Corseford School and Stanmore House School

Equality and Diversity Strategy

2013 – 2017

Corseford School and Stanmore House School 1 Equality and Diversity Strategy 2013-2017

Introduction from the Executive Head Teacher

I am delighted to provide the introduction to Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s Equality and Diversity Strategy for 2013-17.

The implementation of the Public Sector Equality Duty – Specific Duties for Scotland in May 2012 presented a new and welcome challenge for the schools to consolidate and build on the work already undertaken to implement the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

Stanmore House School received an outstanding Education Scotland Inspection in 2013. Particular mention was made by the inspectors of the School’s effective approach to partnership working, which is used to promote equality and diversity. Corseford School received an outstanding inspection in 2008 and also promotes equality and diversity through partnership work.

We will continue to work very hard to ensure that both schools provide an environment which is free from discrimination and promotes respect for the individual.

Sue Williams Executive Head

2 The Impact Of The Equality Act 2010 Public Sector Equality Duty On Capability Scotland’s Schools

Introduction

The schools hold a unique position within Capability Scotland as a result of being classed as public bodies under equality legislation. This has resulted in the schools being subject to additional legal requirements in relation to equality. The Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and the Equality Act 2006 placed positive duties on the school to promote race, disability and gender equality respectively.

In June 2007 a Government green paper detailed the intention to bring all equality legislation, including public sector duties, into a single Act. The single act became a reality on 5 April, 2011 when the Equality Act 2010 consolidated and to a certain extent harmonised existing equality legislation.

The existing public sector duties in relation to disability, race and gender were brought together into a single Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), with the addition of gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief and sexual orientation. The PSED consists of two duties; the general duty and the specific duties, the latter of which are designed to support performance of the general duty.

The General Duty

The General Duty applies requires public bodies to have due regard to the need to:

 Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and the other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act.  Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.  Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Specific Duties

The Specific Duties where created by secondary legislation in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012. These Specific Duties came into force on 27 May, 2012 and operate differently in Scotland than elsewhere in Great Britain. The Specific Duties require listed public bodies, including Corseford and Stanmore, to:

 Assess and review policies and practices against the needs of the general equality duty, including the consideration of relevant evidence relating to people who share a protected characteristic (Equality Impact Assessing).  Gather and use employee information such as the composition of the workforce and annual information on the recruitment, development and retention of 3 employees with respect to the number and relevant protected characteristics of employees.

 Consider award criteria and conditions in procurement where these could help better perform in the equality duty.

Equality Outcomes

Corseford and Stanmore are required to publish equality outcomes which they consider will enable them to better perform the equality duties. An equality outcome is a result that the schools aim to achieve in order to further one or more of the aforementioned aspects of the general equality duty (eliminating discrimination, advancing equality and fostering good relations).

In preparing a set of equality outcomes, the schools must take reasonable steps to involve people who share a relevant protected characteristic and groups who represent the interests of those people. They must also consider relevant evidence relating to people who share a relevant protected characteristic.

Reporting

The PSED requires the following information to be published by each school:

 A mainstreaming report on the progress they have made towards making the general equality duty integral to the exercise of their functions  Equality outcomes  A report on the progress made to achieve the equality outcomes

4 Background

Corseford School and Stanmore House School are two of seven of Scotland’s Grant Aided Special Schools (GASS). These schools receive a substantial proportion of funding from the Additional Support Needs Division of the Scottish Government’s Schools Directorate. Corseford School and Stanmore House School are operated by Capability Scotland, a charity campaigning with, and providing education, employment and care services for, disabled children and adults.

Corseford School and Stanmore House School were established to provide services for children and young people age between 0-18 years. They support those affected by disorders of movement or coordination, including reductions in communication, caused by cerebral palsy or other conditions, the term ‘motor impairments’ being the collective term to describe the problems affecting such children. As a national and government funded organisation the schools are required to meet the needs of children and young people with motor impairments throughout Scotland.

The independent nature of the schools means that it operates outwith local authority educational and NHS structures. They are solely responsible for the delivery of all their educational, therapeutic and other responsibilities using progressive educational methods. However, the schools address the educational needs of children and young people in the same context as all other Scottish children eligible for nursery and school provision.

Capability Scotland’s vision and mission The organisation’s vision is to be a major ally in supporting disabled people to achieve full equality and to have choice and control of their lives by 2020. The organisation’s mission is to transform people's expectations of what is possible and ensure that disabled people achieve equality”.

Corseford School

Vision/Mission Statement To aim to provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment in which pupils needs are met in an holistic manner by access to integrated programmes of individualised education, therapy and health and personal support.

Aims & Objectives  promote in the community a sense of awareness and understanding of the needs of the children and the work of Capability Scotland  extend, in co-operation with other agencies, the outreach, training and research services presently offered to individual children, families, students and to professional visitors, both specialist and mainstream, who support children with a disability  support inclusion, by designing holistic programmes which meet pupils’ needs in the school and in the community.

