Schools Forum Agenda Item 11 Date: 3 December 2014
REPORT TITLE: File Analysis of Essex pupils placed in independent SEN provision in the academic year 2013/14
Report by Elizabeth Cornish and Elaine White Contact details: Elizabeth Cornish: Tel. (03330) 136048; e-mail: [email protected] Elaine White: Tel. (03330) 131192; e-mail: [email protected]
1. Purpose of report
To provide Schools Forum with an analysis of pupils placed in independent provision.
2. Recommendations
2.1 To note that the report links to Agenda Items 3 and 4.
2.2 To note the report.
3. Relevance to Strategic Plans
3.1 High Needs Provision supports the Authority to achieve the corporate objectives that children get the best start in life and that people achieve their ambitions through education, training and lifelong learning.
4. Background
4.1 The local authority has commissioned a number of projects with the aim of reviewing existing special educational provision and creating a provision development plan. One of the key tasks is to understand the range of provision required with the ambitious aim of having all children and young people in Essex able to have their needs met by an Essex school. This is ambitious as the LA currently has a £21 million spend on placements in independent special schools for 322 children and young people.
4.2 Many work streams are underway including:
data analysis of pupils placed out-county (age, gender, category of need, cost of placement);
a survey of the views of the parents of the children and young people currently placed out-county to find out why they think their child is in an independent school; and what would need to have been in place for their child’s needs to have been met in county;
work with the head teachers of the existing special schools to seek their views on what would need to be in place for them to meet the needs of the children and young people who are placed out county;
dialogue with head teachers of mainstream schools to seek their views on what would need to be in place for them to meet the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs more effectively;
establishing potential development opportunities on the sites of existing schools and identifying sites where new provision could be developed;
analysis of the Statutory Assessment Service files for all pupils placed in independent provision in the 2013-14 academic year.
4.3 This paper is a report on the Statutory Assessment Service file analysis. It identifies the reasons for placements in independent special provision under a number of themes and makes recommendations for actions to reduce the need for such placements going forward.
Description of activity
4.4 159 files (placements made in the last academic year) were examined and the main factors contributing to out of county placement examined. A thematic approach was taken to analysis to draw out the issues. Themes were therefore identified from the files rather than pre-determined. A complexity of reasons are presented and recorded against each case; this analysis is designed to be considered alongside a range of other key data around placement analysis and projections. In the majority of cases the primary category of need is either BESD or ASD however in every case of placement breakdown and needs not being met BESD presented the key challenge. The analysis of cases took a deeper look at the alignment of need to provision and where other complex needs resulted in an out of county placement.
Discounted files:
Reason file Mid North- South West discounted East File unavailable 7 6 1 0 File included in error 1 0 0 (pupil in mainstream) Pre-School Funding to 2 2 0 4 private nursery M/S pupil in GROW 1 0 0 Duplicate entry 4 2 0 5 No statement. LA 0 0 0 1 funding medical needs in private school (parents paying fees) Total 15 10 1 10 Year group:
Year Mid North- South West Total % Group East 1 2 0 0 0 2 1.26 2 0 0 2 0 2 1.26 3 0 0 0 2 2 1.26 4 0 2 0 1 3 1.89 5 2 1 0 3 6 3.77 6 1 1 1 1 4 2.52 7 7 5 4 1 17 10.69 8 4 3 3 6 16 10.06 9 4 7 2 3 16 10.06 10 8 9 6 10 33 20.75 11 15 12 5 5 37 23.27 12 5 2 2 3 12 7.55 13 0 0 2 2 4 2.52 14 2 0 0 1 3 1.89 15 0 0 0 1 1 0.63 16 0 0 1 0 1 0.63 Total 50 42 28 39 159 100
4.5 More than four out of 10 placements were for pupils in year 10 and 11. Almost three – quarters are pupils in years 7 to 11.
Primary/secondary split:
Mid North-East South West Total Percentage 10% 9.5% 10.7% 17.9% 12% primary aged Percentage 90% 90.5% 89.3% 82.1% 88% secondary aged
4.6 The only area that departs from a 10/90 primary / secondary pattern is Harlow, where primaries have, in recent years, had more difficultly than all the others with keeping pupils with high-level needs on roll.
Gender: Gender Mid North-East South West Total Male 43 35 22 32 132 Female 7 7 6 7 27 Total 50 42 28 39 159 4.7 17 per cent of placements were for girls and 83 per cent were boys. Schools in the south experienced a much lower number of boys being placed in the independent sector, despite having a relatively large number of pupils in the area.
Category of Need:
CoN Mid North-East South West Total BESD 29 31 16 20 96 ASD 17 8 4 8 37 MLD 1 2 3 2 8 PD 0 0 1 2 3 SpLD 1 1 0 1 3 VI 1 1 0 0 2 HI 0 0 1 2 3 SLD 1 1 1 1 4 SLCN 0 0 0 3 3 Total 50 44 26 39 159
4.8 As stated above, the main areas of need are SEMH (listed as BESD in the files) and pupils on the autistic spectrum. Together, they make up about 85 per cent of placements in the independent sector. But in addition, the number of pupils with moderate learning difficulties appears to be quite high, given that, for many pupils, mainstream education should be possible.
4.9 The main reasons for placements in the independent specialist sector, as represented in files, are set out in annex one to this report. The reasons are split into eight categories, within which are identified several themes. It is important to note that in many cases presented a complex picture of multiple contributing factors; the following commentary is related in what appears to be overarching reasons for placement. In summary:
Four per cent of files reviewed recorded that that placement was made due to no place being available in a special school. There may of course be many more cases where SAS knew the special school was full so did not approach them
12 placements (five per cent) were SEN tribunal related
4.10 Conversely:
some 20 per cent of placements were due to various and complex issues with special schools (mainly not being able to meet needs or manage behaviour);.
In almost 10 per cent of the files that were looked at the lack of appropriate or timely mental health support was a factor; our mainstream schools were not able to manage behaviour in 29 (11 per cent) of cases; and
social care needs were a factor in nearly 15 per cent of cases (36 pupils).
4.11 The audit shows that while additional provision is clearly an issue (and moreover we know that the number and percentage of pupils with high-level, low incidence needs will increase, extra places alone will not necessarily result in a commensurate reduction in independent school places): the range of the issues set out above all need to be addressed.
4.12 In annex two, the headline findings are summarised, with priority objectives and suggested actions; to be completed with partner services and schools. These are commended to forum members, who are asked to comment on the main findings, objectives and our proposed actions.
5.0 Financial Implications
5.1 There are no financial implications.
6.0 Other Resource Implications
6.1 None
7.0 Consultation with Stakeholders
7.1 None
8.0 Background / Supporting Papers
8.1 Agenda Item 3 – ‘Spend to Save’ Proposals for More In-County Provision for SEN Pupils.
8.2 Agenda Item 4 – Enhanced Provision for Pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs in Mainstream Primary Schools
8.3 Annex A – Primary Reason for Placement
8.4 Annex B – Headline Findings, Priority Objectives and Suggested Actions