ANNEX 2

Strategy for Special Educational Needs in Oxfordshire

2004-2007

January 2004

STRATEGY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS 
IN OXFORDSHIRE

CONTENTS

				Page

1.	Context	1

2. 	Vision for Inclusion	1

3.	Level of Need and Provision	2

4.	Outcomes 	4

5.	Strategy 	5

6.	Financial Planning	10

7.	Monitoring Performance	10

Appendices

Appendix 1	Table 1	Level of Need	13
	Table 2	Primary Need	13
	Table 3	Special School Provision	13
	Table 4	Out-County Placements	14
	Table 5	Pupils with Statements 1999 - 2000	14
	Table 6	New Assessments and Placement of Children with	15
		New Statements During 2001
	Table 7	Percentage of Pupils Attending Special Schools 	15
		1997 & 2002

1.	

STRATEGY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
IN OXFORSHIRE

1.	Context

Oxfordshire’s policy for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), Spring 2000, established a framework for the LEA, schools and other agencies to work together to meet the needs of children with SEN.  It sets out the principles and aims which remain at the heart of our strategic planning:

•	Raising achievement for pupils with SEN
•	Achieving greater successful inclusion of pupils with SEN
•	Ensuring the effective use and targeting of resources for pupils with SEN.

The development of the SEN strategy has been led by an independent panel of elected members, which reviewed the county’s approach to the inclusion of children with SEN.  The panel listened to a wide range of views and evidence and took a fresh look at the county’s SEN strategy.  At the centre of the work undertaken was a clear focus on the needs of children, families and schools. The strategy aims to:

•	meet children’s needs flexibly so that the right help is available at the right time
•	meet the needs of families and listen to their views
•	meet the needs of teachers and other staff so that they feel confident, skilled and well supported in the difficult job they do.

The SEN strategy is supported by an annual SEN Service Plan.

2.	Vision for Inclusion in Oxfordshire

Elected members have developed a vision for inclusion in Oxfordshire:

“We are committed to ensuring that all children with SEN receive a high quality education which enables them to be confident and effective learners.  It is important for schools to bring down barriers to learning for all pupils and to enable children to have access to the curriculum, differentiated appropriately.  We recognise that children with SEN have considerable potential and all have much to contribute to our schools and communities.  It is important that our schools and other provision nurture and foster the talents of all pupils in a way which allows their achievements to be recognised and which celebrates diversity.

We want all pupils, including those with special educational needs and other needs, to develop to the maximum of their potential.  We can achieve this by:

•	ensuring that all schools deliver a high quality education for their pupils which celebrates the full range of their achievements and values their pupils;
•	intervening early before difficulties become intractable;

•	meeting the needs of families and listening to their views;

•	ensuring effective partnership working based on mutual trust between all the different people supporting children, including councillors, schools, parents, officers, services and other agencies, to meet the needs of children in a holistic way;

•	meeting children’s needs, as far as possible, within their local community through a range of flexible responses so that the right help is available at the right time;

•	breaking down the barriers between special schools and mainstream schools and other providers so that they work together creatively and flexibly to meet their children’s needs;

•	meeting the needs of teachers and other staff so that they feel confident, skilled and well supported in the difficult job they do;

•	supporting arrangements for lifelong learning and preparing children for adult life and becoming valuable members of their community.”

Oxfordshire’s Policy for Children with SEN (Spring 2000) sets out principles for inclusion:

•	commitment to improving successful inclusion, with the necessary support to meet needs;

•	acknowledges that additional resources will be needed to meet children’s needs in mainstream schools;

•	envisages a continuing role for specialist provision, including special schools, operating flexibly as an integral part of an inclusive education system.

3.	Level of Need and Provision 

Needs  

Information on the level and pattern of needs of children with SEN is improving.  Further details are provided in Appendix 1.

•	The percentage of pupils with statements of SEN at 2.5% has remained stable for three years. This is slightly below the average level for England (3%). 

