Independent school placement audit: annex two - headline findings, priority objectives and suggested actions
Headline findings / Priority objectives / Suggested actions (to be agreed through discussion and consultation)LA systems around admissions and placement are not consistently effective / Placement decision should be accurate and evidence based and a consistency of approach across localities should be ensured through review and reform of LA systems. / Potentially an ESSET placement panel could be involved in placement decisions where a special school placement may be appropriate.
Strengthened mechanism and process for placement decisions involving SAS, schools and EPS, STT and others as appropriate.
The LA will establish ‘robust quality assurance systems’ as required by the new legislation:
CoP 9.31 'The EHC assessment and planning process should be supported by senior leadership teams monitoring the quality and sufficiency of EHC needs assessments through robust quality assurance systems. Families should have confidence that those overseeing the assessment process will be impartial and act in their best interests.'
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Professional dialogue on need and aligned provision does not always take place / Professional dialogue should be embedded and provision closely aligned with a holistic assessment of need. / Education, health and social care commissioners will work together to agree new panel arrangements.
Training and monitoring to ensure that all decisions are made in the context of high quality person-centred planning.
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Decision making should be communicated with clarity and precision / Thoughtful informed decision making is thoroughly documented in order that decision making and choices are transparent / Improvement in the quality of communication so that clear a core professional purpose , principles and values inform all decision making and communication.As above this must be within the context og good person centred planning.
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Integrated early intervention (within schools, school to school, with partners and services) is not consistent or effective / A solution should be developed to support special and mainstream schools in managing significantly challenging behaviours. Need appears to indicate an additional setting(s) in which extreme behaviours can be addressed in addition to quick and easy access to services and staff training. Whereby exclusion is avoided but immediate risks are managed so that the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff is ensured. / To develop and implement shared induction and cpd programmes to include input from LA support services and external providers.
Explore the possibility of creating a small highly specialist SEMH (residential?) for use by special schools in extreme circumstances: working in conjunction with the ESSET placement panel.
Clarify aims and outcome measures for outreach from special provision (schools and units). Work to ensure this reflects best practice as detailed in the Provision Guidance Toolkit (which will be developed and edited in conjunction with special and mainstream schools) and a range of other sources of expertise.
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Lack of appropriate provisions in terms of range, number and location / Key data can now be layered over the out of county file analysis in order that informed provision mapping can now take place. / Research into new and different ways of working; visits to innovative settings to gain insight into provision and training.
There is a need to explore key factors which will make new provisions successful. For example securing a skilled, sustainable workforce; most importantly high calibre leadership. Also the culture and ethos of new settings.
It is likely that the relationship between ASC and SEMH could me met with more flexible provisions; steering away from rigid designation. This combination of needs is the most prevalent in Essex leading to the highest number placement in independent provisions.
There is a need to create small provisions for girls with challenging SEMH at secondary. A suggestion might be to develop small scale provision within CSS who already provide for ASR and medical needs.
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Social care placements and early intervention are not always not person centred/family centred. Social care needs in terms of interventions with the family, respite and residential opportunities significantly influence placement / There should be consideration into the possibility of residential provision attached to existing or new special schools.
Focus on earlier interventions with families and in conjunction with other services. / Structured dialogue with Social Care to look at the data and other evidence of need; then planning how residential placements will be commissioned in the future.
Training in person-centred planning is being delivered to schools
To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Mental Health (CAMHS) / To enable CYP to access CAMHS both at early intervention stages and for those who need on-going therapeutic input within their educational setting. / To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Therapies: pupils have to meet health thresholds and also have to come out of school to an appointment. There is a real need to integrate and embed therapeutic services within schools so that it is ‘built / To investigate and plan for how Health provide for these children and young people within the Essex special schools and improve the positive impact of health services in schools. / To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Skills, practice and confidence in schools (abilities and capacities) / A common and shared set of professional standards that ensures each setting is equipped and enable to meet the needs of pupils with SEN. / To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools
Use of CSS facilities is not always in the best interest of the pupils. In some cases placement at CSS (which should be short term) becomes long term: if pupils go through statutory process re-integration is challenging. / Review of primary provision underway.
Review the way in which schools and the LA use CSS and the role we want CSS to take in the system. Also ensure robust monitoring and planning for pupils. / To be completed in co-production with partner services and schools