Support and Aspiration: Progress and next steps

The vision for change  Our vision is of a system in which: –Children’s special educational needs are picked up early and support is routinely put in place quickly; –Staff have the knowledge, understanding and skills to provide the right support for children and young people who have SEN or are disabled wherever they are; –Parents know what they can reasonably expect their local school, local college, local authority and local services to provide, without them having to fight for it; –For more complex needs, an integrated assessment and a single Education, Health and Care Plan from birth to 25; and –Greater control for parents over the services they and their family use.

Context for change  School and professional frameworks –National Curriculum review –New Early Years Foundation Stage framework published and Nutbrown review on early education and childcare qualifications in progress –Munro review recommendations accepted by Government  Health and adult social care system reforms –Health and Social Care Act in place –Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum established Jan 2012 to make recommendations to Heath Secretary of State in summer –Adult social care review underway  Change for children and families –Queen’s Speech included range of measures to support children and families

 By 2014 we will introduce: –A single assessment process which is more streamlined, better involves children, young people and families and is completed quickly; –An Education, Health and Care Plan which brings services together and is focused on improving outcomes; and –An offer of a personal budget for families with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Green Paper commitments

Timescales We intend to introduce legislation through a Children and Families Bill in this session of Parliament to implement the changes to the law required for our Green Paper reforms. Summer 2012Spring 2013Spring 2014 onwards Publish draft Bill Consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny period Introduce Bill in Parliament Royal Assent and implementation

Testing the best ways of achieving our reforms  In 2011 we set up a pathfinder programme. Twenty local pathfinders involving thirty one local authorities and their health sector partners are testing the key reforms.  The pathfinders will help us to consider what else can be done to support the reforms and enable us to share widely what works.  This is about changes in the ways that education, health and social care professionals work with children, young people and families and in the ways they work with each other: not just legislation.

A better deal for children, young people and families  The reforms are about strengthening protections, not taking them away: –Parents will not lose the legal protections offered by the current statement of special educational needs in the new system; we plan to extend those protections to young people over 16 in further education; –Families of children with an Education, Health and Care Plan will have the option of a personal budget for their support but will not be forced to take up that option. The support in the Plan will be provided regardless of how they choose to receive it; –Our plans to move from two school-based categories of SEN to one will not reduce the funds for schools to support children with SEN, and this is not a number-cutting exercise.

Developing the expertise to support our reforms  We are working with the Council for Disabled Children to build on and share the expertise in the voluntary sector.  £6 million a year over two years is being provided to a range of different organisations who will support local areas in putting into practice some of the approaches we know work well. These include: Short breaks Parent Partnership Services Early Support Preparation for Adulthood Parent Carer Forums Mental health Early Language Development

Making progress in taking forward the Green Paper reforms  In addition to setting up the pathfinder programme and funding organisations to build expertise in supporting children and young people and their families, we have taken forward many of the specific commitments we gave in the Green Paper in each of the following areas: –Early Identification and assessment –Giving parents control –Learning and achieving –Preparation for adulthood –Services working together

Strengthening the workforce  To equip teachers to identify and meet pupils’ needs we are: –sharpening a focus on SEN in qualified teacher status; –increasing the number of initial teacher training placements in special schools – funding 900 places this year; –providing significant scholarships, continuing professional development and training opportunities in for teachers and support staff; and –funding a further 1000 SENCO training places this financial year.

Sharper accountability  OFSTED framework  Specific measures in the performance tables from December 2011 (for Key Stage 2) and January 2012 (for Key Stage 4) on the lowest 20% of attainers Supporting school-led improvement  including through making the successful Achievement for All programme, to improve outcomes in English and maths for pupils with SEN, available to any school that wants it.

Freedom and flexibility  opportunity to convert to Academies and gain the freedom to innovate, improve standards and raise the achievement of all pupils.  Parents, voluntary sector and other organisations able to come forward with proposals for special Free Schools to increase the choices open to parents of disabled children and children with SEN. Funding Reform  proposals for funding provision for high needs pupils and students to bring together funding for pupils and students under 16 and over-16 and provide a clearer and more consistent basis for funding specialist provision

13 Purpose of the pathfinders  The 20 SEND pathfinders (representing 31 LAs and their Health partners) are working towards the following common objectives:  To develop a new 0-25 assessment process and a single plan which bring together the education, health and social care services and focuses on improving outcomes;  To explore how the voluntary and community sector can improve access to specialist expertise and introduce greater independence;  To ensure the full engagement of children, young people and their parents and families, schools and colleges; and  To improve choice and control for children, young people and their families through the use of personal budgets and direct payments.

Schools and colleges are essential to the pathfinders  Schools are the only universal service which every disabled child/child with SEN has regular contact  Important links between school-based outcomes, health-based outcomes and wider wellbeing outcomes for all children  Schools and colleges are vital to all elements of pathfinder testing: –local offer –single assessment and plan –personal budget and direct payments –banded funding –engaging with parents, carers, children and young people  Involving head teachers on key advisory groups.

15 Statutory Frameworks  Pathfinders are testing how to reform the system, but they are doing so within the existing statutory frameworks.  This means that: –Pathfinders need to work creatively in partnership with parents, schools/ colleges, voluntary sector partners etc to find new and better ways to meet the needs of disabled children and those with SEN; –But parents retain their right to request an assessment and the LA retains its duties in relation to assessments and statements.  The existing frameworks now include the amendment made to the 1996 Education Act (through the 2011 Act) to enable pathfinders to test the use of direct payments for special educational provision.

Sep 11Jan 12April 12July 12 Oct 12 Jan 13 April onwards The SEND pathfinder story… Initial set up - Bids approved, programme launched (end Sept) Recruitment of families and ongoing engagement - Local governance in place; families recruited for single assessments starting in Feb (all pathfinders by July) Testing and learning - of assessment and planning process; action learning networks including personal & banded funding, assessment and plan (from March); regular feedback on learning New offer for children, young people & families – including use of education direct payments; EHC Plans in place; local offers in action Rollout phase - Final evaluation report (spring 2013). Best practice shared. Possible extension of pathfinders By 2014 a new Education, Health and Care Plan and choice of personal budget

17 What’s next?  Pathfinders continue to develop, review and test new processes with support from Mott MacDonald, including the use of education and health direct payments  New ‘food for thought’ section on the SEND Pathfinder website is being developed further with pathfinder updates and learning –  Reports published from pathfinder evaluation (summer and autumn)  Pathfinders are developing their new local offers for the autumn – schools will be a vital part of every offer  Findings from the pathfinders will inform each stage of the legislative process