Agenda item

To scrutinise the Additional Learning Needs education

provision and to secure the input and understanding of the

Scrutiny Committee of the progress made to ensure that

Gwynedd is ready for the new ALN and Inclusion Act.

DECISION

1.    To accept the report and note the observations.

2.    Ask the Cabinet Member for Education

·       To consider examining whether the membership of the guidance group for admissions to special schools should be amended.

·       To look at ways to identify, improve provision and facilitate arrangements for the specific cohort of children who are in the mainstream, who have profound needs but  do not meet the threshold for receiving support

·       To look at ways to continue to protect the budget for special schools and monitor that money is being spent appropriately and in line with the guidelines.

·       to encourage practitioners to take advantage of training, and to ascertain whether it is possible to ensure funding received for training is spent solely on training

·       To investigate the possibility of providing satellite provision in some schools.

·       To correspond with Welsh Government to express concern about the lack of funding and resources available for additional learning needs and the challenges facing schools

 

The report was submitted by the Cabinet Member for Education, noting that he had written it following a request from the Education and Economy Committee to receive an update on matters relating to Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in mainstream schools and special schools. It was explained that the report outlined the difficulties facing schools in Gwynedd as a result of a change in the demand for service, the current financial climate and the impacts of cuts.

It was emphasised that the situation was difficult, but there were opportunities for the department to improve, and a clear desire to do the best for the children and young people in the county. It was emphasised that this field caused concern to some members and was a complicated field which deserved attention.

Attention was drawn to the impact of years of austerity and financial savings on the Council's ability to provide effective services, emphasising that that impact reached every corner of the community. The willingness to listen, discuss and consider what could be done differently in the future to support children, young people and their families better was expressed.

During the discussion, the following observations were made:- 

It was asked who was responsible for determining a criteria for access to special schools. In response, it was explained that it was the authority's responsibility for ensuring a child's placement in a special school, noting that descriptions of the needs expected in special schools has been defined, and that applications were being assessed against those. It was emphasised that the authority always had the final decision.

It was asked further what guidelines and criteria were used when determining these expectations. In response, it was explained that the criteria were associated with the curriculum and the provision that the child required. It was noted that the ALN Act emphasised the need to consider mainstream education first, before turning to provision in a special school if the child's needs were not being met in the mainstream. In response to a question regarding reviewing the criteria, it was noted:

·       That reviews had been held in 2017 and then in 2020.

·       Work was continuing on a document which summarised the criteria in a simpler way, with an intention to share it with the special schools soon.

·       Needs' categories in the form of 'bands' had been established, from band one (the most intensive needs) to band four, and the assessments were conducted in accordance with these bands.

·       The evidence now focused on explaining the criteria to parents and schools and defining the evidence used to assess the bands.

It was asked who was responsible for creating the criteria. In response, it was noted that the panel included the authority's ALN services, educational psychologists, specialist teachers from various teams and the Headteachers of the special schools. It was confirmed that no external agency was currently part of the process, but there were discussions with the regional board, and it was hoped that the Headteachers of mainstream schools were part of the panel moving forward. It was noted that the health board was not a member of the moderation panel, but discussions with the health board had commenced as it was a practice seen in other counties.

Reference was made to the increase in the demand for spaces in special schools and the need for additional resources in the mainstream, especially for children with physical needs, and children with intensive needs had to remain in the mainstream because of lack of capacity in special schools. It was asked who was responsible for providing specialist equipment to support these people. In response, it was explained:

·       If the equipment related to medical physical needs, it would derive from an assessment by an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist and would be provided by the health board.

·       ⁠If the equipment was associated with educational needs, such as visual impairment, the authority would provide those resources.

·       It was noted that provision for early years posed more of a challenge, as the locations were not statutory. It was elaborated that a discussion was being held with the Health Board regarding this.

It was asked whether the department had any statistics about children and young people with an Individual Development Plan (IDP) who had been de-registered from education since Covid. In response, it was noted that the department had a record of those children and they received support through a homeschooling grant. It was confirmed that teachers were being employed to keep in contact with the families and coordinate reviews of the IDP. A member asked for specific statistics and it was confirmed that that information would be shared.

Concern was expressed about the funding level for Gwynedd's special schools compared with the rest of Wales, asking what was being done to get to grips with the situation. It was further noted that children who were on the same level of needs as previously seen were not being accepted into special schools now, and the lack of provision for those children in the mainstream caused a concern. It was asked what was being done to get to grips with the situation of these children who had intensive needs but did not meet the criteria for access to special schools. In response, the following was explained:

·       Gwynedd was not amongst the authorities which funded the least, according to the 2023-24 Estyn report, and no cuts had been implemented in the special sector.

·       There was increasing pressure on the service as a result of the higher number of children with intensive needs being referred to special schools.

·       ⁠Children with ALN received good support in mainstream schools and many succeeded fully through that provision.

·       The provision continued to develop, with emphasis on inclusion, but there was a need to find the right balance between inclusion and meeting the specific needs of children.