5 The curriculum reflects current thinking and practice in:  the education of pupils who have Cerebral Palsy or other significant physical impairments  educational standards in mainstream schools  the provision, for some children of an alternative, highly differentiated structured curriculum.

The school moto is “Chasing the Challenge”.

Stanmore House School

Vision/Mission Statement We strive to build a learning community which enables every pupil to access the appropriate curriculum; to be included in educational opportunities through our holistic approaches to education, therapy, medical support and care.

Aims & Objectives  To enable pupils to achieve their potential through access to a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated 24 hour curriculum combining educational and therapeutic approaches.  To support pupils in becoming successful learners, effective contributors, responsible citizens and confident individuals.  To promote social inclusion through educational programmes, our partnership with other agencies and involvement in our local community.  To positively work in partnership with our pupils’ families, carers and all other relevant agencies to ensure pupil wellbeing.  To operate a holistic approach and encourage collaborative working practice across staff teams.  To offer appropriate opportunities for all staff to continue to develop their professional knowledge, skills and experience.  To respect and value individual rights and aspirations and promote a sense of fairness and equality.

The Curriculum of the school reflects these aims and current thinking and practice in:  the education of pupils who have cerebral palsy and other significant physical impairments  education standards in mainstream schools  the provision of an alternative highly structured and differentiated curriculum

The school motto is “Celebrating Success”.

6 Developing Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s Equality Plan

To support delivery of the school’s mission and vision a number of equality and diversity priorities have been identified from ongoing monitoring and evaluation of existing data and published literature and include both equality outcomes and mainstreaming priorities. The schools will report progress against delivery of these outcomes and mainstreaming priorities every two years in a single report.

The specific equality duty requires that the schools sets equality outcomes that it will report against no later than April 2015 and deliver no later than 2017. Outcomes are defined as the results that it aims to achieve to enable it to meet its general duty to:  eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010;  advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.  foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s guidance on setting equality outcomes notes that they should be proportionate and relevant to the functions of the organisation setting them and may include short term or long term benefits.

In setting its outcomes the schools considered evidence relating to the protected characteristics:  Age  Disability  Gender  Gender reassignment  Pregnancy and maternity  Race  Religion or belief  Sexual orientation  Marriage and civil partnerships (in the context of eliminating unlawful discrimination in employment).

Corseford School and Stanmore House School are also considering how they could more appropriately meet the needs of those who experience socio-economic disadvantage and/or live in areas of Scotland remote from school’s locations. The issues identified on the succeeding pages have informed the school’s equality outcomes.

7 Mainstreaming Equality

The requirements of the public sector equality duty are integral to the schools functions. Developing strategies to promote equality and address potential unlawful discrimination are at the heart of the school’s strategic and operational planning processes.

Policies Capability Scotland has developed and implemented a range of policies which apply to all of its services including Corseford School and Stanmore House School. These include: 1. Equality and Diversity Policy 2. Adoption Leave Procedure 3. Dignity at Work Policy 4. Managing Sickness Absence Procedure 5. Code of Ethics 6. Flexible Working Procedure 7. Job Share Procedure 8. Maternity Leave and Pay Policy 9. Grievance Procedure 10. Parental Leave Procedure 11. Paternity Leave and Pay Procedure 12. Protection of Children Procedure 13. Recruitment and Selection Policy 14. Have Your Say Procedure

Fundraising Pupils and staff regularly participate in fundraising activities for various local and national charities. Participation in these activities raises awareness of the needs of many disadvantaged groups in society and also results in practical support to a range of worthwhile causes.

In 2011-12 the schools donated to a number of charities including those with a strong focus on supporting people with a range of protected characteristics: Cancer Research, Children in Need, Yorkhill Hospital, Tickled Pink Breast Cancer, Water Aid, Plan International, SCIAF.

8 Opportunities for Children with Additional Support Needs and Their Families in Accessing Corseford School and Stanmore House School

Eligibility for additional support for children up to the age of 3

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (ASLA), amended in 2009, provides the legal framework that underpins the system for identifying and addressing the additional support needs of children and young people who face a barrier or barriers to learning.

The associated Code of Practice, 2010 (Supporting Children’s Learning, Code of Practice, Revised Edition) identifies the duties on education authorities and other agencies to support children and young people’s learning. Therefore education authorities must provide appropriate additional support for children up to the age of 3 years with a disability who have been referred to them by a NHS medical practitioner. They may also provide additional support for children up to the age of 3 years:  who have not been diagnosed with a disability but who may benefit from getting additional support early on;  whose parents have decided they attend a grant-aided school. (The Parents Guide to Additional Support for Learning, Enquire, 2010)

However, provision of additional support in these circumstances is neither a legal obligation, nor is there a clear definition of “appropriate additional support”. For children under 3 years there is not a statutory requirement for education authorities to provide any input. Analysis of Corseford School and Stanmore House School records indicates the pupils attend from 11 of 32 Local Authorities.

