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ITEM EX8

EXECUTIVE - 14 JANUARY 2004

DEVELOPMENT OF COUNTYWIDE SPECIAL SCHOOL PROVISION, INCLUDING WOODEATON MANOR AND IFFLEY MEAD SCHOOLS

Report by the Director for Learning & Culture, Director for Social & Health Care and Head of Finance

1. The Executive, at its meeting on 14 October 2003, received a report on the outcome of informal consultation on six options in relation to Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead Special Schools. Feedback through the consultation process highlighted that further work was required prior to the formal consultation stage, particularly in relation to:

1. an analysis of the need for places at Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead Special Schools
2. an analysis of the need for residential provision
3. the admissions criteria and admissions arrangements for special schools.
   
   
2. This further work has now been completed, informed by the detailed responses received to the informal consultation. The report concludes that:

• in line with the national position, the number of children in the county’s two special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs has fallen over recent years. It would now be possible to meet the needs of children with MLD/complex needs in one rather than two schools.
• there is a need to increase the number of special school places for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and develop a more flexible range of provision;
• there is a need to refocus the residential provision at Woodeaton Manor to meet the needs of pupils who have the greatest needs and are therefore most at risk of requiring out-county placement, i.e. those with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

3. In December 1999, after extensive consultation, the former Education Committee adopted a Policy on Special Education Needs (SEN) which had, as a key principle, the greater effective inclusion of children with SEN. An explicit focus was the effective inclusion in mainstream schools of children with moderate learning difficulties (MLD).
4. The Oxfordshire policy reflects the national agenda most recently underpinned by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 and the SEN Code of Practice. There is a new requirement on LEAs to provide places in mainstream schools for virtually all children with SEN, if requested by parents. The DfES Working Group report on special schools also emphasises that "this 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". LEAs are required to balance these requirements carefully.
5. The DfES Working Group on Special Schools (2003) notes that "mainstream schools will have a growing role to play in providing education for children with SEN", but also emphasises "the key role which special schools have to play at the heart of federations and clusters of schools and their leading role in helping mainstream schools to develop more inclusive learning environments".
6. In Oxfordshire 2.5% of children have statements and the vast majority of children (approximately 99%) are educated in mainstream schools. Both of these are in line with similar authorities.
7. Because the great majority of children with SEN are in mainstream schools, and always have been, the Oxfordshire strategy has been to strengthen the capacity of those schools to meet their pupils’ needs. To this end, delegated and devolved funds have been increased significantly, in-service training and guidance for schools has been enhanced and support services have been strengthened. As mainstream capacity has been developed, it has also been possible to support a small, additional number of children who might otherwise have had to transfer to special schools. This has, in part, been achieved by the allocation of additional resources to five secondary schools to develop inclusive provision. Feedback from these schools indicates that they are positive about the impact of the additional resources in enabling them to meet children’s needs.
8. A new strategy for children with SEN has been developed through wide consultation and has received considerable support through the consultation process. This strategy emphasises that "special schools will continue to have an important role to play in the continuum of provision for children with SEN in Oxfordshire" and proposes:- the development of community special schools;

- a review of the two countywide schools for children with moderate learning difficulties/ complex needs;

- the need to strengthen the continuum of support for pupils with behaviour difficulties.

Further Work on the Need for Countywide Special School Provision

9. A range of further work has been undertaken to look at the need for countywide special school provision:
   
   

1. a letter was sent to all mainstream schools asking them to identify children for whom they considered a special school place was required;
2. a review has been undertaken, jointly with Social & Health Care, of the needs of children in residential provision both out-county and at Woodeaton Manor and Northfield schools;
3. information was requested from the Youth Offending Team about prospective pupils for whom access to education is proving difficult;
4. information was collated from Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead about pupils whose parents visited the schools and these pupils have been followed up;
5. there has been further informal consultation with parents through the Parents Advisory Group for Children with SEN.
   
   

Outcome of the Analysis of Need for Special School Provision

Out-County Provision

10. There are significant pressures on the Council’s out-county budgets for children with SEN. There is a projected budget pressure of £1m on the out-county budget in Learning & Culture in 2003/04. This is a result of a 33% increase in the costs of placements and an increase in the number of pupils placed out-county from 52 to 60 between September 2002 and September 2003. There are similar pressures in the Social & Health Care out-county agency budgets.
11. Over the last year, 14 pupils were placed out-county by Learning & Culture:4 of these pupils had emotional and behavioural difficulties
    
    

1. 4 of these pupils had medical/physical disabilities requiring therapy or conductive education.
2. 3 of these pupils had severe learning difficulties and severe and challenging behaviour;
3. 3 of these pupils had severe autistic difficulties and severe and challenging behaviour;
4. 4 of these pupils are jointly funded with Social & Health Care.
   
   
12. There are currently 23 pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties placed in out-county residential provision at a total cost of £2.5m. 15 of these are funded through Social & Health Care at a cost of £1.775m and 8 by Learning & Culture at a cost of £692,000.

