The Children and Families Act 2014 sets out a statutory duty for local authorities to keep provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) under review, in order to ensure that the provision reflects and addresses local needs.
In October 2017 we commissioned a comprehensive review of our high needs provision as part of the Specialist Provision Strategic Review and Development Plan, which made a number of recommendations as to how additional capital funding available from the Department for Education should be invested.
The report highlighted that there are particular gaps for learners who are academically able to access some aspects of the national curriculum, but who may struggle with some of the environmental and/or social aspects of mainstream school life. The analysis strongly suggests that the key priorities should be:
- The development of specialist provision attached to mainstream schools in order to meet the needs of complex learners - particularly those with communication and interaction difficulties - enabling them to be educated closer to home
- These provisions could be either mainstream school-led (known as resourced provision) or special school-led but based on mainstream school sites – (known as satellite provision)
In accordance with The School Organisation (Making Prescribed Alterations) Regulations 2016 we as the local authority propose to establish a resource provision at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School, and offer up to 20 places for primary aged learners with communication and interaction difficulties (including autism spectrum conditions) from September 2019, subject to the completion of any required building works.
A four-week representation period of consultation will run from 6 November 2018 until 4 December 2018. A final decision will be made following the end of the consultation period, taking into account all representations and comments made during that period.
This document marks the start of a genuine and open consultation process. We'd like as many people as possible with an involvement or interest in the school, or in primary education in the area more generally, to contribute their thoughts on what should happen. You can access a short survey to give your thoughts by clicking the 'How to get involved' tab on this page.
All schools were approached by us some time ago and asked if they would consider hosting resourced provision.
Mr Darren Reynolds, Executive Head of Shropshire Gateway Educational Trust, expressed an interest in this provision saying:
“The Governing Body of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School together with staff, both here and within the Shropshire Gateway Educational Trust, have discussed developing specialist provision in the local area for children with additional needs for quite some time. As Executive Headteacher of the Shropshire Gateway Educational Trust, I am very pleased that an opportunity has been extended to us to develop such a provision at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School.
The school works closely with Shropshire Local Authority and, across our Trust schools, we have developed a wealth of staff expertise and experience, particularly at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School, which enables us to be ideally placed to extend the provision we currently have, supporting the local authority’s plans to develop high needs provision attached to local primary schools. We already offer an excellent education for children with additional learning needs and want to develop this further.
Our vision as a trust is to provide high quality education for the children and young people of south Shropshire and the surrounding area. We have high expectations for all of our learners, regardless of their needs or backgrounds. We seek to provide every one of our learners with the support, encouragement and challenge they need to develop into confident, capable and successful people. We are an open, welcoming and progressive trust which provides the best for every child. We have high expectations of ourselves and others regardless of needs or background. The ethos of inclusivity permeates the work the school does, and we want to be able to extend the educational opportunities we offer to an even wider section of the local community. We want every child to develop into a young adult, equipped for life today.
The extension of our offer will not only benefit those children with more complex needs, it will also enrich the opportunities available to all of the children in our community.”
Having established the school’s willingness to participate in the project, this consultation document is about turning the school’s commitment from a vision into a reality.
Resourced provision for children with communication and interaction difficulties (including autism spectrum conditions) in Shropshire
We've made a long and successful commitment to inclusive and high quality education for pupils with special educational needs. We continue to make available the highest levels of inclusive mainstream provision to pupils of all ages in comparison with other local authorities in England.
In an effort to extend the range of inclusive learning opportunities for pupils, we intend to develop a network of additionally resourced provision at mainstream and academy primary and secondary schools throughout Shropshire.
For more information on resourced provision and the principles that have underpinned their development, take a look at the Specialist Provision Strategic Review and Development Plan..
We believe that these developments will, through the inclusion of pupils with a wider range of special educational needs, enhance the learning opportunities of all pupils by:
- enrichment of the curriculum through social awareness and community responsibility
- developing the quality and skills of the staff
- improving the buildings and offering better facilities
We recognise that our policy of establishing a network of resourced schools is, by its very nature, less inclusive than making provision in each and every local mainstream school. The rationale for this policy centres on the lack of expertise, specialist support and resources to be able to offer suitably enhanced provision in every school. Resourced schools are seen as a key development in extending the range of provision available to pupils across Shropshire.
Our ultimate aim is to reach a position where all schools can meet the needs of all pupils, regardless of the complexity of their needs. However, for the learners identified, the siting of skills, resources and expertise within a resourced mainstream or academy school is a way of achieving a position that is close to the inclusive ideal that we strive for.
By developing resourced provision within selected schools in the county, we believe that we're enhancing the range of provision for children and parents within Shropshire. Furthermore, we consider that this strategic response:
- meets the continuing needs of pupils in the area
- fulfils our responsibilities to parents and families to provide a range of local services
- enriches opportunities for all pupils
- complies with the legislation set in the Children and Families Act 2014
What is most important for pupils is that they are educated in a supportive educational environment which offers the opportunity for inclusive learning. This should take place in a school that is willing to adapt to the needs of the individual, rather than expecting the individual to cope with what is provided for others.
In order to bring about school organisation change, it is necessary to publish what are known as statutory proposals. A formal proposal to bring about a ‘prescribed alteration’ is needed to establish resourced provision at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School.
As we have explained, by developing resourced provision within Shropshire, we'll be providing a local option that extends the range of provision for pupils in the area. We feel that the case for establishing resourced provision at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School is very strong. The leadership team at Cleobury Mortimer Primary School has indicated that it feels the same way.