•	The number of pupils requiring intervention at Early Years/ School Action and Early Years/ School Action Plus (SAP) is approximately 12% of the school population.  The increase recorded between 2002 and 2003 may, in part, reflect the disappearance of stage 1 following the introduction of the new Code of Practice. 
•	A plethora of DfES codes have been used to record the ‘primary’ (dominant) need of a child with SEN over the last few years making data analysis problematic. With the data available it appears that there are some emerging trends. The number of pupils with autism is rising most significantly; also the number of pupils with general and specific learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural difficulties is increasing. Within special provision the number of pupils with severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour is rising. 

•	Work is in progress to improve information on the ethnicity of children with SEN, including patterns of need and access to provision.

Provision

•	The overall level of resources for children with SEN (delegated and non-delegated) has increased significantly over the last five years and is now in line with the average for similar authorities. 

•	The percentage of pupils attending special school (1%) is in line with the average for similar authorities and has remained stable for several years, For new assessments and placements of children with statements in 2001, Oxfordshire was the second lowest in terms of placement in mainstream schools, the second highest for placements in special schools and the lowest user of out of county placements. 

•	The percentage of pupils in out-county special school provision is low in comparison with other LEAs. The Authority has pursued a policy of meeting children’s needs in-county rather than sending them out.  However, the costs for this very specialised provision have increased significantly. Currently the most frequent reasons for out-county provision are for learning difficulties and hearing impairment. There has been a marked increase in placements for pupils with severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour and autism; this is a national trend. 

•	OfSTED judgements (since January 2000) show that SEN provision and pupil progress is satisfactory or better in almost all schools (96.9%).  (Four schools, all inspected early in 2000, were found to be unsatisfactory and in all of these significant improvements have since been made).  SEN was found to be good or better in 76.9% of inspections and very good or excellent in 26.3%.  In the last year, an increasing number have been judged good, very good or excellent.

•	The OfSTED inspection of the LEA (2000) commented positively on Oxfordshire’s SEN support services: 

“Overall, the LEA’s support for pupils with SEN is characterised by well qualified staff, working energetically with a clear sense of purpose and direction.  Services are well managed and are focussed on raising pupil achievement and supporting teachers.”

•	To be able to give the right help at the right time it is essential to provide effective SEN Support Services.  Feedback from OFSTED’s LEA SEN Support Services survey in September 2002 stated that the schools visited “were very positive in their comments regarding the LEA’s support for inclusion. They particularly valued the wide range of services…the quick response to resolving problems…the excellent handbook with very useful exemplar documentation…the quality and relevance of training.” The inspectors noted that the ‘overall ethos of the LEA was having a positive impact on the ability of schools to promote inclusion.”

4.	Outcomes 

The success of this strategy will be measured against the aims in the SEN policy: raising the achievement for pupils with SEN, achieving greater successful inclusion of pupils with SEN and ensuring the effective use and targeting of resources for pupils with SEN.

A. Raising the achievement for pupils with SEN, (this includes pupils in mainstream and special schools and the most vulnerable groups of children). 

Achievement of the lowest 20%
Our aim is to raise the achievement of children with SEN. The Education Development Plan sets targets for raising the achievement of the lowest achieving 20% of children:

	Target areas and measures of success	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	
BV39	% of 15 year old pupils in schools (all state schools, including special schools) achieving 5 or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades a* - G including English and Maths	86.2	87.3	91	93	

Achievement of Vulnerable Children: Children in Care

	Target areas and measures of success	Actual	Targets	
		2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	
Oc2a	Percentage of children looked after for a year or more with 5 GCSE A – G (or equivalent).	23%	18%	50%	65%	
OC2b	Percentage of children looked after for a year with 1 GCSE A – G (or equivalent).	40%	32%	60%	80%	

Achievement of Pupils in Special school 

As part of the statutory target setting process Special Schools set targets for English, Maths, Science and ICT, as well as GCSEs, as appropriate. Oxfordshire Special Schools and special provisions began setting targets in 2002 and also included p- levels for Personal and Social Development. A moderation exercise of National Curriculum assessments in Special Schools was established in June 2003. In general terms, when attainment levels are averaged across all Special Schools, pupils make one p level of progress per year. 

Achievement in the Widest Sense

Schools actively celebrate pupil achievement in the widest sense. The emerging national developments, which aim to recognise the full range of achievements, will enable refined measures to illustrate pupil outcomes. 