Pupils with Moderate Learning Difficulties/Complex Needs

(a) Day Provision

13. There are currently 24 pupils on the roll of Woodeaton Manor School. 10 pupils are due to leave in July 2004. The recent survey of mainstream schools identified 20 pupils who, in the view of headteachers, could require a place at Woodeaton Manor. Five of the pupils’ parents want a mainstream school place. Based on this analysis, and including pupils where assessment has not yet started or is underway, there is a potential need for 29 places at Woodeaton Manor School in September 2004. (See Annex 1 for details.)
14. There are currently 90 pupils on the roll of Iffley Mead School. 19 pupils are due to leave in July 2004. The recent survey of mainstream schools identified 22 pupils who, in the view of headteachers, could require a place at Iffley Mead. Three of the pupils’ parents want a mainstream place. Based on this analysis, and including pupils where assessment has not yet started or is underway, there is a potential need for up to 90 places at Iffley Mead School in September 2004. (See Annex 1 for details.)
15. Taken overall, there is a potential need for up to 119 special school places for pupils with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs.

(b) Residential Provision

16. Taken overall, there is a potential need for up to 119 special school places for pupils with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs.
17. Woodeaton Manor can provide 4 nights a week residential provision for 20 pupils, i.e. a total of 80 sessions per week. In December 2003 there were 11 pupils attending residential provision at Woodeaton Manor for a total of 23 sessions a week, with the number of sessions per child ranging from two to four sessions a week. This is the equivalent of six full-time places. The needs of each of the pupils in residential provision at Woodeaton Manor have been reviewed, jointly with colleagues in Social & Health Care. Six of the eleven pupils have emotional and behaviour difficulties in addition to moderate learning difficulties/ complex needs. One pupil has medical needs. Two of the pupils are in public care.

Pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

(a) Day Provision

18. There are currently 78 places at Northfield and 78 places at Northern House special schools. 19 pupils are due to leave Northfield School in summer 2004. Approximately 13 pupils are due to leave Northern House and most will transfer to Northfield School. Both schools are full and 8 pupils are currently awaiting a place at Northfield. The recent survey of mainstream schools identified 21 pupils who, in the view of headteachers, could require a place at Northfield School. Three of the pupils’ parents want a mainstream school. The Youth Offending Team identified a further six pupils who required an EBD special school place. Based on this analysis, and including those pupils where assessment had not yet started or is underway, there is a potential need for up to 104 places at Northfield School in September 2004. (See Annex 1 for details.)
19. There are significant pressures in terms of lack of places for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties at secondary level. There is also a need to improve the support available to Northfield School to meet the range of complex needs presented by pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Four pupils were placed out-county in 2002/03 because Northfield School could not meet their needs. Two of these pupils had been permanently excluded from Northfield. Two of the pupils known to the Youth Offending Team had been permanently excluded from Northfield. Two were on the roll of Northfield School but receiving limited educational provision.

(b) Residential

20. Northfield Hostel provides 4 nights a week residential provision for 12 pupils, i.e. a total of 48 sessions a week. There are currently 11 pupils attending Northfield Hostel for a total of 44 sessions a week. None of these pupils are in public care.

Further Informal Consultation with Parents

21. There was further informal consultation with parents through the Parents Advisory Group for Children with SEN. Feedback from parents highlighted their strong view that there is a need to maintain special school provision for children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs. They express their concern that parents of children with moderate learning difficulties need to be able to continue to choose a special school place for their child if that is what they want. They emphasise the many positive benefits of special school provision to meet some children’s needs.
    
    Admissions
22. LEA officers play a very large part in determining admissions to all special schools, as is their statutory duty. It is therefore accepted that officers’ actions have a strong influence on the balance between pupils and funding going into mainstream or into special schools. Where the question of transfer from mainstream into special arises, usually at the annual review of a mainstream child’s statement, an officer considers the recommendations from the review and parental views. Particular attention is paid to the nature and amount of support the child has been receiving and the progress s/he has made. The officer then determines the support required by the child. If special school admission is suggested, s/he determines whether such a placement would meet the child’s needs, has the support of the parent and is an effective use of resources. In some cases this detailed consideration leads to a decision that continued placement in mainstream school, usually with enhanced provision, is appropriate. All recommendations for special school admission (or additional support), and the review reports on which they are based, are also scrutinised by a panel of officers, headteachers and a senior educational psychologist before decisions are taken. The potential receiving special school is also consulted.
23. Whilst most parents would like to see their children educated in their local school, they also need to be satisfied that their child’s needs will be met effectively. Parents therefore must be engaged in the decision making process. This is achieved by parents being involved in their children’s reviews and having well publicised rights to make representations to officers and to meet with them. They also have a statutory right to independent conciliation and appeal to an SEN Tribunal if agreement is not reached with the LEA on placement or other aspects of statements.
24. Decisions about admissions to the residential provision at Woodeaton Manor and Northfield House have historically been made by the headteachers of the schools. There is a need for greater officer involvement in this process and the development of a transparent process for decision making.
25. A working group, chaired by Dr Marjorie Evans, Independent Chair of the Member Panel on Inclusion, has reviewed the work of the SEN Admissions and Resources Panels. A report, including a number of recommendations to improve the transparency of the admissions process, is elsewhere on the agenda.
26. A working group, including mainstream and special school representatives, has developed indicators for admissions to special schools, which are to be piloted and evaluated over the course of the year.

