools to ensure that it is as similar to mainstream schools as possible.’

The principle of inclusion in education is already recognised as a way of ensuring that all children benefit from a high quality educational experience. There is an important and ongoing role to be played in achieving this by all schools, both special and mainstream.
A new funding system for children with special needs in mainstream schools has been introduced. By this means money is given to schools to meet the additional needs of these children fairly, quickly and in most cases, without the need for a Statement.

3. PRINCIPLES

The following principles were subject to wide consultation in September 1999. The ideas set out in this Discussion Paper are based upon them. They are that all children and young people are entitled to:

receive a full education that covers all parts of their development in a way that is suited to their needs;
benefit from high expectations so that they can realise their full potential;
attend school as near to their home as possible;
when attending a special school, follow an educational programme as similar to that of a mainstream school as possible;
attend a day school unless there are educational reasons for boarding;
receive specialist support and equipment where this is needed for them to gain access to the life of the school and the curriculum;
progress smoothly through to education beyond the age of 16;
benefit from resources that are available to all children on a fair basis; and
have their social and health needs met by other agencies working together, if needed.

QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE ADOPTION OF THE ABOVE PRINCIPLES

These may include the following:

Are there some children who should continue to benefit from attending special schools for most of their time?
Do too many children go to schools outside the County when less distant provision could be made in Norfolk?
Is it appropriate to change the designation of special schools currently recognised as schools for children with either moderate or severe leaning difficulties? Should their designation be changed to that of schools for children with complex learning needs in recognition of the diversity of need of the children who attend those schools currently and who will do so in the future?
Is it appropriate that opportunities are provided in local mainstream schools for some children who currently attend special schools?
Should some use be made of dual placements between special and mainstream schools?
What kind of professional support do mainstream schools require to further develop inclusive practice?
How could the present funding arrangements for special education be further improved to support the inclusion of children with high needs within mainstream schools?
Are all children, irrespective of where they live in the County, able to attend schools that can meet their needs or are some areas disadvantaged compared to others?
Should new specialist provision be developed in mainstream schools to meet the needs of some children with high but low incidence needs e.g. Autistic spectrum and communication disorders?
Is it appropriate to consider phasing out general Learning Support Centres and to replace them with focused support for individual pupils through the Band E funding arrangements?
What could be done to promote early intervention and support for young children with additional needs?
Where young people have significant additional needs, are the current opportunities for post 16 education and training adequate? What could be done to improve them?
Is it appropriate to seek to reduce, over time, the number of Statements held for children attending mainstream schools in Norfolk?

4. HOW MIGHT PROVISION IN NORFOLK BE FURTHER IMPROVED?

SPECIAL SCHOOLS

Currently 0.86% of the total pupil population are educated in special schools. The Authority maintains 12 special schools (983 funded places) at a total cost of £9.446m. The Authority purchased 34 places from other LEAs and 169 from approved non-LEA maintained special schools at a total cost of £3.555m.

Future developments might include the following actions:

reducing the number of pupils placed in out-County independent schools;
re-investing the resources freed up in this way in Norfolk schools, both special and mainstream;
developing existing special school provision to allow a greater number of children to be educated in Norfolk;
reducing the number of full-time places in Norfolk special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties and physical disabilities with more of these children being educated in mainstream schools on a full or part time basis, where this is appropriate;
developing an appropriately resourced outreach role for special schools which complements existing support services and enables them to provide support and advice regarding children with complex learning needs;
developing, wherever possible, special schools with more limited age ranges, to ensure that children experience an education that takes place in a situation that is appropriate for their age;
redesignating schools for children with severe and moderate learning difficulties as schools for children with complex learning needs;
enabling more children with complex learning needs to experience some or all of their education within a mainstream setting; and
developing an admissions process to special schools that will support inclusion through greater use of time limited and dual registered placements in mainstream schools.

The following table gives an illustration of how these changes could be accommodated and what the implications would be if a framework were to be implemented. More detailed discussions nearer the time of implementation would need to take place with individual institutions that could be affected.

	Special School	Designation	Possible New Designation
King’s Lynn	Ethel Tipple	7 – 16 years Moderate learning difficulties with some associated social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.	11 – 19 years Complex learning needs. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
	Alderman Jackson	4 – 19 years Severe learning and physical difficulties.	4 – 11 years Complex learning needs. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
Dereham	Fred Nicholson	7 – 16 years Moderate learning difficulties with some associated social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Residential facility	7 – 16 years Complex learning, emotional and behavioural needs. A reduced number on roll and retained residential facility. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
Norwich	Parkside	7 – 16 years Moderate learning difficulties with some associated social, emotional or behavioural difficulties	7 – 16 years Complex learning needs. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
	Hall	4 – 19 years Severe learning difficulties.	4 – 11 years Complex learning needs. Primary autistic support base. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
	Special School	Designation	Possible New Designation
	Harford Manor	4 – 19 years Severe learning difficulties.	11 – 19 years Complex learning needs. Secondary autistic support base. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
	Clare	4 – 19 years Complex physical and health related difficulties. Sensory support base.	4 – 19 years Complex physical and health related needs. Reduced number on roll. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support. Sensory support base role and operation to be reviewed.
	Eaton Hall	7 – 16 years Emotional and behavioural difficulties. Residential facility. Boys only.	7 – 16 years Emotional and behavioural needs. Residential facility. Boys only.
Attleborough	Chapel Road	4 – 19 years Severe learning difficulties	4 – 19 years Complex learning needs. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support. New site to be considered.
North Norfolk	Edinburgh Road	4 – 19 years Severe learning difficulties.	4 – 19 years Complex learning needs. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support. Agreement received for rebuild on Sheringham schools’ campus.
	Sidestrand Hall	7 – 16 years Moderate learning difficulties with some associated social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. Residential facility.	7 – 16 years Complex learning needs. Residential facility to be retained. Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.
Great Yarmouth	John Grant	4 – 19 years Severe learning difficulties	4 – 19 years Complex learning needs Opportunities for dual placement and outreach support.

