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ITEM EX8 - ANNEX 1

EXECUTIVE - 14 JANUARY 2004

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

ANALYSIS OF FURTHER WORK UNDERTAKEN

1. Unlike some LEAs, Oxfordshire has not adopted a policy of special school closure with the associated return of pupils to mainstream, but instead has tried to develop support in mainstream schools so that children’s needs are met. The success of mainstream schools in developing their inclusive practice has resulted in a small downturn in the percentage of pupils in special schools from 1.1% in 1997 to 1% in 2002. Those relatively few pupils who no longer need to transfer to special schools are generally children who have very similar needs to those other pupils with SEN already in mainstream schools, i.e. they have moderate learning difficulties.
2. Woodeaton Manor School and Iffley Mead School are special schools for children with moderate learning difficulties and other complex needs, typically to do with language and behaviour. As greater emphasis has been placed on inclusion and mainstream schools have been strengthened, so there has been a reduced need to transfer pupils with less complex needs to special schools. This has resulted in falling pupil rolls at these two schools, as shown below:

School	2000/01	2001/02	2002/03	2003/04
Iffley Mead	100	99	90	88 (88)
Woodeaton Manor	61	57	36	23 (44)
Total	161	156	126	111 (132)

Planned places in brackets

Analysis of the Need for Places

Feedback from Mainstream Schools

3. A letter was sent to all schools asking them to identify children whom schools considered required a special school place at Woodeaton Manor, Iffley Mead, Northfield or Northern House was required. Mainstream schools identified 73 pupils for whom they considered a place at a countywide special school was required:

Woodeaton Manor School	20
Iffley Mead School	22
Northfield School	21
Northern House School	11
Total	73

Woodeaton Manor School

4. Of the 20 pupils identified for Woodeaton Manor:

- 5 of the pupils’ parents wanted a mainstream school place;

- statutory assessment had not yet started for 3 pupils.

Where statutory assessment has not yet started, or where a child does not yet have a statement, additional LEA resources have not yet been deployed to support the pupil within their mainstream school.

Iffley Mead School

5. Of the 22 pupils identified for Iffley Mead:

- 3 of the pupils’ parents had requested a mainstream school place;

- statutory assessment had not yet started for 2 of the pupils;

- 2 of the pupils did not have a statement of SEN.

Where a statutory assessment has not yet started, or where a pupil does not yet have a statement, additional LEA resources have not yet been deployed to support the pupils in their mainstream school.

Interestingly, 10 of the 22 pupils put forward were from two secondary schools (5 pupils from one school and five 5 from another). Officers will discuss with these schools the potential for developing in-school learning provision to meet the needs of these pupils within their local secondary schools;

Northfield School

6. Of the 21 pupils identified for Northfield:

- 3 of the pupils’ parents had requested a mainstream place;

- statutory assessment had not started for 2 pupils;

- 7 of the pupils do not have a statement of SEN.

Where a statutory assessment has not yet started, or where a pupil does not yet have a statement, additional LEA resources have not yet been deployed to support the pupils in their mainstream school.

Six out of the 21 pupils are from one secondary school. Officers will talk to the school about the potential for developing in-school learning provision to meet the needs of their pupils.

Northern House School

7. Of the 11 pupils identified for Northern House:

- statutory assessment had not started for 2 pupils;

- 3 pupils do not have a statement of SEN.

Where a statutory assessment has not yet started, or where a pupil does not yet have a statement, additional LEA resources have not yet been deployed to support the pupils in their mainstream school.

Follow Up of Children Who Have Visited Woodeaton Manor or Iffley Mead

8. Information was collated from Woodeaton Manor and Iffley Mead about pupils who visited the schools. These pupils have been followed up to determine their current placement and needs. Woodeaton Manor identified 15 pupils. Current placements are as follows:

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