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ITEM EX13 - SupplementEXECUTIVE - 10 DECEMBER 2002CONSULTATION ON THE FUTURE OF WOODEATON MANOR AND IFFLEY MEAD SPECIAL SCHOOLSSubmission by Councillor Christine Witcher Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to the following statutory guidance from the Department for Education and Skills – The information comes from their ‘Inclusive Schooling Document’ Paragraph 53, Special Schools. ‘The Government recognises and values the important role special schools play in providing for pupils with special educational needs. Special schools have a continuing and vital role to play within an inclusive education system. All special schools must be outward looking centres of excellence working with their mainstream partners and other special schools to support the development of inclusion. The strengthened right to a mainstream education, provided by the new statutory framework for inclusion, does not make it any harder for parents, whose children have statements, to obtain a place in a special school if that is what they want. It is important that what parents and children want is listened to and taken account of.’ Both special schools identified within the report conform with the expectations of this guidance. Woodeaton School, which also has residential facilities, had been commended in a recent Ofsted report for the work they do with their students and their success with their academic results – over 50% gaining more than 3 GCSE’s. Woodeaton has also been involved in providing residential placements, which include children in care, saving this Authority thousands of pounds from not having out of county placements. Social Services are concerned at the possible outcome from this potential consultation exercise and the effect it could have on children whom they are responsible for and who need to access this type of provision. Both Schools provide very different and very specific types of provision. With regard to Woodeaton, the school prides itself in successfully supporting children with quite complex emotional and behaviour problems. The Ofsted report identified that many children entered the school at a low academic level, but as they moved through the school, their level’s increased. The small classes and individual attention has resulted in a rising of academic levels and the successful partnerships with other mainstream schools has resulted in excellent social inclusion, with many of the children forming good friendships with mainstream peers. With regard to this Report, I would like to make the Executive aware of the following facts: The report identifies that pupil numbers have fallen and suggests that this is due to pupils being successfully included into mainstream schools, but there is evidence to show that the ‘Moderating Panels’ that are presently in place have in fact, on many occasions actually refused parental request for places at the schools. Coincidently, there is has been a sharp rise in short-term exclusions across Oxfordshire and many of these relate to pupils with special needs that also include emotional and behaviour problems. Following Learning and Culture’s SEN Review, the Executive is now investigating the ‘Panels’. The Review had identified serious concerns with their workings. These Panels are also seen to have been instrumental in affectively ‘blocking’ admissions into special schools. The SEN Review also identified gaps across the County for supporting children with emotional and behaviour problems. Many of our Mainstream schools create successful inclusion by working in partnership with Special Schools and ensuring that the individual child’s inclusion is a positive one. They are quite rightly very concerned at the prospect of their key partners being closed or compromised in their ability to provide their specialist support. The report identifies that the schools are providing for pupils with ‘Moderate’ learning difficulties. The schools provide for quite specific needs. Woodeaton successfully supports children with ADHD, Aspergers and complex emotional behaviour problems and I’m sorry, but I would certainly challenge anyone who suggested that these types of needs are in any way ‘Moderate’! Inclusion can take many forms, and it is only successful when it is done sensitively, takes into account the needs of the individual concerned and balances social inclusion with the right of every child to access academic achievement and reach their full potential. Suggested way forward: I truly believe, as others do, that this type of consultation and the uncertainties that will come from it, will in fact do huge amounts of damage not only to the dedicated staff that work within them, but also the families and their children who attend them. The evidence from the SEN Review acts in supporting the view that this type of ‘consultation’ would not be appropriate and would totally compromise our future ability to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children. I would ask that the Executive do not consider going ahead with any consultation on closing or amalgamating these two schools, or indeed any of our special schools until further information about the workings of the Moderating Panels and a clear understanding of how inclusion is presently working in mainstream schools is gathered. I would like to ask the Executive to consider the following Recommendation that would replace the ones submitted by the Acting Chief Education Officer: REPLACEMENT RECOMMENDATION: The Executive is asked to commission the Learning & Culture Scrutiny Committee to carry out a Scrutiny Review on ‘inclusion’ within mainstream schools across the County of pupils who are identified as having special educational needs, the Review to:
CHRISTINE
WITCHER December
2002
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