Policies and processes for providing education and therapeutic support to children and young people with additional support needs

There is a general acceptance that out of authority or national provision is required to meet needs that cannot be met by local authorities themselves or through cross authority arrangements. Current data confirms that the complex additional support needs of children and young people with cerebral palsy are of such low incidence within local authorities that it would not be cost effective to meet them without external assistance; some needs require specialist resources and expertise that it would not be practicable for a local authority to provide on its own; in some instances a local authority might be able to meet some of a child’s needs bit not all. The literature associated with cerebral palsy generally quotes an incidence of 2.4 cases per 1,000. Birth rate statistics for Scotland indicate that this has been below 60,000 per year for the last fifteen years with the exception of 2008. The application of the incidence of 2.4 cases per 1,000 births to a maximum of 60,000 births indicates an approximate annual new case incidence of 144 in Scotland as a whole.

9 Assuming an equal distribution of cerebral palsy across local authorities, this would equate to approximately 4.5 new cases per local authority area per year.

Assuming a consistent incidence since 1995, this would equate to an approximate current total of 2,500 children and young people in Scotland aged 0-18 years, with cerebral palsy.

The responsibilities of local authorities to provide information to the parents and carers of children and young people with additional support needs are clearly laid out in both legislation and guidance. However, the Doran Review noted that some staff working for local authorities and a sizeable minority of parents did not know and had difficulty finding out about the range of educational provision and services available within and out with their areas.

In evidence submitted to the Doran Review, 82% of respondents supported the view that Scotland requires national provision.

The concept of inclusion is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and clearly articulated in the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended), Curriculum for Excellence and Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Scottish legislation makes clear the expectation that children and young people should be supported to be included in mainstream classes alongside their peers unless such provision would not promote their education and welfare. However, opposing interpretations of both inclusion and the presumption of mainstreaming persist. The Doran Review noted that the defence of such opposing positions limits the considerations of some professionals of what is best for the child or young person’s development and well-being.

When a child/young person is placed at Corseford School and Stanmore House School the Local Authority is charged a fee for the placement which is subsidised significantly through the Scottish Government grant. This fee is generally the prime responsibility of the education department and NHS boards not normally contributing to fees even when health needs are significant.

While the costs of provision require to be considered, the code of practice makes clear that consideration of provision of services should be based on clear and realistic assessment of a child’s needs.

Local authorities have, over the last 10 years, invested in building high quality new schools designed specifically to meet the needs of children/young people with a range of complex additional support needs. However, there are many parents/carers and professionals who are not convinced that grouping children and young people with complex additional support needs is appropriate even when such schools make arrangements through grouping, use of facilities and approaches to learning and teaching to respond to the varying social and educational needs of pupils (Doran Review, 2012).

Parental confidence, articulacy and financial independence 10 Families with disabled children have similar aspirations for their children as other families and wish their children achieve their full potential. However, they often face a combination of financial, emotional and practical pressures that can result in isolation.

Evidence from England indicates that values and attitudes, including those towards disability and education, differ widely across different ethnic groups, with ethnic minority parents/carers of children/young people with complex additional support needs likely to be disproportionately affected by barriers to accessing entitlements and services, with language being a barrier to some.

Research shows that families with disabled children are more likely to be living in poverty than other families and that it costs up to three times as much to raise a disabled child.

In 2010 there were over 163,000 lone parents with 295,000 children living in Scotland. Children in lone parent families are at higher risk of living in poverty, with 41% of such families being described as poor. 19% of children living with a lone parent have a disability, ie approximately 56,000 Scottish children. People from minority ethnic non-white groups are twice as likely to be in relative poverty, before housing costs, than those who are white-British.

65% of families with disabled children report feeling isolated frequently or all of the time, with 56% of survey respondents identifying that this isolation is due to a lack of support from statutory services, 54% that it is due to low income levels, and 50% that it is due to stigma. Such isolation can have a devastating impact, with 72% of parents/carers reporting poor mental health including anxiety, depression and breakdown, 21% citing isolation as contributing to the break-up of their families and 57% noting that isolation constrains them from working as much as they would like to.

There are over 600,000 siblings of disabled children in the UK, few of whom receive any support to help them cope with their family lives. Many young siblings experience a lack of parental attention, isolation, ignorance about disability, difficulty coping with their experiences and the financial impact of disability on the family. However, a recent ‘Sibs’ survey found that only 0.4% of the population of siblings of disabled children had access to a sibling group.

Gender Balance in Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s Employment Profile

Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s staffing profiles are, in common with early years, primary and special education and paediatric therapy and care services nationally, characterised by women being in the majority in most jobs. 76% of teaching staff, 95% of physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy staff; 97% of classroom staff, 100% of nursing staff with housekeeping, administration and support staff being 60% female.

