The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More
x School
“Children are people they are tomorrow as they live today.”
2010/2011
Avalon, Brookside, Critchill, Elmwood, Fairmead, Fiveways, Penrose, SelworthyThe Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More
- Background
Aims:
For Children and Young People who Need More
- To support effective provision, promote a climate of success and improve the outcomes for children and young people.
- To complement and enhance the network of support for children and young people in Somerset, including co-ordinated Early Intervention.
- To help children and young people achieve the five ECM outcomes
- To raise the profile of our community of schools supporting children and young people who need more as a source of advice and support to educational settings, Local Authority Services, the Community and Voluntary sector, parents and carers and all other providers.
- To continue to build the capacity of all educational settings to personalise the learning of pupils using the specialist skills of staff.
- Further develop the skills of the whole Children’s Workforce so that the achievement and life chances of children and young people are enhanced
- To ensure equity of access to Outreach Provision.
- To improve support for, and communication with, parents and carers
- To ensure the participation of children and young people, parents and carers in developing, evaluating and improving provision.
- To put user feedback at the heart of the continual improvement of services.
- To encourage and support the development of partnership working between at an area, local and cluster level.
- To learn from one another’s practice through a process of continual improvement, sharing effective practice and specialist skills and knowledge.
Background
The Ofsted survey Inclusion: does it matter where pupils are taught? (2006) reports:
‘Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) can do well in all types of school – the key is access to high quality, specialist teachers and commitment by leaders to create opportunities to include all learners.’Partnership working between special and mainstream schools is a key strand within the national strategy for SEN – Removing Barriers to Achievement DfES (2004).
‘Local Authorities should consider the potential of special school outreach to complement existing advice and support services and plan strategically to promote such developments.’ (Para. 35)Removing Barriers clearly expresses the need for work to be done that fosters the creation of a county-wide community of schools, to their mutual benefit, and to the improvement to the educational experience and attainment of our most vulnerable children and young people.
It is in this spirit that Somerset Local Authority in partnership with our community of schools supporting children and young people who need more, is developing its Outreach Provision. We are building on the existing good practice, developed by all our individual Special Schools over the last 20 years and to offer a coherent, cohesive, cooperative service that is widely available across the county.
We also want to go further by sharing our skills, knowledge, experience and good practice beyond schools. We recognise the needs of the wider workforce who support children and young people and the synergies that are to be gained by working in partnership.
The vision is for specialist providers in Somerset to work in partnership with anyone who supports children and young people who need more, so that the needs will be met in a timely, effective and sustainable way. Our work with parents and carers is also central to this.
We also want to go further by sharing our skills, knowledge, experience and good practice beyond schools. We recognise the needs of the wider workforce who support children and young people and the synergies that are to be gained by working in partnership.
We want to link to less formal learning settings outside of school where a child or young person may be achieving. We want support to be joined up so that achievements outside of school are not overlooked. We also need to work holistically, supporting the development of the child or young person as a whole.
This provision will complement that offered by the Local Authority’s Support Services and Educational Psychology Service. The Outreach Providers will work in collaboration with staff within those services to ensure that the additional needs of our children and young people will be met in the most appropriate and flexible ways.
1.3 Local Context
1.3.1 Key Strategy Document: ‘Children and Young People who need More’ - The Future Vision of Provision for Children and Young People in Somerset with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Schools in Somerset have made good progress in including children and young people with severe and complex SEN, with less than 0.9% of the school population placed in special schools.
Training, outreach and professional development activities remain key to sustaining this position. The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More is committed to working in partnership with anyone who supports children and young people who need more, so that these needs will be met in a timely, effective and sustainable way.
1.3.2 Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan
Somerset Children’s Trust has produced Somerset’s Children and Young Plan, based on national and local priorities. The service provided under this agreement will contribute to the priorities identified in this plan.
- Priority C1 - Increase levels of attainment and the rate of progress of all children and young people to improve outcomes at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4, as well as reducing the gap in attainment between vulnerable groups (including those looked after, travellers and other under-achieving minority ethnic groups) and their peers:Support children and young people with learning needs
- Priority C2 - Improve the behaviour and attendance of children and young people
- Description of the Service
- For Children and Young People who Need More – promote inclusion
- Building Skills – promote the development of skills to build capacity
- Getting Services Right – promote participation to improve services
- Working Together – promote partnership working
2.2 Development and Strategy
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will keep up to date with policy and represent the Children and Young People’s Service and Somerset County Council regionally and nationally with regard to training, outreach and professional development activities to support children and young people who need more.
