FURTHER MEMORANDUM FROM THE WESTERN EDUCATION
AND LIBRARY BOARD
PUPILS WITH
STATEMENTS OF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
NEEDS:
1. On what basis do you calculate funding for
placements for children with statements of special educational
needs in: (a) special schools and (b) mainstream schools?
(a) Within the Western Education and Library
Board there is currently no local management of schools formula
in place for special schools/units. The budget for special schools
continues to be held centrally. Thus, funding of placement of
children with special educational needs is not calculated on a
unit cost basis. Within the special education sector, provision
is made and costed on the following basis:
— Schools for children with severe
learning difficulties have a staffing ratio of 1 teacher: 8 pupils
and one classroom assistant.
— Schools/units for children with
moderate learning difficulties have the following staffing ratios:
— At key stages 1/2, 1 teacher:
10/12 pupils, and one classroom assistant.
— At key stages 3/4, 1 teacher:
12/15 pupils.
— Partially Hearing Units have
a staffing ratio of 1 teacher: 7/8 pupils, and one classroom assistant.
— Language Units have staffing
ratio of 1 teacher: 8/9 pupils, and one classroom assistant.
(b) For pupils with statements of special
educational needs in mainstream schools, funding is calculated
on the basis of age weighted pupil unit (AWPU) related to the
relevant Key Stage, with the additional resources required to
meet the provision specified in their statements being funded
through the centrally held budget.
2. Please describe the criteria that assist you
in making different allocations to different schools.
Funding is allocated to special schools/units
in accordance with the criteria detailed in response to 1(a) above.
The differential allocations reflect:
— Complexity of special educational
needs.
— Age/developmental level of child.
3. How do you evaluate the effectiveness of different
placements for children with statements of special educational
needs?
From September 1998, there is a requirement
that a child's statement of special educational needs should incorporate
detailed objectives which the provision is intended to meet. Subsequently,
schools are required to set specific targets to endeavour to meet
these objectives. Statements are reviewed annually, when progress
in relation to these targets is evaluated and further targets
set. The Board recognises that the annual review procedure is
crucially important in terms of evaluating both the effectiveness
of provision and its continued appropriateness. The Board is currently
considering the recruitment of an officer with specific responsibility
for attending annual reviews, to ensure that such reviews are
both focused and consistently rigorous in terms of evaluating
the effectiveness of provision. The involvement of a Board officer
in all such reviews should enable the Special Education Department
to monitor and ensure the most efficient use of its resources.
PUPILS WITH
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
NEEDS WITHOUT
STATEMENTS:
4. What are the reporting arrangements in respect
of how schools use the funding for non-statemented pupils with
special educational needs?
Within the Western Education and Library Board,
funding for non-statemented pupils with SEN is delegated to schools
within their overall school budget and is thus not "ring-fenced".
To date, schools have had autonomy in terms of how the special
needs component of their overall budget has been allocated. However,
as from September 1998, having regard to the provisions of the
Code of Practice, schools will be required, in their annual report
to parents, to account for how this special needs component has
been used and how such expenditure relates to the school's overall
special needs policy.
DEFINITIONS
5. How do you interpret and apply the definitions
of "special education provision" and "special educational
needs" (as set out in the Education (NI) Order 1996) for
your Board area?
(a) The Board defines special educational
provision as that which is not normally available within mainstream
schools. Bearing in mind the provisions of the Code of Practice,
the Board advocates, and makes provision for, extensive strategies
of intervention with pupils who have special educational needs,
prior to carrying out a formal assessment. The Board has a range
of peripatetic and outreach services which provide support to
pupils at the equivalent of Stage 3 of the Code of Practice without
the need for a statement of special educational needs. These services
include:
— Home teaching support for pre-school
children with special education needs.
— Outreach support for pupils with
moderate learning difficulties.
— Specialist teaching support for
pupils with specific learning difficulties.
— Outreach support for pupils with
specific language impairment.
— Outreach support for pupils with
emotional and behavioural difficulties.
— Specialist teaching support for
pupils with sensory impairment.
Pupils who require provision which is not
normally available will have a statement of special educational
needs. Provision which is not normally available would include:
— Attendance at a special school
or unit.
— Support of a classroom assistant
within mainstream school.
— Longer term specialist teaching
or outreach support within mainstream school.
— Specialist teaching equipment/resources,
e.g., CCTV, radio aids, computer technology.
(b) The Board accepts that up to 20 per cent
of the school population may have special educational needs at
some point in their school career. The needs of the vast majority
of these pupils are expected to be met by mainstream schools from
within their own resources. A smaller number of pupils, estimated
to be around two per cent or less, will have more complex needs
which will require a statement of special educational needs.
Within the Western Education and Library
Board, two per cent of pupils currently have statements of special
educational needs. This figure is consistent with the most recent
Government guidelines with respect to statementing procedures
(Green Paper: Excellence for All: Suggested target of overall
statementing level is 1.5-2 per cent). The Board's formal assessment
and statementing policy and procedures are kept under close review
in order to maintain consistency, enable the closest possible
adherence to government guidelines and ensure that the most specialised
resources are reserved for pupils with the most complex needs.
6. Do you apply the definitions differentially
for the various categories of special education needs as defined
in the forthcoming Code of Practice? If so how?