What could be the advantages of implementing such changes?

The social and educational opportunities of mainstream schools could be opened up to more children;
more Norfolk children could be educated within the County;
the quality of education in special schools could be further improved as teachers could focus on fewer Key Stages of the National Curriculum;
local mainstream, special schools and FE Colleges could work together to the benefit of all;
the introduction of the concept of schools for children with complex learning needs would recognise the existing diversity of children’s needs; and
there would be a better match between the school places available in the County and the needs of children.

What are the potential barriers to change?

These may include the following:

Many of the possible changes would require capital investment over a number of years. The funding streams for these developments are not assured. Some could be accommodated through minor works initiatives. Others would require significant resources.
Change would be difficult without appropriate opportunities for professional development.

B) MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS

Within Norfolk, the majority of children (99%) who experience special educational needs already receive their education within mainstream settings and usually attend their local schools. Approximately 9,000 pupils generate resources through the mainstream funding scheme for special educational needs, which distributes £12,730,000. A further £2,221,703 is allocated to fund 40 specialist units attached to mainstream schools. Currently (January 2000), the Education Department maintains 4348 Statements and 3,004 (69%) of these are for children placed in mainstream schools. This compared to a national picture in which approximately 59% of pupils holding Statements attend mainstream schools.

Currently 42% of Norfolk’s primary schools and 6% of secondary schools have wheelchair access to all teaching areas. This compared to a national picture in which 28% of primary and 11% of secondary schools are fully accessible to wheelchair users. However, over 50% of teaching areas are accessible in 78% of primary and 65% of secondary schools compared to national figures on 60% and 45% respectively.

The funding system for pupils with special educational needs enables pupils with complex needs to be identified and it can provide them with a level of individual resourcing (Band E). This facility has promoted the successful inclusion of many pupils who may have otherwise attended specialist or special school provision. There are examples of small groups of children with complex needs, e.g. autistic spectrum disorders and sensory impairment, when Band E funding has been utilised to facilitate a clustering arrangement in a geographically convenient school. This has enabled specialist advice and support to be delivered more effectively than would otherwise have been the case. Presently there are more than 582 children in receipt of Band E resources in mainstream classrooms.

Additionally, the LEA maintains a number of specialist group resources in mainstream schools. This provision includes:

Specific Learning Difficulty Centres

Learning Support Centres

Hearing Impairment Resources

Visual Impairment Resource Bases

Language Development Centres

Assessment and Learning Support Centres

Future developments might include the following actions:

Ensuring that every child has access to the benefits of attending a mainstream school, if that is going to be to their advantage;
encouraging outreach work by special schools in support of pupils with complex learning needs;
ensuring that planning for inclusion should be at the heart of whole school organisation and be seen as leading to overall improvements in attainment and social behaviour for all pupils;
providing support for the key role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOS);
providing appropriate professional development opportunities for all school and support staff;
improving physical access to schools for those who experience disabilities; and
reduce, over time, the number of Statements held for pupils attending mainstream schools and thereby make professional resources available to support early intervention strategies.

In respect of specialist units attached to mainstream schools, an approach to the implications of a framework could be to:

retain all those Centres that meet very specialised, high level needs, e.g.

Specific Learning Difficulty Centres (4)

Hearing Impairment Resources Bases (2)

Visual Impairment Resource Bases (3)

Language Development Centres (4)

Assessment and Learning Support Centres (3)

consider whether further resources similar to those above are required to ensure even availability of provision throughout the County;
develop new arrangements in some schools to meet a range of complex and low incidence needs;
discontinue the present arrangements for general Learning Support Centres;
introduce transitional arrangements that would allow any change in funding to be managed over a period of time, e.g. with protected funding for 2 years;
refine the funding scheme particularly in respect of high need pupils including many of those who currently meet criteria for general Leaning Support Centres.

What could be the advantages of implementing such changes?

More children would benefit from the opportunities available in mainstream schools, particularly to mix with their peers and to be educated within their communities;
additional specialised support would be available on a local basis with the staff of special and mainstream schools and Further Education Colleges working closely together;
pupil attainment would continue to improve;
parents, staff and governors, would feel increasingly confident that mainstream schools are able to meet the needs of the majority of children; and
specialist facilities would be available for children who experience high but low incidence needs irrespective of geographic location.

Possible barriers

These are likely to include:

concern that published examination results might be damaged by inclusive education;
lack of confidence that the required skills can be developed and appropriate support systems established;
concern that resources to meet individual needs may not be adequate and available; and
some schools, especially those with Learning Support Centre provision that might be discontinued, could be concerned about the potential reduction to their budgets over time.

WHAT NEXT?

Your comments, either general or particular, are welcomed. More details are available, if required, in the Background Information document that has been sent to all schools, further copies of which are available from:

Miss C. Burton, Room 20, Education Department, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DL. Tel: 01603 223466

A form is attached for your comments and it should be returned to the above address by Friday December 15^th 2000. .

All comments will be considered in summary by the Executive (Education) Committee at its meeting on 24^th January 2001. It will then be possible to establish a new framework for the development of provision for children with special educational needs and consider what action needs to be taken to put it into practice. This will then form the basis of an Action Plan so that the process of implementation can start. Formal consultations with those institutions that may be affected will take place at this stage.