11 Statistics from 2009 indicate that 92% of primary teachers were female and 81% of special schools (primary and secondary teachers). Figures published in the Herald indicate that during 2010-2011, 13% of primary teachers trained were male and 93% of the total number of primary teachers were female. Glasgow Caledonian University reports that 74% of physiotherapy and 91% of occupational therapy 2012 graduates were female and Queen Margaret University reports 72% (PT) and 88% (OT). Anecdotal evidence suggests that this gender bias is maintained in NHS paediatric therapy services.

This gender profile of students on relevant vocational courses in universities limits what it is possible for employers to achieve in terms of creating a staffing gender balance. Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s employment profiles are consistent with the national profile.

12 Equality and Diversity Priorities 2013-2017

Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s review of data and evidence suggests that its priorities for 2013 – 2017 should be as follows:

1. Improve the transitional experience for disabled pupils by working with external agencies including social work departments and further and higher education institutions to tackle the existing barriers to successful transition.

2. Increase awareness and understanding of Assistive and Augmentative Communication in the wider community by working with pupils, families, members of the Capability Scotland allied health team and external agencies including NHS Education for Scotland, CALL (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning) Scotland and SCTCI (the Scottish Centre of Technology for Communication Impairment).

3. Foster good relations between the schools’ disabled pupils and the wider community by raising awareness of the school and its role in society through school events, the media and outreach work.

13 Equality Act Position Statement

Outcome 1

Improve the transitional experience for disabled pupils by working with external agencies including social work departments and further and higher education institutions to tackle the existing barriers to successful transition.

Corseford School and Stanmore House School are actively engaged in improving the transition experience for disabled pupils. This includes working with external agencies including social work departments, as well as further and higher educational institutions. Often, this means tackling the existing barriers to successful transition, whether on an individual basis for each student, or as part of a wider challenge.

Transition Group

The Post Sixteen Unit of Corseford School and Stanmore House School establish Transition Groups each year for those students in their final year of school based education. The focus of the group is to assist the students in having a year’s transition from school to the provision they will undertake in the future, whether education or adult services.

Within the Transition Groups the students undertake a series of educational and practical activities. Educational activities include undertaking SQA National Qualifications. Primarily these are at Access 1 and 2 Levels and generally fall under the Personal Development Units. The new Personal Achievement Award SQA has introduced is also incorporated into the planning for educational opportunities. It should be noted that in August, 2012, the PSU class in Corseford School were given the opportunity to select both the Personal Development and the Personal Achievement Units that they wanted to undertake over the course of the year, in order to ensure they were given ownership and choice of their learning. This opportunity will be offered to Stanmore House School pupils in August, 2013. Stanmore House School offers dual accreditation to pupils in their learning offering ASDAN Preparatory Award Programme in all areas of the curriculum.

The Transition Group in both schools also have a range of practical experiences, within the classroom and also as part of their Independent Living Programme (I.L.P). The I.L.P is run by the teachers and the Occupational Therapists and is planned in such a way that the students will access the local community in their own area, where possible, as well as visit a range of potential opportunities for their future. An example would include visiting each individual student’s local college to familiarise themselves with the venue, obtain prospectuses and decide whether this is an avenue they may wish to explore further. Other examples include visiting adult day resources, sports facilities, respite facilities and so on.

14 Transition Experience

As Corseford School and Stanmore House School are aware that every individual is entitled to having a year’s Transition experience, we arrange for the Transition experience to begin as soon as possible. This involves having a series of Transition Meetings over the course of the student’s final year at school and earlier where possible.

These meetings are arranged at least one every term, where students and their family can discuss their future with the school, social work department, educational psychologist and the diverse range of professionals who become part of their future eg. college tutors, adult services, community therapists, health professionals, respite providers and so on.

The meetings have a structure to them which mainly covers placement, care, transport, funding and views of the student. This can be seen in the template for the Transition Meetings, however, these are only as a guide and the meeting will take the direction best suited for each student.

As it becomes more apparent where students will have their provision identified and as new professionals are allocated to work with students, a transition for the young person is formed. This may include them visiting their future venue during I.L.P, but also having new professionals coming into school to work with them, whether within the class or in the case of new therapists, during therapy sessions.

Part of the hidden transition experience involves staff liaising regarding the students who will be leaving. This involves comprehensive sharing of knowledge, particularly in the case of therapists. Our therapist provide detailed reports towards the end of the year, allowing for future therapists to review treatments and collaboratively discuss further priorities and therapeutic input.

College Experience

In the past Corseford School had very strong links with a variety of colleges, which allowed students the opportunity to have an experience of college on a part time basis. Unfortunately, this has been difficult in recent years due to a variety of reasons.

Stanmore House School has strong links with Motherwell College and offers pupils in the senior phase a 2 year college placement on the Partnership Link Programme each Tuesday. Pupils then in their transition year are offered placed on the Access 8 course which runs on a Wednesday and Friday. This vital college experience opens the door to tertiary education for our pupils and gives them the confidence to make choices in their adult life to reach a positive destination post school.

