Agenda item

Report of Interim Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received a report on the current position in relation to special school provision in Gateshead. It was confirmed that there are six special schools in Gateshead, all of which are either good or outstanding.

It was reported that Hilltop School is seeing an increase in the number of pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, this means the overall profile of the school is changing. The school is not yet full, however staff are currently dealing with a higher level of need, with more pupils having complex mental health needs.  Similarly at Gibside there are more pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the school is full and faces continuing challenge in terms of additional space for more pupils.  It was noted that there is a real need in Gateshead for additional provision for children with severe learning difficulties as many are now going out of borough.

The Cedars Academy became a trust when numbers fell previously, however the school is now over capacity and caters for early years to post 16. Currently the provision for post 16 is delivered from Walker Terrace, which is a rented space and offers independent life skill curriculum. The school is building their capacity and in the process of refurbishing the current site to enable extra students to be taken on, this will also enable a more definite split between primary and secondary provision within the school.

Eslington School is operating from two sites due to an increase in demand for places. There are now 60 places and 8 Additionally Resourced Mainstream (ARMS) places. The school has been recognised as outstanding and works well with mainstream primary schools around transition work with potential pupils.

Furrowfield School is a secondary school with 71 places and 14 residential places, for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It was noted that there are challenges in terms of educational outcomes because a lot of pupils join the school late and their outcomes are not successful.

It was reported that Eslington Primary and Furrowfield Schools have gone through the soft federation process and are considering forming a hard federation. This will enable teacher practice to be shared across sites, offering more consistency of approach, and also ensuring better transition arrangements are in place. It was acknowledged that it is very important to manage transition well for these particular pupils and this is the benefit of a federation.

In terms of Dryden School the population continues to be stable, with some pupils having autism spectrum disorder as their primary need as well as severe learning difficulties. It was reported that there are financial challenges in relation to pupils within the 16-19 age range with profound difficulties as the Education Funding Agency only funds places for three days per week, however those pupils are receiving full time provision. Discussions are ongoing around how to continue to fund these places.

It was confirmed that the number of children and young people requiring special education is increasing, currently there are 525 in Gateshead which is an increase from 329 in 2009. Therefore there is a need to change the picture of provision as the needs of the children change. It was also noted that the closure of Additionally Resourced Mainstream School (ARMS) provision in some mainstream schools has impacted on special schools, for example The Cedars and Gibside took up extra capacity as a result.

The point was made that more places are needed for complex autism spectrum disorder and children with social, emotional and mental health needs as well as a need to accommodate two year olds. It was confirmed that numbers are increasing, however funding is not increasing at the same rate, therefore there is a need to prioritise provision.

It was questioned whether the increase in autism was due to a real increase or due to better diagnosis. It was confirmed that research has led to better diagnosis in more defined areas.

The point was made that there have been examples of families not knowing about The Cedars academy until after their child has been placed in a school out of the borough. It was therefore queried what the strategic plan for the future is in terms of The Cedars and what the cost of sending a child out of borough. It was noted that work is ongoing with special school Headteachers as to what information is going out to parents to ensure they are aware of all the options. It was confirmed that the cost of educating a child out of the borough is approximately £30,000. The point was also made that there has been no capital investment in The Cedars for a number of years and more support is needed.

It was questioned whether the increase in permanent exclusions from mainstream schools due to behaviour has impacted on the demand on special schools.  It was acknowledged that there are concerns about the levels of permanent exclusions and discussions are ongoing with secondary schools as the rate is increasing faster than the national rate. It was recognised that this is a secondary problem and if it became a primary school problem this could be absorbed by Eslington school.  It was confirmed that many of the permanent exclusions are managed by the Fair Access Panel through managed moves to other mainstream schools.

Committee was advised that SEND inspection has been completed and formal feedback is expected in the next few months, verbal feedback is positive.

RESOLVED    -           That the Committee continue to receive an annual report on

Special schools and provision.