B. Achieving greater successful inclusion of pupils with SEN

99% of Oxfordshire children are in mainstream schools. This is in line with similar authorities. One indication of the successful inclusion of pupils with SEN is the feedback from Ofsted about the percentage of schools where pupils with SEN make satisfactory or better progress:

		Actual	Targets	
	Target areas and measures of success	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	
	% schools where SEN provision and pupil progress is satisfactory or better  (Taken from school OFSTED reports) 	96.9	97.2	97.5	98	
	% nursery schools where SEN provision and pupil progress is good or better  (Taken from school OFSTED reports)	100	100	100	100	

	The very low use of out-county placements indicates that Oxfordshire is able to provide for the majority of pupils within its range of provision.  

	Positive feedback from parents, schools and pupils about levels of support to meet special educational needs is an important indication of successful inclusion. There is a need to improve mechanisms to monitor this feedback.

C. Ensuring the effective use and targeting of resources for pupils with SEN.

Resources for SEN have increased over recent years and are now in line with those in similar authorities. The aim is to operate within the overall budget for SEN and ensure that resources are used as effectively as possible to achieve the agreed outcomes for children with SEN.  Refer to page 10 for financial planning information.

5.	Strategy

The following strategy for improving support for children with SEN was developed by an independent member panel. The strategy received a high level of support from heads, governors, SENCos and Support Services during the informal consultation stage.

1.	Early Intervention

		There is a need to strengthen support for early identification for children with SEN at as early an age as possible by:
	
1.1	exploring the possibility of extending the SEN index funding to maintained early years settings;

1.2	targeting resources, including support services, to identify and support children with learning difficulties in early years settings and primary schools before unmet learning needs result in behavioural difficulties;
	
1.3	developing  the role of special schools to provide outreach to early years settings and in-house provision where appropriate;

1.4	targeting support for transition, e.g. from an early years setting into primary;

1.5	improving access to SEN support for highly mobile children, e.g. Travellers.

2.	Joint Work Across Agencies  

Children with SEN often have complex needs, requiring support from a range of different professionals or agencies. The confusing array of professionals with their different responsibilities and systems can add to parents’ difficulties.  The Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’ will provide significant opportunities to develop joint agency support.  Oxfordshire has prioritised the following areas for development: 

2.1	improving the co-ordination of existing SEN services, e.g. the development of Integrated Support Service teams;

2.2	establishment of a joint Education - Social & Health Care - Health management team for children’s services;

2.3	extending the work of the Bodyzone (a health and educational support programme in secondary schools)

2.4	improving links with Social and Health Care, e.g. social workers allocated to school partnerships, funding of residential provision;

2.5	improving access to therapy services, e.g. extend school based speech and language therapy services;

2.6	improving links with Health in relation to children with medical needs and encouraging further health funded provision;

2.7	the development of integrated children’s centres in areas of high social need.

	3.	Strengthening Support in Mainstream Schools

		There is an expectation from Ofsted that “schools will take practical steps to meet pupils’ needs more effectively. Schools are being inspected on the basis of “how well they recognise and overcome barriers to learning” and “the extent to which they embrace inclusion and promote it”, Ofsted Inclusion Framework. There is a need to continue to strengthen support for children with SEN in mainstream schools if they are to be successful in meeting children’s needs. This can be achieved by:
	
3.1	strengthening arrangements for the professional development of staff in relation to SEN:

3.2	reviewing and specifically targeting support for newly qualified teachers;

3.3	strengthening support for primary school partnerships:

3.4	encouraging the use of effective ICT systems for SEN processes;

3.5	exploring, with all secondary schools, the enhancement of in-school learning provision in every secondary school based on good inclusive practice;

3.6	at a strategic level, strengthening arrangements for monitoring the quality of support for children with SEN and its impact on achievement and social integration 

	4.	Pupils with Behaviour Difficulties

A challenging area for schools is meeting the needs of pupils with behavioural difficulties. Improvements in the range of learning opportunities and experiences, quality of teaching and support arrangements for underachieving pupils are likely to have a positive impact on pupil behaviour. The aim is to improve support for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.  Actions to work towards this aim include:
 
4.1	continuing to strengthen the continuum of provision for children with behaviour difficulties, including through early intervention and increasing in-school provision, provision through PRUIS and EBD special school provision;

4.2	extension of the integrated support services model developed in the Education Action Zone to other areas of the county;

4.3	evaluation, in consultation with schools, of the effectiveness of the new Pupil Referral Unit and Integration Service (PRUIS) and the further developments required;

4.4	strengthening support to meet the needs of children at Northfield and Northern House special schools.