15 From January 2013 PSU students in both schools have been applying to a range of colleges that the students hope to access when they leave school, on either a part- time or full-time basis. Colleges applied to include Ayr College, the Kilwinning Campus of James Watt College, Clydebank College, Cumbernauld College Motherwell College and Beaumont College.

This has resulted in, at this point, 2 students from Corseford School and 2 students from Stanmore house School being successful in being selected for a trial period, and then interview, at their local college. In January one student from Stanmore attended Beaumont College for a two day assessment and interview followed by their parents. In March 2013 one student from Corseford will be attending James Watt College for a three day trial, supported by Corseford's Classroom Assistants, and then an interview following where they will be supported by their class teacher. This will also be the case for the students who will be attending Ayr College and Motherwell College in May 2013 for a similar assessment period.

In March 2013 the students from PSU 1 at Corseford School began applying to Cardonald College to try and obtain college placements for the academic term 2013/14. This will hopefully result in them obtaining a half day placement to undertake the college experience and assist in informing them in making decisions about attending college after school. Four students from Stanmore House School PSU have applied to Motherwell College for a full day placement on the Partnership Link Course for academic year 2013/2014.

16 Equality Act Position Statement

Outcome 2

Increase awareness and understanding of Assistive and Augmentative Communication in the wider community by working with pupils, families, members of the Capability Scotland allied health team and external agencies including NHS Education for Scotland, CALL (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning) Scotland and SCTCI (the Scottish Centre of Technology for Communication Impairment).

Corseford School and Stanmore House School work to increase awareness and understanding of Assistive and Augmentative Communication through ongoing support and development of the Pupil Voice. We support all Pupils in every aspect of communication and learning, encouraging them to develop knowledge and understanding, skills and qualities in school and in the wider community. In School we take positive steps to ensure that pupils can fully participate in their education, and we work with external agencies in CALL Scotland and SCTCI. With the drive to develop the individual there is increasing reliance on Assistive and Augmentative Communication.

The term AAC is used to describe the different methods that can be used to assist communication. Developing and using a system of AAC can be a long and complex process for many users and their communication partners. A wide variety of systems are available to use, some low tech , such as symbols, e.g. Boardmaker studio, and High tech, e.g. Step by Step switches, V Max communication systems, Tobii Eye Gaze, PC Eye Gaze and Magic Carpet in Stanmore House School.

Important role of the Allied Health Team. Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists work closely with colleagues in education to provide a holistic learning experience to pupils. Speech and Language Therapists work with pupils to assess communication skills and needs They identify strategies and develop programmes of work to assist pupils in developing communication. They set targets for individual pupils using CODES framework . They liaise closely with teachers and classroom staff, and have regular contact with Parents. They work closely with staff in SCTCI who assess pupils for augmentative and alternative communication.

Working with Pupils Pupils use low tech and high tech systems to aid communication. These can include:  Symbols - a low tech method of communication which is based on the use of symbols to represent objects. They can be used in paper form, in a communication book and on a computer screen.  Boardmaker Studio - this is an excellent way of producing low tech chart based communication systems.  Big Mack and Step by Step- are sequential communication devices which can record a series of messages and can play them back in the correct sequence. It can be used for recording a message and playing it back.

17  Vantage- this is a high tech communication device controlled by touch screen and switch control.  Tobii - this can be controlled in the same way and with an optional eye gaze facility. PC Eye Gaze is additional eye gaze technology.

Class work Pupils make use of AAC in the classroom to access the curriculum and to develop knowledge and skills. AAC is used to deliver news from home, to assist in language and numeracy work, to access the internet, learn about and send e-mails, write text, play music, use a calculator and many more activities.

Student Council and Eco committee. Pupils use AAC to assist them in carrying out responsibilities of representing their peers in the Student Council and the Eco Committee.

PSU class meeting Students in PSU have their own monthly meeting in which they discuss issues and plan ahead. AAC users take a full part in these meetings.

Reviews Students can give their own views at review meetings and Transition meetings using AAC.

Working with Parents AAC is used on a daily basis to communicate with parents. Pupils can take news and messages from School to home and back. Parents are invited to Annual Reviews, Parents nights, Parent mornings. The use of AAC is one of several forms of communication between home and school.

CALL (Communication Access, Literacy and Learning. This is a small unit within Moray House school of Education in Edinburgh. it is a service and a research centre. High tech and Low tech communication aids can be tried and developed with support from CALL. Call works to help people with disabilities to get the most from new technology. CALL specialises in helping pupils in education to access the curriculum and to participate and be included alongside their classmates.

SCTCI (Scottish Centre of Technology for Communication Impairment) The Centre works closely with Speech and Language Therapy Department in Corseford School and Stanmore House School. Pupils are referred by SLT to the SCTCI for assessment. The centre also provides the use to pupils of pieces of equipment on loan for short periods to trial. Through careful assessment recommendations are made to local authorities about the most appropriate type of communication device for an individual child. The Speech and Language Department in Corseford School and Stanmore House School have strong links with the SCTCI built up over many years. They can call on the staff at SCTCI to give advice and support with individual pupils.

