Agenda item

Report of Interim Strategic Director, Care Wellbeing and Learning

The Committee received an update relating to the changes and developments to special school provision. This is following on from last year’s review that an annual conversation be held with special schools.

There are 6 special schools in Gateshead, Dryden and Hill Top ae a hard federation and the Executive Headteacher is Jane Bryant. Furrowfield and Eslington are a soft federation and the Executive Headteacher is Michelle Richards and is an academy.

All of the schools have been rated by Ofsted as at least good with Dryden, Eslington and Gibside schools outstanding schools. This supports the view that Gateshead has high quality special school provision in place.

The SEN Strategy group are currently working on a new vision to give a context to future developments for schools including special schools and the future SEN provision for the local authority. The vision ensures that health and social care providers with other service users are in partnership to deliver high quality provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Comparing the 2015 and 2016 data in relation to special schools shows that:

·         The numbers of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) has significantly increased in 2016.  This has particularly impacted on Gibside school and is about 60% of the school population. The Cedars also has greater numbers of ASD than previous years.

·         Pupils with Social, Emotional, Mental Health needs (SEMH) is also increasing which is adding pressure to the numbers for both Eslington and Furrowfield schools.

·         Speech, Language and Communications Needs (SLCN) is also increasing on the previous year. While Profund, Multiple, Learning Difficulty (PMLD) has stayed about the same.

The Committee were advised that Gibside school, from early years information, is predicting the need to expand further. It currently has a base of two classrooms in Blaydon Children’s centre to accommodate previously required additional numbers. However, new information will require more classroom space for September 2016. The local authority is checking recent data and the governing body of the school are in discussions with the local authority on how it could increase numbers and find more classroom space to be prepared for September 2016.

Committee were reminded that a report to Cabinet on 24 February 2015 outlined proposed new developments for Eslington Primary school for an extra 30 places to make 68 places in total (including 8 additionally resourced places) and to extend the intake age range from 5-11 to 2 -11 year olds with effect from 1 September 2015. The report also requested that the council convert the Redheugh block at Tyne View Children’s Centre to create a split site school.

This proposal was because it had been identified that the number of children with Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH) needs requiring specialist educational support was rising and it is anticipated this will continue to increase in the future. A number of pupils were placed in mainstream schools due to a lack of place in specialist provision like Eslington which was deemed the best place to meet their needs.

The new facility at Tyne View opened in September 2015 and 4 classrooms (accommodating 7 pupils in each, allowing for 30 pupils in total) are in place. The cost of Tyne block conversion fit out was met from the Council’s capital programme on the basis that the project will generate revenue savings for the Council.

Eslington Primary School currently admits children from 5 to 11 years of age. The early education and intervention for two year olds and reception aged children, in response to views received during the informal consultation exercise carried out. This will increase the number of specialist placements available for 2 year olds which will assist in meeting the objectives of the government’s initiative to provide 2 year olds with free education if they meet certain criteria, including if they have a current statement of special educational needs (SEN) or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. However, places at the moment have been taken over by 5 year old pupils.

The Committee were also advised that a nurse was appointed for the Gateshead Special Schools, in September 2015. Her post is described as a Registered Child’s Nurse for special schools. She is working with the Children’s Disability Nursing Team and is line managed by them. The post is based at Low Fell Clinic though the schools had preferred it would be in one of the schools. The reason given for this that it had not been possible as the nurse needed a computer linked to the NHS system. However, though the nurse was given a computer by Gibside school the nurse does not yet have access to the NHS system unless she is at the clinic. This, therefore, means that much needed time in schools is lost because twice daily the nurse goes to the clinic to check emails and collect information.

Hopefully this is a temporary situation but the schools are concerned that the amount of time they had expected to have is not in place. However, the support given, for example, such as feeding clinics, has been helpful. The nurse is also wiring or updating the health care plans in line with the single plan reviews, though this happens away from the schools as they are written at the clinic and opportunities are missed for the staff to share information. The nurse then has to print out information and can only amend on return to the clinic.

The special schools have recognised that they need to track and clarify the work of the nurse with the Children’s Disability team whether it is training, for example, around gastro feeds and toileting of Education Health Care Plans so that all managers’ expectations are met particularly for this specific role of the nurse. They hope, therefore, to achieve more consistency and liaison to move this opportunity further to meet school needs.