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, the local authority, Shropshire Council, proposes to establish a resource provision at St Andrew’s C of E Primary in Nesscliffe, and offer up to ten places for primary aged learners with communication and interaction difficulties (including autism spectrum conditions) from the spring term 2019, subject to the completion of any required building works.

A four-week representation period of consultation will run from 8 October 2018 until 5 November 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.

All schools were approached by us some time ago and asked if they would consider hosting resourced provision. Mrs Nicola Bond, executive headteacher of St. Andrew’s CE Primary School and the Westcliffe Federation (Kinnerley CE Primary, West Felton CE Primary, St. Andrew’s and Weston Lullingfields) expressed an interest in this provision saying:

“The governing body of St. Andrew’s and the Westcliffe Federation have discussed providing a resourced provision for some time. As executive headteacher of St. Andrew’s CE Primary School, I am very excited about the possibility of developing specialist provision within our school. We work closely with the local authority and have an excellent reputation for providing outstanding special needs provision. We would like the opportunity to share this with a wider audience. Within the school and the federation 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 primary schools. 

Our vision is that we will know and value each child and look for the best in them.
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 achieve their full potential.  The core Christian values of trust, care, respect and courtesy will permeate every aspect of school life. We will be an open, welcoming and progressive school who provides the best for every child. We will have high expectations of ourselves and others regardless of needs or background.

The school will be at the heart of the local community and every child in our community is able to live life in all its fullness through the quality of education that they receive. We want every child to have the opportunities to develop into young adults who are equipped for life today. We will 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 children 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.

Overview

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

Inclusive learning expectations

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 in 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 St Andrew’s C of E 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 St Andrew’s C of E Primary school is very strong. The leadership team at St Andrew’s C of E Primary School 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 St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, 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.

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 primary education in the area more generally, to contribute their thoughts on what should happen.

The consultation is based on this document. The consultation period starts on 9 October 2018. The final date for letting us have your thoughts and comments is 6 November 2018

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

Once the responses to the consultation process have been analysed, a report will be prepared for our 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.