18 AAC in the wider Community. Scouts. Several of the pupils at Corseford School take part in Scouts which is held in the School. Scout leaders can visit the school to learn about communication devices and how they are used by the pupils.

Pupils on Work Experience Pupils from local mainstream schools apply to Corseford School and Stanmore House School to do work experience. They have the opportunity to learn about alternative methods of communication, and to observe AAC users at work.

Reviews An annual review is carried out for each pupil. Most pupils choose to attend part or all of the meetings. Pupils can say what they want others to hear through the communication systems.

Transitions Senior pupils are encouraged to attend as many of their Transition meetings as they can. During the Transition process, staff from other services are identified who will be working with the pupils when they leave school and move on to adult services. Workers are able to observe and learn how the young person communicates using AAC.

Equality Act Position Statement

19 Outcome 3

Foster good relations between the schools’ disabled pupils and the wider community by raising awareness of the school and its role in society through school events, the media and outreach work.

Corseford School and Stanmore House School actively promote pupils who attend the schools within its local communities, the wider Community of Capability Scotland and indeed the wider world. We do this both formally and informally and involve a wide range of stakeholders.

Local Community Since August 2012 both schools have undertaken several Fundraising Events e.g. a Can Collection at a local Amateur Dramatic Society’s Production by Corseford School, Sing a Song for Christmas by Stanmore House School and a Christmas Fayre was held in both schools. These events involved raising awareness of and the profile of Corseford School and Stanmore House School in their local communities.

The Christmas Fayres were also publicised in local shops, Community Centres, Doctor’s Surgeries, Libraries etc.

Corseford School and Stanmore House School have several volunteers some of whom are wheelchair users and some of whom are not. The tasks which the volunteers take on are reflective of each individual’s time and talents which they can contribute to the schools. It also provides Work Experience placements for pupils from local schools.

Pupils in the Primary Department of both schools joined with local mainstream schools to take part in their Paralympics. This is a result of many years of linking with the schools for a range of shared activities.

Senior Primary at Corseford School won Johnstone’s Fair Trade Competition in November. This involved exploring shops in Johnstone looking for Fair Trade products. The pupils had to use their voice output communication aids to ask staff what products they stocked and where they were in the shop. The pupils then recorded this information and submitted it to the Fair Trade Group. Members of this group along with local Councillors came to Corseford to present the class with their prize of £40.

The Post Sixteen Classes from both schools use the local community as a learning, teaching and therapy resource through their Independent Living Programme both in term of the students learning and also that of the wider world e.g. by students using their voice output communication aids to ask for ingredients in a supermarket.

The schools always promote the abilities of the pupils which are regularly showcased in School Shows, Performances, Assemblies etc. some of which are for invited guests (mums, dads, grannies, grandpas and visitors – both from Head Office at

20 Capability Scotland and external to Capability Scotland) and some of which are for the pupils’ peers.

Community of Capability Scotland Within the Community of Capability Scotland Corseford School and Stanmore House School have had bands of Corporate Volunteers working in the school Grounds and at Stanmore in the school building. At Corseford School they helped dig over, weed and plant up flower beds and rub down paintwork in preparation for painting. At Stanmore House School they painted a street scene leading to the Lifeskills Base, painted various rooms in the school and garden furniture in the gardens. These Volunteers were Corporate Skill Givers and this was organised though Capability Scotland’s Head Office.

Both Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s Leadership Team and Strategic Management Team work together to develop a true Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) model of service delivery for and promotion of pupils with additional support needs.

Pupils in the Primary Class at Stanmore House School have invited pupils in Junior Primary at Corseford to join them for some Festive Fun during December 2012.

Wider Community Pupils at Corseford School in the secondary department recently supported the McMillan Coffee Morning and raised £320 for this cause. Stanmore House School’s recently held a fundraiser for the Scheihallion Ward at Yorkhill Hospital and raised and raised £800. By supporting National Charities etc it shows how disabled children can contribute to charities and not just always be on the receiving side of charity.

The Post Sixteen Classes at Corseford School also link with Skills Development Scotland, especially when pupils are at the stage of Transition from Corseford to their post school career.

The Depute Head Teacher at Corsefpord School has met with a volunteer from SPRED to explore ways of working with SPRED to pupils at Corseford to become integrated into parish assemblies of worship through the process of education in faith.

The Principal Teacher at Corseford School has been invited to visit a Church during December 2012 and the Physiotherapists at Stanmore House School attended a local primary school to give a short talk about Corseford School and Stanmore House School respectively, the pupils who attend, their education and their therapy.

During October Corseford School and Stanmore House School played host to a teacher from Ghana. He came to Scotland to learn from us about disability and how we overcome barriers to learning that our pupils face . After publication of The Doran Report one child and their family from Corseford School were interviewed for an article which appeared in the Times Educational Supplement Scotland. 21 Corseford School and Stanmore House School have strong links with Dundee University and Corseford School with Aberdeen University Research Departments. These links have been developed over several years and Corseford School currently is involved in a project called “The Phonic Stick” which encourages phonological awareness in non-verbal children. These Research Projects have been publicised in the media and are also available on the Internet.

