Special Educational Provision Capital Fund Plan

ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL PROVISION CAPITAL FUND PLAN

1. CONTEXT FOR THE PLAN
   Local Authorities (LA) must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including those with SEN and disabilities (SEND). The Government has committed £215 million of capital funding for the financial years 2018-19 to 2020-21 to help LAs create new school places and improve existing facilities for children and young people with SEND, in consultation with parents and providers. This capital is not ring-fenced and LAs can use it as they see fit to improve special educational provision for children and young people with education, health and care plans (EHCP). This funding can be invested in mainstream schools and academies, resourced provision, special schools, early years’ settings and further education colleges or to make other provision for children and young people aged from 0 to 25.
   LAs can invest their share of the special educational provision capital fund in:
   -creating new (additional) places at good or outstanding provision;
   -improving facilities or developing new facilities.
   This can be through:
   -expansion(s) to existing provision including at the same site or at a different site;
   -reconfiguring provision to make available the space for the additional places or facilities;
   -re-purposing areas so that they meet the needs of pupils with SEND;
   -other capital transactions that result in new (additional) places or facilities’ improvements;
   -investing in provision that is located in another LA where this supports providing good outcomes for children in their area.
   The Government requires LAs to complete and publish a short plan that sets out how they intend to invest their allocation, which is visible to parents, carers and other local groups. The plan for LAs’ SEND capital provision allocations should sit coherently with their wider plan.
   LAs need to:
   -consult with parents and carers of children with SEND and young people with SEND;
   -work with education providers to agree how the capital can best be targeted;
   -publish a plan on their Local Offer page showing how they plan to invest their funding.
   The allocation for Rochdale is £166,667 for each of the years 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21, a total of £500k.
   
2. Rochdale’s SEND Strategy
   Rochdale’s SEND Strategy sets out its corporate priorities and includes a commitment to give children and young people the best start in life. The Strategy aims to ensure that children and young people are given every opportunity to achieve their potential. This includes a focus on:
   -all children and young people are ready for school and work;
   -access to education that meets the needs of our community;
   To inform the Strategy, the LA employed a consultant to develop and analyse a secure database around children/young people with SEND.
   The Council has published SEND Strategy. The Strategy sets out a vision that all early years settings, schools and colleges are able to deliver high quality education for children and young people with SEND, maximising money from the Designated Schools Grant.
   The objectives of the SEND Strategy are:
   -to build a model of educational provision and support in Rochdale which enables young people, wherever possible, to live and go to their early years setting, school or college;
   -to ensure that local early years, mainstream and special educational provision is effective, of a high quality and delivers the best educational outcome for children and young people with SEND (0-25);
   -to ensure that children with SEND are, wherever possible, welcomed and included within their local mainstream early years setting, school and college;
   -to deliver an offer that is sustainable and cost-effective now and into the future and takes due account of predicted demand.
   Through a provision review as part of the development of the SEND Strategy, Rochdale, like many other LAs, has identified an increased demand for extra provision to meet two specific areas of SEND. These are Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH). There is a gap in provision for primary and secondary school children with ASC who are able to access a mainstream curriculum but struggle with the mainstream environment. Similarly, there is a gap in provision for secondary school children with SEMH.
   This shortfall is therefore leading to children’s needs not being met within existing provision and thereby often resulting in independent or non-maintained special school (INMSS) provision being pursued and adding to the existing £2,250,007 of revenue costs from the high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant used on out of area placements that Rochdale is seeking to reduce. At the start of the academic year 2017-18 there were 49 children and young people with autism placed in independent or NMSS provision. See Appendix A for a breakdown of the costs for placements for children and young people with autism.
   
3. Plans for Development
   Via a specific Capital Bid Task & Finish Group, we have developed a joint consultation document that sets out, in detail, our vision around the development of ASC provision across Rochdale Borough. This includes the expansion of the universal offer to complement the development of more specialist provision. This document was informed by parents/carers’ views and was used as part of the consultation process with partner agencies.
   Following consultation with our schools, there are twelve schools which are interested in increasing or further developing their provision. We have identified two schools who we are seeking to develop specific resource provision in using the capital funds if approved. Brownhill Learning Community(including Special School and Pupil Referral Unit) has also indicated a wish to be involved in the solution to this increased demand for ASC & SEMH need. It is the LA’s intention to increase the number of resource provision once the initial two have been developed.
   
4. Consultation on RBC Special Educational Provision Capital Plan
   Below is a copy of Rochdale’s plan but we welcome further views and comments about it. These should be sent to by 30 April 2018.

APPENDIX A

Cost of educational provision for children and young people with autism – September 2017

Type of School / Total / Nos
Primary / Min Cost/
Max Cost / Av Total
Cost / Nos Secondary / Min Cost/
Max Cost / Av Total Cost / Average cost of transport
Rochdale Mainstream
– SEN Support / 487 / 311 / £4k – £10k / £2,177,000 (£7k per pupil) / 176 / £4k – £10 k / £1,232,000
(£7k per pupil) / n/a
Rochdale
Mainstream with EHCP / 180 / 118 / £16,839 –
£24,585 / £2,444,016
(£20,712 per pupil) / 62 / £16,839 –
£24,585 / £1,284,144
(£20,712 per pupil) / n/a
Rochdale Special / 210 / 91 / 17,115 –
25,310 / £1,930,383
(£21,213 per pupil) / 119 / £17,067 –
£25,251 / £2,517,921
(£21,159 per pupil) / Redwood buses £18k-£30k
Out of Area
Independent and non-maintained special schools / 49 / 7 / 33,524
To
69,000 / £358,834
(£51,262 per pupil) / 42 / £33,524
to
£69,000 / £2,153,004 / Taxis
£18k - £32k