	5.	Resources

	Although resources for SEN have increased over recent years, and are now in line with those in similar authorities, the overwhelming feedback to Members has been that resources are still not sufficient to meet children’s needs. The following proposals have been made:

5.1	to improve overall SEN funding, including making up for the loss of Standards Funds, whilst reviewing how these funds are distributed;

5.2	to explore, with schools, the delegation of statementing budget in order to ensure that practical support is available to meet children’s needs as quickly and as flexibly as possible by:

5.3	to ringfence SEN budgets so that savings, e.g. in SEN transport, can be redirected to enhance support for children with SEN;

5.4	to produce transparent information about the totality of SEN funding and to develop a financial strategy which enables the SEN strategy to be fully implemented.

	6.	Special Schools

		Oxfordshire special schools are well regarded and are making a positive contribution to meeting the needs of children with SEN.  Special schools will continue to have an important role to play in the continuum of provision for children with SEN in Oxfordshire.  There is considerable potential to develop a more flexible role for special schools as centres of excellence working to serve their local communities.  It is acknowledged that this is likely to have resource implications. Actions required include: 

6.1	no reduction in the current overall number of children with access to special school provision, although this may not always need to be in a special school;

6.2	the development of community special schools operating flexibly to meet the needs of their local area, including for example:

•	pupils on special school roll with part-time placements in mainstream;
•	pupils on mainstream roll with part-time placements in special;
•	teachers from special schools providing outreach support to mainstream;
•	teachers and teaching assistants from special schools working in mainstream;

6.3	continuing to strengthen the continuum of provision for children with behaviour difficulties, including increasing in-school provision, provision through PRUIS and EBD special school provision;

6.4	reviewing the role of the countywide special schools 

6.5	the need for greater transparency about processes for admissions to special schools, including clear, agreed guidance for admissions to special schools;

6.6	reviewing special school early years provision to secure effective early intervention for young children with SEN.

	7.	Work with Parents

Parents, naturally, want the best possible provision and support for their child.  The statementing process is designed for 2-3% of children with the most severe needs.  Decision making about how to make the best possible provision for all children with SEN in the context of finite budgets can lead to considerable tensions between the LEA, schools and parents. Steps recommended to improve this situation include:

7.1	strengthening support for parents of children with SEN 

7.2	the establishment of a dedicated Children’s Services team provides an opportunity to review the quality of the SEN service from a parent perspective, improve communications with parents and ensure that parents are involved in ongoing consultation about SEN developments.

	8.	SEN Administration

		Feedback from schools, parents and officers highlights significant frustrations with the bureaucracy associated with the SEN administrative process. Actions recommended to address this include:

8.1	a review of the operation of the assessment and resources panels in consultation with schools and parents;
 
8.2	circulating a document providing guidelines for the provision of resources for children with statements for schools and parents for comment;

8.3	reviewing, with schools, the SEN moderation process.

		9.	Pupil Involvement

		Student presentations and surveys of children’s views highlight the valuable contribution that children can make to the inclusion debate. Their opinions need to be taken into account in any matters affecting them by:

9.1	strengthening arrangements for pupils of all ages to provide their views and for those views to be valued and considered as part of assessment and planning processes;

9.2	developing peer support systems (for social integration).

10.	Post 16 Provision

	Oxfordshire special schools are designated to provide education up to 16.  Post 16 provision in-county is made in mainstream schools or colleges.  Parents continue to express some concerns about post 16 provision for pupils with SEN.  There has been an increase in the number of pupils post 16 in out-county placements.  There is a need to:

	10.1	strengthen provision for pupils with SEN in local colleges;

	10.2	improve transition arrangements so that post 16 placements for all pupils are known by February in the year of transfer.