Corseford School and Stanmore House School are two of a few special schools who are members the Scottish Council for Independent Schools (SCIS). They are also members of EtCS (Education through Care Scotland). By membership of these bodies the school promotes its role and encourages networking of staff. Corseford School and Stanmore House School’s Speech and Language Therapy department have strong links with Scottish Centre of Technology for the Communication Impairment (SCTCI) and other Alternative and Augmentative Communication groups across Scotland e.g. CALL Scotland, Communication Matters and within each pupil’s local authority .

Ensuring high quality equality impact assessments are conducted as a mandatory part of service review and development

Corseford School and Stanmore House School require that any new or substantially revised school policy or procedure undergoes an equality impact assessment (EQIA) in accordance with the advice of the EHRC to ensure that the Centre continues to comply with its statutory equality duty.

Working with the Scottish Government to deliver national services and provision required to ensure the complex additional support needs of children and young people across Scotland can be met

 Following the publication of the Doran Report the Scottish Government have set an agenda to establish a strategic commissioning framework to meet the needs of children with complex additional support needs by 2017.  Corseford School and Stanmore House School are committed to playing an active role in this process to maximise the potential for all children and families to access specialised services across Scotland, with particular focus on access to information and ease of negotiating processes associated with requests for access to specialist services.

Working to increase staff awareness of the importance of equality and diversity and their willingness to share information

Achieving 99% response rate to the internal monitoring of equalities information requested is a positive factor and reflects staff recognition of the importance of such information.

22 Employees will continue to be briefed on equality activities and encouraged to contribute to the outcomes identified within this report. Further activities will take place during 2014 to ensure increased awareness of The Act, protected characteristics and the organisation’s and individual responsibilities in ensuring the Act’s ethos is delivered.

23 Appendix 1: Additional information

Continuous Professional Development

Corseford School and Stanmore House School provide ongoing Continuous Professional Development Training for their staff.

Training offered at Stanmore in 2012/2013

Training Course Available Places Uptake Eating and Drinking 27 27 Refresher Meal Fortification 28 28 Profiling 25 25 Mealtime Assistance 7 7 Induction Safer Assistance 7 6 Induction Child Protection 9 9 Communicator Training 11 11 CODES Training 28 28 Communicator 9 9 Introduction Inanimate Load 13 12 PAT Testing 1 1 Eye Calibration & 10 10 Software Administration of Rectal 6 6 Diazepam and Epilepsy Awareness Fire Safety 31 31 Blooms Taxonomy 26 26 GLOW 24 24 Dental Hygiene 27 27 Safer Assistance 31 31 Boardmaker 8 8 Health and Safety for 3 3 Managers Personal Development 7 7 for Managers SAFE Training 7 7 MIDAS 3 3 Health and Safety plus 1 1 Risk Assessment Disability Equality 32 TBC Training Due August, 2013

24 Training offered at Corseford in 2012/2013

Training Course Available Places Uptake Meal Time Assistance 2 2 Meal Time Assistance 66 66 Refresher Safer Assistance 1 1 Safer Assistance 33 33 Refresher Child Protection 7 7 Communicator 15 15 People Handling & RA 1 1 Key Trainers Inanimate Load 8 8 PAT 1 1 Fire Safety 69 69 Blooms Taxonomy 13 13 H & S for Managers 3 3 MIDAS 4 4 H & S plus Risk 4 4 Assessment Disability Equality 60 60 Gastrostomy 8 8 Medication 9 9 Administration Elementary Food 22 22 Hygiene Infection Control 7 7 Pool Induction 2 2 Infection Control 1 1 Appointed Persons Welfare Reform 2 2 Pool Refresher 45 45 Access 2010 4 4 Soundbeam 6 6 Communication/Eye 20 20 Gaze Administration of 3 3 Midazolam Epilepsy Awareness 4 4 Emotion Talks 2 2 SQA events 4 4 Pre-Requisites to 27 27 Learning TEACCH 17 17 ABA 20 20

25 PECS 20 20 First Aid At Work 1 1 Rebound Therapy 2 2 Epilepsy Awareness & 5 5 Midazolam Cerebral Palsy 15 15 Awareness Curriculum for 14 14 Excellence Boardmaker Studio 36 36

Gender and Racial Profile of Staff

The gender profile of Stanmore House School staff over the last 4 years based on full time equivalent is as follows:

Academic Year Women Men Transgender 2009-2010 95% 5% 0 2010-2011 94% 6% 0 2011-2012 91% 9% 0 2012-2013 87% 13% 0

The gender profile of Corseford School staff over the last 4 years based on full time equivalent is as follows:

Academic Year Women Men Transgender 2009-2010 93% 7% 0 2010-2011 92% 8% 0 2011-2012 91% 9% 0 2012-2013 90% 10% 0

In the two schools the gender profile has remained fairly static over the last 4 years. Women are generally traditionally more represented than men with women dominating senior management.

