Shropshire Council

SEND resource provision at Community College, Bishops Castle

  • Period: 18 October 2018 - 15 November 2018
  • Status: Closed
  • Audiences: Everyone
  • Topics: Education, Children's services
  • Type: Public
  • Address: Brampton Road, Bishops Castle, Shropshire, SY9 5AY.
  • Local authority: Shropshire (893)
  • Headteacher: Mr Reuben Thorley
  • Age range: 11 to 16
  • Phase of education: Secondary
  • School type: Foundation School
  • Gender of entry: Mixed
  • ID: URN: 123564, DfE number: 893/4376

Background

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, Shropshire Council commissioned a comprehensive review of its 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, the Local Authority - Shropshire Council – proposes to establish a resource provision at The Community College, Bishop's Castle and offer up to 30 places for secondary aged learners with communication and interaction difficulties (including Autism Spectrum Conditions) from Spring 2018, subject to the completion of any required building works.

A four-week representation period of consultation will run from 18 October 2018 until 15 November 2018.  A final decision will be made following the end of the consultation period, taking into account all representations and comments made during the consultation period.

All schools were approached by the Local Authority some time ago and asked if they would consider hosting resourced provision.

Mr Reuben Thorley, headteacher of The Community College expressed an interest in this provision saying:

“The Governing Body of The Community College Bishop’s Castle are fully supportive of the plans to provide specialist educational provision on the school site.  As headteacher of The Community College Bishop’s Castle, I am very excited about the possibility of developing links and collaborations with the new specialist provision to further enhance and improve our own current practice.  We work closely with the Local Authority and have a very good reputation amongst our parents and community for our SEN work. We also have a history of successfully integrating students with special needs into mainstream.  Core subjects (English and Maths) are consistently strong performers and attendance for all students and those with SEN are good in the college.  We would like the opportunity to share our experiences with a wider audience whilst also continuing to develop our own expertise through collaboration with specialists.  Within the school we have a wealth of experience and I believe that we are ideally suited to support the Local Authority's plan to develop high needs provision attached to mainstream schools. 

The college is widely respected for its tolerance and inclusive environment. Our vision is that we will aim to support students working with the new provision to be well looked after, happy and to make very good progress. We will value and respect every member of the school community and everyone will be encouraged to take responsibility, to make a contribution and to be able to perform to their very best.  The core values of:  to succeed, to care, to inspire, will underpin every aspect of school life.  We will be an open, welcoming and reflective school that provides the best for every child.  We will have high expectations of ourselves and others regardless of needs or background.

The school is at the heart of the local community and every child in our community should be able to live life in all its fullness through the quality of the education they receive.  We want every child to have the opportunities to develop into young adults who are equipped for the challenges of life.  We aim to enthuse and provide the necessary tools and celebrate every success, no matter how big or small.

The planned provision will not only allow us to improve the quality of our offer for children with complex needs, but to improve the quality of our offer for all of the students in our school.”    

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.

This document marks the start of a genuine and open consultation process.  We would like as many people as possible with an involvement or interest in the school, or in education in the area more generally, to contribute their thoughts on what should happen. There is a questionnaire at the end of this document which we would like you to fill in and send back to us.

Resourced provision for children with communication and interaction difficulties (including Autism Spectrum Conditions) in Shropshire.

Overview

Shropshire Council has made a long and successful commitment to inclusive and high quality education for pupils with special educational needs.  Shropshire Council continues 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, the Council intends 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.

The Council believes 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.

Inclusive learning expectations

The Council recognises that its 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, the Council believes that it is enhancing the range of provision for children and parents within Shropshire.  Furthermore, the Council considers that this strategic response:

  • meets the continuing needs of pupils in the area
  • fulfils its 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.

Considering the possibility of establishing resourced provision

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 The Community College, Bishop's Castle.

As we have explained, by developing resourced provision within Shropshire, the Council will be providing a local option that extends the range of provision for pupils in the area.  The Council feels that the case for establishing resourced provision at The Community College, Bishop's Castle is very strong.  The leadership team at The Community College, Bishop's Castle has indicated that it feels the same way.

We would like to have your views on the possibility of establishing provision for learners with communication and interaction difficulties (including Autism Spectrum Conditions) at The Community College, Bishop's Castle, and there is a questionnaire at the back of this document to help.  This consultation document will help you to form your opinions on the subject.

We look forward to receiving your completed questionnaire or online response as your views are important and will influence the decision which is eventually taken.

The consultation period

The consultation is based on this document. The consultation period starts 18 October 2018. The final date for letting us have your thoughts and comments is 15 November 2018.

How to express your views?

Click on the 'How to get involved' tab on this page to have your say using our survey.

What happens after the consultation process?

Once the responses to the consultation process have been analysed, a report will be prepared for the Council’s Cabinet.  The report will include a summary of comments received from individuals and photocopies of the responses from recognised organisations.  The report will be a public document, so will be available to the media and on the school and Council websites.

The Local Authority will consider the response to the consultation and form a view about what it believes to be the appropriate provision for the future.  This will happen as soon as possible after the end of the consultation period.

Have your say on this proposal using our survey.

Go to the survey... »

If you prefer, you can make comments or object to the proposals by writing to Resourced Provision Consultation, The Community College, Brampton Road, Bishops Castle, Shropshire SY9 5AY or by emailing admin@communitycollegebc.org.uk

 

Data protection

Information collected in our surveys will only be used by us (Shropshire Council) to inform the immediate and future provision of our services. The information you provide will be kept confidential in accordance with our Privacy Policy. It will not be shared outside of Shropshire Council. Information collected via our online surveys (hosted on the Surveymonkey website) will be stored on SurveyMonkey’s servers in the United States of America and SurveyMonkey gives an undertaking never to disclose the survey questions or your responses to others without permission.