	10.3	contribute to the Strategic Area Review of 14-19 provision across the Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire area which will have a particular focus on SEN provision.

6.	Financial Planning

	1998/99	2002/03	% increase per pupil	
SEN Index and Statements	£8.8m	£12.3m	37.3	
SEN Central Services	£3.0m	£3.8m	22.6	
SEN Transport	£3.2m	£4.2m	27.0	
Special Schools	£8.2m	£10.5m	26.0	
Out County	£1.3m	£2.0m	50.0	

		The overall funding of SEN in mainstream schools per pupil including the delegated and non-delegated SEN budgets is £271 per pupil.  This is in line with spending in similar authorities with four authorities spending more than Oxfordshire and five authorities spending less.  The % of pupils in special schools and funding for special schools is also in line with similar authorities. 

		The Authority has pursued a policy of meeting children’s needs in-County rather than sending them out.  This is reflected in the low costs of out-County placements relative to other LEAs. 

7.	Monitoring Performance

Raising achievement for pupils with SEN
A range of strategies is in place to monitor the achievement of pupils with SEN, in particular, EDP monitoring of the lowest 20%, national curriculum (including p scale) assessment analysis from special schools and units, OFSTED Form 4 achievement monitoring of pupils with EBD, autism, hearing impairments and visually impairments. Future monitoring opportunities will be possible with the introduction of national descriptors for primary needs from January 2004 (PLASC).

Achieving greater successful inclusion
An indicator of the effectiveness of inclusion is the feedback received from Ofsted about the effectiveness of SEN support and the level of progress made by the pupils.  A programme of supported self evaluation (SEN Development Programme) has recently been established to monitor the inclusion of children with SEN.  Every school will receive one and a half days of support from an officer and consultant on a three yearly cycle.  Improving feedback from schools and parents about the effectiveness of support for children is a priority.

Ensuring the effective use and targeting of resources for pupils with SEN
In addition to the statutory duties to monitor SEN spending, such as the section 52 statement, Oxfordshire has joined 35 Authorities in the south and central regions in a bench marking club.  Best Value reviews are used to monitor the effectiveness and targeting of resources for pupils with SEN.  The SEN Index is used to delegate SEN funding to schools and is based on a formula comprising three elements:  SEN registers, pupil performance and socio-economic factors.  A recent review of annual moderation of SEN registers has resulted in greater transparency of the formula funding to all schools.  Monitoring and analysis of the elements of the SEN Index is ensuring that resources are being appropriately targeted at schools with the greatest need.  A key function of the SEN Development Programme is to monitor the use and targeting of SEN funding in schools.

Appendix 1

TABLE 1:  Levels of need 

SEN registers
	November 2001 School SEN Registers	November 2002 School SEN Registers	
	%	Number	%	Number	
School Action	7.4	6,176	8.4	7,044	
School Action Plus	3.6	3,004	3.9	3,270	
Statements (taken from SEN 2 Return)	2.5	2,502	2.5	2,653	

TABLE 2:  Primary need

Primary need
(taken from primary and secondary registers)	Percentage of School Population	
	2002	2003	
Cognition & Learning			
Learning Difficulties	6.1	7.4	
Specific Learning Difficulties	0.7	1.5	
Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development Needs			
Emotional and Behavioural	2.3	3.1	
Communication and Interaction Needs			
Language and Communication Difficulties	0.8	0.8	
Autistic Spectrum Disorder	0.08	0.2	
Sensory and/or Physical Needs			
Visual Impairment	0.03	0.07	
Hearing Impairment	0.1	0.16	
Physical Difficulties	0.4	0.36	

TABLE 3:  Special School Provision  

School Name	Age range	Location	Designation	Planned Places September 2003	
Kingfisher School	2 to 16	Abingdon	PMLD/SLD	79	
Frank Wise School	2 to 16	Banbury	PMLD/SLD	92	
Bardwell School	2 to 16	Bicester	SLD	53	
Iffley Mead School	5 to 16	Oxford, Iffley	MLD	88	
Mabel Prichard School	2 to 16	Oxford, Littlemore	PMLD/SLD	67	
Northern House School	5 to 13	Summertown	EBD (Primary)	78	
Northfield School	11 to 16	Blackbird Leys	EBD (Secondary)	85	
Ormerod School	2 to 16	Headington	PD	40	
Bishopswood School	2 to 16	Sonning Common	PMLD/SLD	47	
Fitzwaryn School	2 to 16	Wantage	MLD/SLD	70	
Springfield School	2 to 16	Witney	PMLD/SLD	98	
John Watson School	2 to 16	Wheatley	PMLD/SLD	59	
Woodeaton Manor School	5 to 16	Woodeaton	MLD	44	
Oxford Hospital School	5 to 16	Headington	Medical	60	
			Total	960	
TABLE 4:  Out County Placements