The Board accepts the definitions for the various
categories of special educational needs as defined in the Code
of Practice. As indicated previously, the Board expects that the
majority of all children with special educational needs will have
their needs addressed by their school from within its own resources.
Thus, prior to formal assessment in any individual case, the school
will be expected to produce evidence of support at the various
stages of the Code of Practice before the Board would consider
initiating a statutory assessment.
There are however, exceptional cases where certain
categories of special educational needs are given differential
consideration. Thus, in the case of children with very complex
and/or long term needs, the most appropriate response is to move
to Stages Four and Five of the Code of Practice immediately. These
exceptional cases would include:
— Children with profound and multiple
disabilities.
— Children with physical disabilities
whose access needs dictate significant adaptations to school buildings
and ancillary support with regard to mobility and personal needs.
— Children with severe and permanent
sensory impairments.
It is usually evident in such cases, given the
significance of the child's difficulties at the outset, that it
would be inappropriate and would place the child at significant
risk to do other than initiate a formal assessment without delay.
INTEGRATION/EXCLUSION
7. What steps has the Board taken towards promoting
the integration of pupils with statements of special educational
needs into mainstream schools?
The Western Education and Library Board is committed
to a policy of inclusive education for all pupils with the exception
of a small minority with very complex needs. Statistics for the
1996-97 school year reveal that out of a total number of 1,385
pupils with statements, 445 attend mainstream schools, and 60
attend special units attached to mainstream schools. Just under
one third of all pupils with statements attend mainstream schools.
The Board has responded positively to increased parental demand
for mainstream placements for children with special needs across
the full spectrum. Expenditure for the 1996-97 school year on
classroom assistants to support the integration of children with
special needs amounted to £1,525,258.57.
The majority of children with sensory difficulties
and physical disabilities attend mainstream schools and this trend
is reflected in the relatively small numbers of pupils in attendance
at residential schools outside the Board's area. The Board has
also made very significant investment in making schools accessible
to children with physical disabilities. It also has well-established
peripatetic specialist teaching services to support the integration
of children with sensory problems within mainstream schools.
The Board is a strong advocate of early identification
and intervention with children who have special educational needs
in order to prevent escalation of their difficulties to levels
where mainstream provision may be inadequate. The Board's outreach
and peripatetic services play a major role in implementing the
Board's policy in this respect and these services are made available
to schools extensively at Stage 3 of the Code of Practice without
the need for formal assessment and statementing.
8. How many children of school age in the Board's
area are receiving education otherwise than at school (EOTAS)?
What is the cost of this provision? On average what percentage
of full-time education does education otherwise provide? What
is the nature of this provision?
Children receiving education otherwise than
at school:
Home Tuition:
During the 1997-98 school year a total of 102
pupils were provided with home tuition, for varying periods of
time, as their particular needs dictated.
Cost:
The total cost of home tuition for 1997-98 school
year was £350,000.
Percentage of Full-Time Education
Pupils at Key Stage 1-2 are provided with on
average 5-6 hours tuition weekly: this represents approximately
25-30 per cent of full-time education.
Pupils at Key Stages 2-3 are on average provided
with 8 hours home tuition weekly: this represents approximately
35 per cent of full-time education.
Pupils are provided with home tuition on a short-term
or long-term basis because of illness. Home tuition is also provided
to pupils who are out of school on a long-term basis.
Home tuition may take the form of tuition through
the Hospital School, individual tuition in pupil's own home, or
group tuition at a central base or location.
CO -OPERATION
9. What arrangements are there for co-operation
between your Board and Health and Social Services Boards? If there
are difficulties, please give examples.
The Western Education and Library Board is committed
to working in close partnership with all relevant agencies in
order to promote the needs and welfare of its pupils. Partnership
with the local Health and Social Services Board is extensive and
currently has a variety of dimensions.
— At a strategic level, the Board has
senior officer representation on the Area Children and Young Persons'
Committee, an inter-agency group which aims to co-ordinate overall
policy and services for young people.
— The Board is also represented on
the Area Child Protection Committee, through its designated officer,
who also participates in local child protection panels. The Board
places very high priority on collaboration with the Health and
Social Services Board in order to meet its responsibilities in
the area of child protection and extensive inter-agency training
and support for schools in the area of child protection is also
in place.
— Board officers participate, on a
regular basis, in multi-disciplinary case conferences with Health
and Social Services Board staff including Clinical Medical Officers,
Medical Consultants, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services,
Paediatric Services, and with other professionals allied to medicine.
— A senior Board officer is also a
member of a regional review group which is investigating overall
strategies for the co-ordination of services between Education
and Library Boards and Health and Social Services Boards.
Where difficulties in terms of co-operation
do exist they tend to be related to the time commitment required
for effective co-operation. Difficulties around funding arrangements
may also be an issue at times, particularly when decisions are
required as to which agency should have the key role in funding.
10. Are there any agreed policies between the
Education and Library Board and the appropriate Health and Social
Services Board regarding health and social services provision
for children with special educational needs?
The Area Children and Young Persons' Committee
has just recently been established. It is expected that the Board
will have a major input into the formulation of Children Services
Plans.
The regional review group, referred to in response
to question nine has also produced a draft agreement setting out
principles for co-operation and co-ordination of services between
Education and Library Boards and Health and Social Services Boards.
9 July 1998
| 
