Support and Aspiration: A new approach to SEN and Disability An outline of key policy reforms

1. Support and Aspiration: A new approach to SEN and Disability An outline of key policy reforms NNATPIP Conference, Kegworth Thursday 21 June 2012 Phil Snell, SEN and Disability Division, DfE

2. The Green Paper consultation • Around 2,400 responses were received to the Green Paper consultation from a wide range of individuals and organisations. • There was: • Strong support for the Green Paper’s analysis of problems and issues; • Strong support for proposals – with people keen to know more detail; • Recognition of tight financial climate and reform elsewhere.

3. The vision for change • Our vision is of a system in which: • Children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly; • Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are; • Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it; • For more complex needs, an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan from birth to 25; and • Greater control for parents over the services they and their family use.

4. Progress and Next Steps • Progress and Next Steps document (May 2012) • response to consultation • update on progress made in taking forward reforms • next steps – including legislation • Children and Families Bill – to introduce key reforms by 2014: • Single assessment process • Education, Health and Care Plans • Personal budgets

5. Areas covered • Training and Development • Single School Category • Single assessment/ Education, Health and Care Plan • Widening the range of special educational provision • Local Offer • Parents – Greater control over services • School Funding Reform • Preparing for adulthood • SEN Pathfinders

6. Training and Development

7. Green Paper Reform • Support for schools to improve provision for children with SEN and disabled children, including roll out of the Achievement for All programme; and improved training for teachers and other school staff (e.g. more ITT placements in special schools; impairment specific training materials; and scholarship schemes for teachers and teaching assistants).

8. Teaching schools: 25 special schools and 23 mainstream schools Materials • The Teaching Agency (TA) has produced training materials on severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties that can be used flexibly in ITT and for CPD, building on the Salt Review: http://www.education.gov.uk/complexneeds/ • The TA has developed advanced level materials on autism, dyslexia, SLCN, and BESD, building on the IDP materials: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/sen/a00209601/send-materials-advanced • Achievement for All - supports schools to improve aspirations, access and achievement. http://www.afa3as.org.uk/

9. Single School Category

10. Green Paper Reform • In 2012 we will work with experts in the education sector, including Teacher Associations, SENCOs, head teachers and EPs on replacing the current categories of School Action and School Action Plus (and their equivalents in the early years) with a single category. • In doing so we will ensure a focus on outcomes rather than processes in SEN identification, and on ensuring that pupils’ needs are not missed. • We will then revise the SEN Code of Practice to give clear guidance on identifying children who have SEN and on the operation of a new single category of SEN.

11. Single assessment/ Education, Health and Care Plan

12. Green Paper Reform • Statements and Learning Difficulty Assessments to be replaced by a quicker, better integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan setting out all the services they will receive for their support; • Statutory protections comparable to those currently associated with a statement of SEN to be provided for 16-25 year olds in further education so that young people will get the support they need wherever they are taught

13. By 2014, CYP aged from birth to 25 who would currently have a statement of SEN or learning difficulty assessment will have a single assessment process and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for their support which will afford parents the same statutory protection as statement of SEN. • All the services needed by the child to agree an Education, Health and Care Plan which reflects the family’s needs and ambitions for the CYP’s future outcomes covering education, health, employment and independence. • The plan will be clear about who is responsible for which services, and will include a commitment from all parties across education, health and social care to provide their services. • Local pathfinders will test how to reform radically the statutory SEN assessment and statement and explore the best replacement.

14. Widening the range of special educational provision

15. Green Paper Reform • Special schools able to benefit from Academy status - 28 maintained special schools have converted to special Academy status to date; • New provision through special free schools: - Parents, voluntary sector and other organisations can come forward with proposals for special Free Schools. - 3 special Free Schools are now at pre-opening stage, with a likely opening date of September 2012. - Currently considering applications for 2013.

16. Local Offer

17. Green Paper Reform • Local authorities, working with schools and other local services, to publish a a clear, easy to understand local offer of support so that parents will know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide through

18. Local offer framework • Cover provision for CYP from birth to 25 and include education, health and social care services; • Provide accessible information on services and provision that CYP who have SEN or are disabled and their families and carers can readily access or expect (for example, special educational provision that is normally available in mainstream schools and colleges from the resources available to them, and short breaks for families of disabled children); • Set out how families and carers and CYP can seek access to more specialist support than is normally available and how decisions are made about provision of that support, e.g. assessments for EHCPs; and • Set out what to do if things go wrong, including how to complain or appeal against decisions.

19. Parents – Greater control over services

20. Green Paper Reform • Parents to have greater control over the services they and their family use. Those whose children have an Education, Health and Care Plan will be able to express a preference for any state funded school and have the right to a personal budget for their support if they feel that would suit their family’s needs.

21. Improving parents’ choice of school • Parents to express their preference for any state-funded school and have it considered by the LA on the same basis. Personal budgets • can improve choice, control and levels of satisfaction for families using support services included in the pilot; • resulted in young people and their parent/carers feeling positive and empowered about their involvement in the planning of their support • enabled users to commission support in a different way leading to a sense of greater choice and control over the services they used; • are accessible, with the right support, to families from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds

22. School Funding Reform

23. Green Paper Reform • Reforms to school funding to make funding for low cost SEN more transparent and reform funding for high needs pupils.

24. High Needs Block • Delegated budgets of special schools • Centrally funded provision for individual pupils • SEN support services • Support for inclusion • Independent special school fees • Inter-authority recoupment • Pupil referral units • Education out of school • Delegated allocations relating to individual pupils – Individually Assigned Resources • Delegated allocations relating to special units and specially resourced provision in mainstream schools • Post-16 SEN expenditure

25. Preparing for adulthood

26. Our programme of action By 2015 disabled YP and YP with SEN will have: Early and well-integrated support for, and advice on, their future as part of the birth to 25 single assessment process and EHCP and support into employment; Access to better quality vocational and work-related learning options to enable YP to progress in their learning post-16 – including Supported Internships; Good opportunities and support in order to get and keep a job; and A well-coordinated transition from children’s to adult health services.

27. Local Pathfinders

28. SEN Pathfinders

29. Timescale for Change

30. Timescales We intend to introduce legislation through a Children and Families Bill in this session of Parliament to implement the changes to the law required for our Green Paper reforms. Publish draft Bill Introduce Bill in Parliament Royal Assent and implementation Consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny period Summer 2012 Spring 2013 Spring 2014 onwards

31. ………… Questions ………… Comments ………… Points of clarity ………… Discussion