Special Need	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04	
Autism	4	3	7	
Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties	10	4	8	
Hearing Impairment	13	17	14	
Speech & Language Difficulties	4	4	2	
Severe Learning Difficulties	16	18	19	
Medical	2	2	4	
Physical Difficulties	5	3	5	
Specific Learning Difficulties	1	1	1	
 	55	52	60	

TABLE 5:  Pupils with statements 1999 – 2002 

Position in January each year	1999
Pupils with Statements
%	2000
Pupils with Statements
%	2002
Pupils with Statements
%	
ENGLAND	3.0	3.0	3.0	
Oxfordshire	2.5	2.4	2.5	
Cambridgeshire 	3.2	3.3	3.4	
Devon 	3.5	3.6	3.2	
Dorset 	2.8	3.0	3.2	
Gloucestershire	2.7	2.9	2.8	
Hampshire 	2.5	2.4	2.4	
North Yorkshire	2.4	2.5	2.6	
Somerset	2.9	2.8	2.6	
Suffolk	3.1	3.1	3.1	
West Berkshire 	3.9	4.0	4.1	
Wiltshire 	2.3	2.4	2.4	

* Data for 2001 is known to be incomplete therefore not included.	
Source: DfES, Statistics of Education: Special Educational Needs in England: January 2002, Issue No 10/02, November 2002.

TABLE 6:  New assessments and placement of children with new statements during 2001

Total new
Assess
-ments
during
2001	
% School population assessed in 2001	
Total
statements
made for the
first time
in 2001	For first time statements made in 2001, placement in	
				
Maintained
Mainstream
Schools (1)	
Maintained
Special
Schools	
Other (2)	

							
	Number	%	Number	%	%	%	
ENGLAND	33,981	0.41	32,466	76.3	17.6	6.0	
Oxfordshire	356	0.35	348	69.3	29.6	1.1	
Cambridgeshire	385	0.45	385	84.9	11.2	3.9	
Devon	376	0.35	347	79.8	10.4	9.8	
Dorset	318	0.52	297	80.5	11.4	8.1	
Gloucestershire	459	0.48	458	71.2	24.0	4.8	
Hampshire	590	0.31	583	57.8	38.3	3.9	
North Yorkshire	429	0.44	426	82.2	14.3	3.5	
Somerset	181	0.23	168	71.4	17.9	10.7	
Suffolk	508	0.46	494	88.5	8.7	2.8	
West Berkshire	111	0.39	109	76.1	13.8	10.1	
Wiltshire	260	0.36	251	80.1	11.6	8.4	
Source: SEN 2 survey  2002										
(1) 	Includes units attached to maintained mainstream schools.		
(2) 	Includes non-maintained special schools, independent special schools, other independent schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units.	

TABLE 7:  Percentage of pupils attending special schools, 1997 and 2002

Position in January each year	1997
% Pupils attending       Special schools	2002
% Pupils attending       Special schools	
ENGLAND	1.2	1.1	
Oxfordshire	1.1	1.0	
Cambridgeshire	1.1	1.1	
Devon	1.4	1.0	
Dorset	1.1	0.9	
Gloucestershire	1.6	1.2	
Hampshire	1.5	1.3	
North Yorkshire	0.8	0.8	
Somerset	0.9	0.7	
Suffolk	0.8	0.7	
West Berkshire		2.1	
Wiltshire	0.9	0.6	
				
Source: Annual Schools' Census	
Includes LEA maintained, foundation and non-maintained special schools as a percentage of all schools  (nursery, primary,  secondary, special, independent schools and pupil referral units).