26 Category of posts based on staff numbers at Stanmore House School:

Category of Post Women Men Total Executive Head 1 0 1 Head of School 1 0 1 Principal Teacher 1 0 1 Teachers 2 1 3 Admin Staff 3 0 3 Therapists 12 0 12 Domestic/Kitchen 6 0 6 Site 0 4 4 Nurses 2 0 2 Classroom Staff 16 1 17 Music/Art 1 1 2 Total 45 7 52 % of Total 87% 13% 100%

Category of posts at Corseford School:

Category of Post Women Men Total Executive Head 1 0 1 Head of School 1 0 1 Depute Head 1 0 1 Principal Teacher 0 1 1 Teachers 8 0 8 Admin Staff 6 0 6 Therapists 9 1 10 Domestic/Kitchen 6 1 7 Site 0 4 4 Nurses 2 0 2 Classroom Staff 31 0 31 Transport 2 0 2 Assistants Total 67 7 74 % of Total 90% 10% 100%

Age Profile based on staff numbers of Staff at Stanmore House School

Age 29 or Less 30-49 50-59 60 and over Profile Male Femal Male Female Male Female Male Female of Staff e Age 2009/10 0 4% 4% 37% 4% 43% 2% 6% 27 2010/11 0 4% 2% 37% 6% 41% 2% 8% 2011/12 2% 6% 2% 31% 6% 39% 2% 12% 2012/13 2% 4% 4% 27% 5% 40% 2% 16% Age Profile based on staff numbers of Staff at Corseford School

Age 29 or Less 30-49 50-59 60 and over Profile Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female of Staff Age 2009-10 1% 4% 3% 44% 36% 4% 8% 2010-11 1% 5% 3% 47% 34% 4% 6% 2011-12 3% 6% 3% 44% 35% 3% 6% 2012-13 1% 6% 4% 49% 3% 33% 1% 3%

The racial/ethnic profile of staff at Stanmore House School over the last 4 years is as follows:

Academic White Other Racial/Ethnic Not Indicated Year Group 2009-10 98% 0% 2% 2010-11 98% 0% 2% 2011-12 98% 0% 2% 2012-13 98% 0% 2%

The racial/ethnic profile of staff at Corseford School over the last 4 years is as follows:

Academic White Other Racial/Ethnic Not Indicated Year Group 2009-10 100% 0% 2010-11 98.7% 1.3% 2011-12 98.6% 1.4% 2012-13 98.6% 1.4%

Corseford School and Stanmore House School do not have any current information on have information on Religious and Philosophical Belief Profile of Staff or Sexual Orientation Profile of Staff but will collect this in time for the next report.

Disability Profile of Staff

Information on the number of Stanmore House School staff with a disability over the last 4 years is as follows:

Academic Year % Disabled % Non % Not Disabled Indicated

28 2009-10 0% 100% 0% 2010-11 0% 100% 0% 2011-12 0% 100% 0% 2012-13 0% 100% 0% Information on the number of Corseford School staff with a disability over the last 4 years is as follows:

Academic Year % Disabled % Non % Not Disabled Indicated 2009-10 1.25% 98.75% 0% 2010-11 1.3% 98.7% 0% 2011-12 1.4% 98.6% 0% 2012-13 1.4% 98.6% 0%

Recruitment of staff to Stanmore House School in 2012/2013

Post Male/Female Age Teacher Female 50 - 60 Relief Classroom Care Female 29 for less Assistant Relief Classroom Care Female 29 for less Relief Classroom Care Female 29 for less Site Supervisor Male 30 - 49 Speech and Language Female 29 or less Therapist Teacher Male 29 or less

Recruitment of staff to Corseford School in 2012/2013

Post Male/Female Age Nurse Female 36 Assistant Associate Male 29 Physiotherapy Practitioner Assistant Associate Female 34 Physiotherapy Practitioner Clerical Assistant Female 19 Handy Person/Driver Male 50 Nurse Female 32 Kitchen Assistant Female 30

Leavers at Stanmore House School in 2012/13 29 Post Male/Female Age Relief Classroom Care Female 30 - 49 Relief Classroom Care Female 29 or less Relief Classroom Care Female 29 or less Relief Classroom Care Female 30 - 49 Relief Classroom Care Female 30 - 49 Relief Classroom Care Female 29 or less Site Supervisor Female Over 60 Teacher Female 30 - 49 ICT Technician Male 29 or less Teacher Female 29 or less

Leavers at Corseford School in 2012/13

Post Male/Female Age Classroom Assistant Female 52 Physiotherapist Female 26 Nurse Female 32 Occupational Therapist Female 39 Clerical Assistant Female 25 Handy Person/Driver Male 57 Kitchen Assistant Female 58