Summer 2010

1. SEN Governors MeetingsJackie Hibbert, School Development Adviser, SEN and InclusionDavid Herd, School Development Adviser, SEN and InclusionCharlie Palmer, Head of Specialist Education Services Summer 2010

2. Contents • Monitoring Special Educational Needs • SEN Strategy and Funding • Jargon buster • Progression Guidance • Breaking the Link Publication • Inclusion Development Programme • Disability Equality Schemes • Achievement for All • P-scales • New SENCOs • Discussion Time

3. SEN Governors Mtg May 10: Summary • Monitoring Special Educational Needs Good to Great for SEN Sessions May each year for head, SENCo and SEN Governor on self evaluation and future planning. • SEN Strategy and Funding Presssure on Enhanced Packages and Out County placment budgets needs strategy work with heads. • Jargon buster Does the jargon around Special Needs annoy you- add to the list! • Progression Guidance Online data sets are being updated with 2008 and 2009 data: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/190123 • Breaking the Link Publication A new DCSF publication “Breaking the Link between Special Educational Needs and Low Attainment – Everyone’s Business”: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00213-2010 • Inclusion Development Programme Module 3 (BESD) now released and is available online at: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/256938 (online e-learning) • Disability Equality Schemes On-line self-evaluation checklist to ensure you comply with requirements http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/243949 • Achievement for All Pilot in 10 authorities in the country (one in each region), aimed at improving progress of pupils with SEN and increasing parental confidence. Nottinghamshire is the East Midlands lead. • P-scales Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) have been developing additional materials to support the assessment of P Scales • New SENCOs If you have a new Special Educational Needs Co-ordiantor (SENCo), please make sure that you inform the SEN advisory team (via Hazel Kursa, 0116 3056383). This will ensure they are contacted re induction and training and receive support from a Lead SENCo or a team member.

4. SEN Governors Mtg Oct 09: Summary • New Ofsted judgement on “The quality of learning for pupils with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities and their Progress.”Information on the new OFSTED framework for schools. • National Progression GuidanceNew national guidance on pupils working at below test levels. • Revision of Disability Equality Scheme (Secondary Schools)Three yearly revision- guidance: http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/education/support_for_schools/sips/aandi-supportteams/sips_sen/sen_team_guidance/sips_sen_disability_equality_scheme.htm • SENCo RegulationsNew statutory requirements: SENCOs must be teachers and have a voice on school leadership team • Inclusion Development Programme (IDP)National training programme on Dyslexia, Speech and Language, Autism and Behaviour • SEN briefings for schools25th and 26th January briefings on SEN Issues for Heads and SENCOs • Designated Teachers for Children in CareGuidance: http://www.leics.gov.uk/looked_after_children-6.doc

5. How should a local authority monitor provision for special needs in schools? Leicestershire’s approach is to focus on self evaluation by schools Good to Great for SEN sessions held annually Half day meetings for senior manager, SENCo and SEN Governor Expectation that schools will attend every three years or so Ask your SENCo if your school has attended And to support self-evaluation: Enhanced case work processes to follow up complaints Single point of challenge via SIPs It is widely considered good practice to maximise delegation of funding for SEN to schools. This enables needs to be met at an early stage and flexibly so as to overcome learning difficulties, promote inclusion and prevent disaffection. It also reduces the cost of administration, releasing more funding for front line services. But councils need to monitor how well schools are meeting their obligations. The council continues to carry responsibility to meet the special educational needs of children where these are significant. If funding delegated for SEN is not targeted effectively by schools, children's learning difficulties will get worse and the council will have to find additional funding to provide for their unmet needs. This would amount to double funding. Audit Commission Value for Money Profile, 2010 Appendix C Monitoring Special Educational Needs

6. SEN Strategy and Funding • There has been very significant growth in: • Numbers of enhanced packages (EPs) • Numbers of children in Leics special schools • Number of children in out county special schools • We are placing children in special provision at the national average- we are not an average LA • Our special schools are too full- increase at lower level of difficulty • Budgets are growing by £3,380,000 for out county special placements and Enhanced Packages next year- 30%- trend is to double in three years • We need a sustainable long term strategy- to be developed with heads (June 16th) and then discussed with Schools Forum

7. Structured programme Small Step CVC (Consonant- Vowel- Consonant) Fine Motor Gross Motor Receptive and Expressive Language Target, objective, aim School Action, Action Plus Statutory Assessment Statementing Statemented SENLearning Difficulty BESD Dyspraxia SPA P-levels SENCo SENA MLD, SLD, PMLD, SpLD, PD ADHD, SALT, SLCN ASD Autism Dyslexia Phonological Skills Phonics IEP IDP National Curriculum Levels of Attainment AfA Children in Care/ Looked after Children DCSF, DfE ECM, CAF, Triage EMASS+ TES= EMTAS Educational Psychology Service MAF AAC SEN Jargon

8. Progression Guidance • Online data sets are being updated with 2008 and 2009 data: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/190123 • After 2011, data likely to be incorporated into Raiseonline. • Schools should be benchmarking the progress of their pupils working below test levels with the Progression Guidance (Raiseonline does not currently use this data).

9. Breaking the link • A new DCSF publication “breaking the link between special educational needs and low attainment – everyone’s business” http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&PageMode=publications&ProductId=DCSF-00213-2010 In the same series as previous publications re breaking the link between disadvantage and low attainment. Also see the Narrowing the Gap materials (National Strategies website).

10. Inclusion Development Programme • Module 3 (BESD) now released and is available online at: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/256938 (online e-learning) http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/327855 (accompanying booklet) http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/341617 (Early Years)

11. IDP(3) Cross departmental “Roll out” • Planned for Autumn Term. Details will be put on EIS and sent out with DVDs (same as web) and booklets in the Summer Term. • Schools can use the training materials straight away if required but the roll out should help schools plan the training and put it in a Leicestershire context. • All case studies on the DVD / web are relevant, although they appear to be phase specific, as they take you through generic principles.

12. Disability Equality Schemes • Primary School Disability Equality Schemes are due for revision by December 2010. • Schools should be reporting on progress against action plan each year. • On-line self-evaluation checklist to ensure you comply with requirements http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/243949 www.leics.gov.uk/sen_sips

13. Disability Equality Schemes cont. • It is likely that there will be two questions concerning disability in the 2011 school census. More guidance on this is given on teachernet. http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/disability/ • Schools are advised to treat “blanket surveys” of parents with extreme caution.

14. Achievement for All • Pilot in 10 authorities in the country (one in each region), aimed at improving progress of pupils with SEN and increasing parental confidence. • Pilot is identifying good practice that can be rolled out to all authorities. • “Structured Conversation” with parents identified as powerful development. Cascaded training to LAs (June) and schools (Autumn Term). Schools then train their own staff. Likely to be on same day as IDP training.

15. P Scales – APP approach • Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) have been developing additional materials to support the assessment of P Scales. • Assessing Pupil Progress (APP) approach promoted, but not currently planning to subdivide P-levels into a, b, c grades – so not using grids at present. • Materials will be published on QCDA website when released – sometime during the Summer Term!

16. New SENCOs • If you have a new Special Educational Needs Co-ordiantor (SENCo), please make sure that you inform the SEN advisory team (via Hazel Kursa, 0116 3056383). This will ensure they are contacted re induction and training and receive support from a Lead SENCo or a team member. • Since September 2009, new SENCos have to follow mandatory training within 3 years of becoming SENCo. • The mandatory training is based in Leicestershire in conjunction with the University of Northampton. It will lead to one third of a Master’s degree.

17. Discussion- notes