Guidance for Schools and Pupil Referral Units (Prus) on the Use of Part-Time Or Reduced

DRAFT 9B Confidential

Kent County Council

Education, Learning and Skills

Guidance for schools on the use of reduced timetables

Purpose

This guidance on the appropriate use of reduced (part-time) timetables applies to all maintained Kent schools, Academy schools, Pupil Referral Units and alternative provision settings, hereafter referred to as ‘schools’. It stands within the current legal and safeguarding framework for pupils deemed medically fit to attend school.

Summary

Further to the report, Pupils missing out on education, published by Ofsted in November 2013, Kent County Council (KCC) now issues this updated guidance on the use of reduced timetables within schools.

There is no statutory basis upon which to establish a reduced timetable, however, in exceptional circumstances only, schools may need to implement a reduced timetable in order to support a pupil who cannot attend school full- time for a short, agreed period of time.

To ensure that the application of a reduced timetable is time-limited and that re-integration to full-time education occurs swiftly and is appropriate to the pupil’s personal needs, abilities and circumstances, KCC is sharing this guidance with all schools in respect of all pupils of statutory school age.

Schools and education settings have a statutory responsibility to ensure that all pupils on their roll receive a full educational entitlement and achieve good outcomes.

In very exceptional circumstances, where the needs of a pupil require it, (for reasons outlined below), it may be reasonable for schools to consider placing a pupil on a reduced timetable for a short period. As the pupil’s ability to cope improves, unmet needs are addressed and the offer is adapted, the pupil would be re-integrated quickly into full-time education.

For the purposes of this guidance, a reduced timetable means by agreement with the pupil, parent or carer and school and where necessary the local authority, that the number of hours spent in education is reduced for a time- limited period of no more than eight weeks.

JB 19th November 2013 DRAFT 9B Confidential

Schools should take account and act upon the following guidance in order to continue to improve standards of educational attainment, safeguard the well being of all children and young people and reduce the likelihood to the school of charges being made in respect of a failure to educate.

What constitutes a full-time education?

All pupils should receive full-time education consistent with their Key Stage.

The DfE describes the school offer for the taught curriculum on a weekly basis as:

 Reception and Years 1 to 2 (children aged 5 to 7): 21 hours

 Years 3 to 6 (children aged 7 to 11): 23.5 hours

 Years 7 to 10 (children aged 11 to 15): 24 hours

 Year 11 (children aged 15 to 16): 25 hours

When should a reduced timetable operate?

A reduced timetable should only occur in exceptional circumstances, where every other avenue to ensure a pupil receives their full-time education has been exhausted.

The only circumstances under which a reduced timetable should be considered are

1. as part of a planned reintegration into school following an extended period of exclusion, school refusal or to facilitate a managed transfer between schools 2. where there has been a change of placement other than phase transition, in cases where pupils are new to the county or following an extended medical absence 3. as a fixed term, monitored intervention to address and manage the impact of significantly challenging behaviour.

Recommended good practice

Where a school considers criteria have been met and a reduced timetable for a pupil should be implemented, the school must:

 Complete a risk assessment which addresses any actual or potential safeguarding, welfare, offending or harmful behaviour concerns that may result from a change in the pattern of school attendance and take account of the findings

 Seek the approval and written permission of the parents or carers of the pupil (and the local authority in respect of a Looked After Child or where a pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan)

 Ensure that the pupil’s absence is correctly entered onto the school’s register

 Create a Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) in collaboration with the pupil and parent

 Demonstrate that all necessary action has been taken to address the pupil’s needs – refer to the Mainstream Core Standards and evidence that funding from the SEN notional budget (£6000) has been appropriately deployed

 Hold an emergency Annual Review if the pupil has a Statement of Special Educational Needs or Education, Health and Care Plan.

Schools should

 Consider whether an assessment using the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is appropriate

 Access LIFT to engage other services (e.g. Specialist Teaching and Learning Service or Educational Psychology) and resources which can help facilitate an effective reintegration and on-going support

 Consider the impact of the reduced timetable on transport and any other pupil entitlement such as Free School Meals during the period when they would otherwise have been expected to be in school, and secure a written agreement from the parents and carers about who is responsible for the welfare of the pupil for the session in question

 Take action to ensure that the impact of a reduced timetable on travelling and transport arrangements does not discriminate against the pupil or impede their access to education.

Reintegration Plans

The school must:

 Ensure that all reduced timetables are established within the framework and best practice of a Pastoral Support or Personal Education Plan or other suitable action plan

 Take account of, or commission, other services (e.g. Specialiat Teaching and Learning Service, Educational Psychology) and

resources which can help to facilitate an effective intervention, reintegration and on-going support

 Ensure that the arrangements for education are inclusive and that the pupil is able to participate in the universal offer during the reintegration

 Agree with the pupil and parents or carers a route back to a full educational entitlement by clearly defining objectives, milestones and support for the duration of the plan.

 Set a specific target for resuming full educational entitlement within a period of no longer than eight weeks.

Monitoring and reviewing a reduced timetable

The school is required to:

 Record the pupil’s attendance, using the appropriate registration code, in order that both the school and KCC can monitor when the pupil began and ended their reduced timetable.

 Establish robust arrangements for monitoring and regular review of the plan by a named member of senior staff.

 Keep a central record of the attendance of all pupils on reduced timetables by establishing a defined user group within the school attendance system (e.g. SIMs) and monitor the overall use of reduced timetables to ensure their application does not discriminate against particular groups of pupils.

 Ensure effective communication with parents or carers and key professionals with regard to progress towards the pupil’s full reintegration to school.

Kent County Council will:

 Ensure that pupils on reduced timetables are appropriately recorded and monitored via the pupil attendance register and maintain a central record of all pupils not accessing a full time education in the usual way.

 Ask the school to formally refer to the LIFT, any pupil who has remained on a reduced timetable for 8 weeks, in order to review the pupil’s plan.

 Refer where appropriate, any secondary aged pupil who has failed to make sufficient progress on a reduced timetable, to the local Fair Access Forum, for the purpose of identifying alternative options for the reintegration of the pupil to full time education.

Appendix

Recording attendance

It is important that schools act to ensure that the DfE regulations in respect of attendance are correctly observed for pupils on a reduced timetable.

The registration codes applied will depend on the precise arrangements for providing education.

Registration codes

C code

To be used when a pupil has a reduced or part-time timetable that includes sessions which have been mutually agreed not to involve attendance at any other institution or supervised activity.

The sessions agreed not to involve attendance should be recorded as authorised absence.

The school should be satisfied that appropriate arrangements are in place for the care and welfare of the pupil during the time when they would otherwise be at school. This is particularly important for pupils in the Primary phase.

B code

To be used if the pupil is receiving off-site provision, approved by the school, including any work experience forming part of the aforementioned alternative provision.

A pupil marked ‘B’ should be present at another institution or appropriately supervised activity agreed by the school.

The school should establish robust arrangements with other providers to promote the effective and timely sharing of individual pupil attendance information, to ensure they fulfil their legal and safeguarding responsibilities and apply the correct registration codes.

W Code

To be used if a pupil, in the final two years of compulsory education, is attending an approved work experience placement and is otherwise attending sessions at school.

Attendance monitoring arrangements should reflect those applied for off-site provisions as above.

JB 19th November 2013