2.3 Marketing
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will market the training outreach and professional development activities through:
- Individual and Networked school websites
- Networked Learning Support Centre Websites
- Local Authority Support Services
- Being representatives in county, area, locality and cluster developments
- Direct work with schools and settings
- Direct work with teachers and teaching assistants
- Direct work with Other Professionals and Practitioners
- Direct work with Training Providers
- Direct work with Early Years settings and Children’s Centres
- Work with partners
- Parent and carer networks
- SENCO networks
- SCITT and Teacher Training
- The Learning Support Centres
- Financial Arrangements
The funding for the services specified in this agreement comes from theIndividual Schools Budget (ISB). The funding is to be used to deliver the key strands of the aims:
- For Children and Young People who Need More – promote inclusion
- Building Skills – promote the development of skills to build capacity
- Getting Services Right – promote participation to improve services
- Working Together – promote partnership working
In addition Learning Support centres are hosted by some of the Special Schools.
Funding allocation for 2010/11:
Outreach funding Learning Support Centre Funding
Avalon
Brookside
Critchill
Elmwood
Fairmead
Fiveways
Penrose
Selworthy
3.2 Funding will be dependent on:
- A completed annual evaluation of Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities
- A completed annual return on individual pupil support
- Outcomes/Targets
Through, training outreach and professional development activities, The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will work to ensure that children and young people with Special Educational Needs are placed in provision which ensures that they are able to thrive academically, cognitively, socially and emotionally.
4.2 Service Delivery:
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need Morewill deliver Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities at a County, Area, Local and Cluster level. Schools that have Specialist School Status will also have responsibilities in relation to their Specialism.
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will be expected to deliver the Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities on behalf of the Local Authority as described in each school’s individual Portfolio of Services.
- Standards
5.1 Principles and Values
- The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will work to the values and principles contained within its philosophy
5.2 Quality Assurance
- The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will work to the standards outlined in its quality Assurance procedures to ensure that staff have the necessary skills to deliver training outreach and professional development activities.
- All staff who are delivering training outreach and professional development activity will undergo annual assessment of their skills as outlined in its quality Assurance procedures
- All Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities will have opportunities for learners to give their perceptions about the quality of provision
- The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More is committed to partnership working. The aim is to learn from one another’s practice through a process of continual improvement, sharing effective practice and specialist skills and knowledge.
5.3 Policies and Procedures
- The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will maintain and implement up to date Somerset County Council Policies providing guidance to staff on the following areas:
- Safeguarding
- Data Protection
- Confidentiality/ Information Sharing
- Health and Safety
- Complaints
5.4 Data and Record Keeping
Appropriate administration procedures will be maintained and sufficient records will be kept to enable training outreach and professional development activities to be tracked at individual pupil level, school and setting level and across partnerships.
Annual returns will be provided using the standard proformas to show thePortfolio of Support that has been provided by each school in the Partnership.
Complete and accurate financial records will be kept.
- Reporting and Monitoring
6.1 Reports
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will provide an annual report to Children and Young People’s Services Head of Service – EIS.
Annual returns will be provided using the standard proformas to show the Portfolio of Support that has been provided by each school in the Partnership.
6.2 Financial Data
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will provide end of year financial data to the Children and Young People’s Services Head of Service – EIS.
6.3 Annual Review Meeting
Each year a meeting will take place with representation from The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More and the Children and Young People’s Services Head of Service – EIS to monitor progress, identify emerging needs and set future priorities.
7. Responsibilities
7.1 Responsibilities: Local Authority, SEN Services
The Local Authority will:
- Provide an element of funding as agreed thorough Schools Forum
- Facilitate development, monitoring and evaluation;
- Report on outreach support
8.2 Responsibilities: The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More
Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities from The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More will be carried out in line with:
- The agreed Philosophy and Beliefs
- The agreed referral and quality assurance processes
- The Principles set out in the document: Providing CPD within the Children and Young People’s Directorate, Somerset County Council
Signed on behalf of the Service Commissioner:
Signature:Name:
Designation:
Date:
Signed on behalf of the Service Provider:
Signature:Name:
Designation:
Date:
Outreach SLA General 0610 Master Copy 010810Page 1
Service Level Agreement General 0710 Final Master copy 240710Page 1
Avalon, Brookside, Critchill, Elmwood, Fairmead, Fiveways, Penrose, SelworthyThe Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More
School Name:
Log of Training, Outreach and Professional Development Activities 201x
School: Outreach Manager:
Setting
/ Date / Support Provided / EvaluationOverall Summary of Outreach Effectiveness
Avalon, Brookside, Critchill, Elmwood, Fairmead, Fiveways, Penrose, Selworthy
The Community of Schools Supporting Children and Young People who Need More
School Name:
Log of Outreach to Individual Children or Young People 201x
School: Outreach Manager:
School
/ Date / Pupil / Time Setting up Support / Visit to Support SENCo/School (inc travel time) / Completing Outreach form / Meetings / Other
(please specify)
Service Level Agreement General 0710 Final Master copy 240710Page 1