Conclusions

(a) In line with the national position, the number of children in the county’s two special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs has fallen over recent years.

27. Woodeaton Manor School provides high quality education for a small, but decreasing, number of pupils with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs. Based on the analysis of need undertaken, there is a potential need for 29 special school places at Woodeaton Manor and 90 places at Iffley Mead in September 2004, i.e. a total of up to 119 places. Iffley Mead School has accommodated up to 120 pupils in the past. It would be possible to meet the needs of children with MLD/complex needs in one rather than two schools. It will be important to retain the expertise of staff of Woodeaton Manor School within any reconfigured provision. It would also be important to take the opportunity to improve the facilities at Iffley Mead School.
28. Maintaining a countywide school for children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs would ensure that there continues to be an option of special school provision for parents of children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs where local mainstream or local special school placement is not considered to be appropriate.

b. There is a need to increase the number of special school places for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

29. It is necessary to develop a more flexible range of provision to ensue that in-county provision is able to meet the full range of children’s needs and thereby reduce the need for expensive out-county placements. This provision should include:

c. Woodeaton Manor residential provision provides high quality residential education for a small number of children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs. There is a need to refocus the residential provision at Woodeaton Manor to meet the needs of pupils who have the greatest needs and are therefore most at risk of requiring out-county placement, i.e. those with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

30. Creating this provision jointly with Social & Health Care and providing a flexible range of residential options would meet pupils’ needs more holistically, improve continuity and consistence and reduce the need for out-county placements for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties

Financial Implications

31. The proposals in the report can be funded from within current resources by reconfiguring provision:

1. The number of special school planned places for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and emotional and behavioural difficulties would remain the same overall, with a refocusing to increase provision for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
2. Residential provision on the Woodeaton site for 20 pupils, 4 nights a week, would be maintained at the current level and refocused on pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Additional funding will be required from Social & Health Care to provide a more flexible range of residential options, including up to 7 nights a week provision. The funding from Social & Health Care (estimated at £250,000) will be generated by reducing the number of pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties requiring out-county placement. A reduction of three pupils requiring out-county placements would generate the level of funding required. The principle is agreed by Social & Health Care, but further work is required to identify the necessary funding.
3. Closure of Northfield Hostel and relocation of residential provision to the Woodeaton site would generate a revenue saving of £200,000 and a substantial capital receipt. £200,000 revenue could be used for the development of community special schools for pupils with severe learning difficulties. It is recommended that the capital receipt should be used for any necessary building works at Woodeaton Manor, Iffley Mead and in community special schools.
4. There is a significant upward pressure on the out-county budgets for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and severe learning difficulties within both the Learning & Culture and Social & Health Care Directorates. The proposed improvement in in-county provision for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties and in community special schools for children with severe learning difficulties are necessary to reduce this upward pressure.
5. The overall scheme can be met within current expenditure but will make more effective use of existing resources to meet children’s needs within the County and reduce the upward pressure on the out-county budget.
   
   

Timetable for Further Work

32. The timetable for further work is as follows:

• Formal consultation on proposals January - March 2004
• Feedback to the Executive 7 April 2004
• Statutory Notices 23 April to 23 June 2004
• Executive 14 July 2004
• School Organisation Committee July 2003

33. Further work on the feasibility and advantages/disadvantages of the options (1) and (2) in recommendation (b) below in relation to EBD provision will be undertaken in consultation with schools and reported back to the Executive in April 2004.

RECOMMENDATIONS

34. The Executive is RECOMMENDED to ask officers to consult schools, parents and partners formally on a proposal to:

1. amalgamate Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead Schools to provide for up to 119 children with moderate learning difficulties/complex needs; to be achieved, in view of the number of pupils currently in each of the two schools and in order to minimise disruption for children, by transferring pupils with moderate learning difficulties from Woodeaton Manor (14 in September 2004) to Iffley Mead School;
2. increasing the secondary special school provision for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties from 78 to 100 places, arranged on two school sites; to be achieved by:

1. maintaining Northfield on its current site for 60 pupils and developing additional provision for 40 pupils requiring therapeutic support on the Woodeaton Manor site; or
2. relocating Northfield Special School to the Woodeaton Manor site and developing additional EBD special school provision for 40-60 pupils elsewhere in the County;

3. developing residential provision for 20 pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties on the Woodeaton Manor site as detailed in paragraph 312; to be jointly funded and managed with Social & Health Care to provide consistency and continuity of provision;
4. using the resources released from the closure of the residential provision at Northfield Hostel (£200,000 revenue per annum plus capital) to support the development of community special schools for children with severe learning difficulties and to carry out any necessary building works at Woodeaton Manor, Iffley Mead or community special schools.

KEITH BARTLEY
Director for Learning & Culture

CHARLES WADDICOR
Director for Social & Health Care

CHRIS GRAY
Head of Finance

Background papers: None

Contact officers:
Gillian Tee, Head of Children’s Services Tel: 01865 815125
Phil Hodgson, Head of Social Care for Children Tel: 01865 815833

December 2003

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