SCN0697

Written evidence submitted by the Independent Schools Association

 

 

  1. There are about 80 000 children and young people (CYPs) with identified SEND issues in independent schools which are members of  associations which form the Independent Schools Council (ISC). A majority of these CYPs are found in the 513 member schools of the Independent Schools Association, founded in 1878. (ISA). Of all the CYPs nationally who have EHCPs, 6.3% are found in independent schools. These schools differ in size and their location ranges across England and EHCP placements are from many different Local Authorities. Very few ISC schools opted to seek approval under S41 of the Children and Family Act 2014.

 

  1. The author of this short note was himself Head of the largest Residential Special School in the country and is a Vice president of ISA.

 

 

Assessment and Provision

 

  1. It is fairly rare for an LA to approach an independent school and seek admission for a pupil . Most CYPs in independent schools enter via Tribunal. Some are placed and privately funded in the independent school and then the parents ask their LA for assessment and placement on an EHCP at the current school. This still favours those who have the means to employ specialist lawyers and their associated teams of professionals, which was always the case with Statements of Special Educational Need. Other parents keep their son/daughter in a maintained school and “fight” ,sometimes with the support of educational charities, the LA for assessment and, later, placement in the independent school. This process often takes a considerable and , occasionally, protracted time during which the needs of the CYP go unmet.

 

  1. Both groups of parents choose the independent school for its focussed expertise and in- house provision for supporting SEND students, the wider curriculum and opportunities  which they know are available there, the smaller  classes and, indeed for some needs, the smaller size of the school itself. Some LAs acknowledge that a placement at the independent school would be advantageous. At a Tribunal, an LA case officer said “ A placement at school X would be a Rolls Royce placement, sadly, we can only offer a bicycle”. So in spite of the Secretary of State’s announcement on 17th December 2018, funding is still a major issue. Funds are, to an extent, misapplied in the “battle” between parents and LAs at Tribunal.

 

  1. It cannot be denied that the education of a CYP with SEND is expensive for the ISA school and for other independent schools. There is a need to employ specialist teachers, and, sometimes, therapists and schools cannot usually seek reimbursement for these extra services as they are seen as “reasonable adjustments”. The involvement of professionals from the NHS or LA varies significantly between different Local Authorities: some are very supportive and provide good and often free provision to meet the individual needs of a CYP. Others dismiss any request for that professional help on the grounds that it should be organised and funded by the school in which the CYP is placed. Those CYPs on EHCPs who need CAMHS support receive it in a timely and regular way in some NHS trusts’ areas, in others, there is usually a wait of many months for an initial assessment , and sometimes, little opportunity for meaningful follow up treatment. A number of ISA schools employ their own mental health professionals, so support is available when it is needed.

 

 

Transition from Statements to Education Health and Care Plans and cooperation between Education, Health and Care services.

 

  1. The transition has been completed in almost all areas in which ISA schools are found. It was not an easy process and there is disappointment in most schools about the EHCP document . It is good that it  tries to put the child at its centre, but it is often far less clear than was the Statement in what it is trying to achieve, especially as far as provision and short, medium and long term targets are concerned. Several practitioners have described it as a ”woolly document” .For schools on county and borough boundaries and for boarding schools, it is a shame that there is not a common document . One ISA school has CYPs from over thirty different LAs  and they all have different EHCP documents to use at Annual Reviews.

 

  1. Annual reviews are not always attended by those who have been invited. The focus is still on education and health and social care rarely attend. It has been pointed out above that the availability of support from outside agencies is very patchy. SALT, OT , CAMHS can often only offer advice to schools and assessment of the CYP. Regular intervention by practitioners is usually absent, indeed , language provision is probably still at the level criticised by the Bercow Report in 2008. DfE’s most recent statistics show a sharp rise in ASD as a prime need and many more therapists will be needed to support those students in both independent and maintained schools. It is also noticeable in ISA schools that CYPs diagnosed with dyslexia are often found to have underlying language issues.

 

 

EHCP and Alternative Provision

 

  1. There are a few ISA schools offering Alternative Provision (AP). Most CYPs placed there have had a poor educational experience for a wide range of reasons, many are found to have SEND, but possibly not to the degree needed to initiate EHCP assessment. However, it does seem reasonable that if a student warrants being removed from his/her mainstream setting, then the benefits that accrue from having an EHCP should, for the duration of placement in the AP,  apply to that student. Instead, the student remains on roll at the mainstream school who will often try to lay down which GCSE courses he/she should follow in the AP setting, as the mainstream school is concerned about the effect that student’s grades may have on the mainstream school’s “League Table Position.” So the value of the fresh start and remedial support that could be available in the AP is lost. Additionally, if the CYP could stay on post -16 in the AP and the AP be given a free hand, then the final outcome for the CYP might be considerably improved.

 

 

EHCP and Staff Training

 

  1. Nearly all CYPs on EHCPs receive the bulk of their education in “ordinary” lessons, taught by teachers who may have had little or no specific SEND training. There can be a mystique about SEND which must be dispelled and teachers given a few extra basic skills and a little more knowledge so that they may confidently meet the needs of the student with an EHCP in different subject lessons.

 

 

What might the placement of a student with an EHCP in an ISA school offer that student?

 

  1. No school is perfect and ISA schools do not wish to set themselves apart from , or worse, above other schools. Nevertheless, such placements have shown themselves to be effective. A survey carried out by one Residential Special School in membership with ISA found that of the 130 (approx.) ex students aged 22 to 34 , only 2 were unemployed. A majority had been on Statements of SEN.

 

  1. ISA schools tend to be fairly small, which enables a good two way flow of information about children with SEND.

 

  1. Class sizes are mostly under 20 and often much smaller.

 

  1. They have the freedom to offer what they think is best for a CYP, and to change that offering if it is not working.

 

  1. They will offer individual or small group support given by specialist teachers and/or therapists  on a regular basis.

 

  1. A  wide curriculum is usually available, which enables a CYP to study what interests him/her and succeed in, rather than subjects which he/she does not enjoy and will probably fail at.

 

  1. Regular training in SEND issues will usually be given at INSET.

 

  1. Of course, many mainstream schools will be able to make similar or better provision, but it is worth noting that not all of the above relates to funding, much is to do with structure and attitude within schools.

 

 

 

April 2019