·       Mapping work was currently being done to assess the needs of learners across the age groups, including the early years, to proactively plan for the future.

·       Changes in the post-16 funding meant that there would be a need to consider the provision for 16–19-year-old learners, including options outside school, namely colleges.

·       The service also reviewed the profile of centres where children spent part of the week, to ensure that they still met the changing demand.

·       The biggest change in the profile of needs was the needs in terms of language, communication and therapy, especially amongst young learners with IDP.

·       Data showed a peak in the number of learners in special schools during the end of the primary period and the beginning of the secondary period, with the number stabilising following that.

Views were expressed that there was success in the mainstream, but cases of failure were also prominent and caused concern. Reference was made to the change in the IDP funding formula in mainstream schools, asking how it could be ensured that the funding was spent appropriately on additional learning needs. Concern was expressed that the funding could be used for other fields, such as improving academic results, leading to lack of provision for pupils with ALN. In response, the following was noted:

·       Schools had a legal duty to provide what was noted in an IDP.

·       ALN officers monitored the use of funding as part of the monitoring process.

·       A guidance document would be shared with the schools by Easter, noting the expectations in terms of appropriate use of the funding, and what was acceptable and unacceptable.

·       The information would be included in the quality assurance process in schools.

Appreciation was expressed for ALN units in Dolgellau schools in the past, and it was suggested that it should be considered whether it was possible to re-establish satellite centres in mainstream schools. It was further asked whether the Welsh Government was being lobbied regarding the lack of Welsh-speaking educational psychologists. In response, it was explained:

·       The mapping work included consideration of small groups of learners in secondary mainstream schools, who needed a different curriculum but was unsuitable for a special school.

·       Bangor University had received a sign of investment for three training spaces in September 2027, but at least six were required to sustainably maintain the course.

·       Discussions continued with the Government on an official and political level.

Attention was drawn to the change in the nature of pupils' needs, including communication and behavioural problems, and it was asked whether there was sufficient support for staff who worked with these learners. Concern was raised regarding schools' difficulty to recruit assistants, and it was asked whether a training package was available to make the job more attractive. In response, the following was noted:

·       The best provision was when the team modelled working methods in schools.

·       The demand had increased but resources did not increase proportionately, putting strain on the flexibility of staff in schools.

·       The number of IDP had increased as well as the complexity of needs, meaning that collaboration between teams was now essential.

·       Schools faced the challenge of maintaining the provision with the same level of funding, creating tensions that needed to be resolved.

·       Changing the funding formula had allowed schools to plan better by getting assurance of the pots for a whole year. It was hoped that this would lead to longer contracts for assistants and less staff rotation.

It was asked about the rationale behind the change to the funding formula, noting that some specific schools had lost funding, without clear evidence of others gaining funding in its place. In response, it was explained that:

·       The previous arrangement was based on requests to a panel, which was unstable and unfair in some areas.

·       The new formula was fairer as it was based on the complexity of needs instead of numbers only.

·       A safety net had been established to ensure that no school would lose more than 50% of its funding in the first year.

·       The Welsh Government grant had been used to bridge the gap in the first year, with the hope of renewing it.

·       The formula had been planned across a primary and secondary sector basis, correcting historical imbalance.

·       Discussions had taken place on an individual level with some schools who had seen a reduction, and they had received a fair explanation.

It was asked whether the funding followed the pupil should they transfer schools or be excluded. In response, it was explained that exceptions to the formula were being considered on a case-by-case basis, and transfers led to re-distributing the funding as appropriate.

It was suggested that providing provision at Ysgol Bro Idris should be reconsidered, considering the high travel costs to Ysgol Hafod Lon. In response, it was noted that the profiling and mapping work included consideration of that possibility, but there was a need to ensure suitable expertise and an appropriate environment.

The importance of inclusion in mainstream schools where possible was emphasised, but there was a need to ensure appropriate support for staff and learners. In response, it was agreed that there was a lot of pressure on coordinating the IDP process and work was underway to ease the administrative load, including working in catchment area bands and providing ALN training in the mainstream to primary and secondary schools from April onwards. The importance of expanding the curriculum to avoid unintended exclusions of pupils with ALN was highlighted. It was noted that grants were available for ALN coordinators to support, free up time and fund training.

RESOLVED

1.    To accept the report and note the observations.

2.    To ask the Cabinet Member for Education:

·       To consider examining whether the membership of the guidance group for admissions to special schools should be amended.

·       To look at ways to identify, improve provision and facilitate arrangements for the specific cohort of children who are in the mainstream, who have profound needs but do not meet the threshold for receiving support.

·       To look at ways to continue to protect the budget for special schools and monitor that money is being spent appropriately and in line with the guidelines.

·       To encourage practitioners to take advantage of training, and to ascertain whether it is possible to ensure funding received for training is only spent on training.

·       To investigate the possibility of providing satellite provision in some schools.

·       To correspond with Welsh Government to express concern about the lack of funding and resources available for additional learning needs and the challenges facing schools.