Agenda item

Mrs. K. Hill had earlier declared that she is an independent Special Educational Needs advisor.

The Committee received a presentation outlining the transformation of additional learning needs support in Wales and the current position in Carmarthenshire. The Committee was informed that the Welsh Government was introducing a new Bill to reform the support system for children and young people with additional learning needs (ALN). The Welsh Government and ALN practitioners deemed the reform necessary and long overdue as:

·         The current assessment process was inefficient, bureaucratic and costly and based on a model introduced more than 30 years ago

·         The current system was not sufficiently child-centred or user-friendly

·         Needs were being identified late and interventions were not sufficiently timely and effective

·         In 2015, only 23% of learners with SEN achieved the Level 2 inclusive threshold compared to 58% of all pupils

It was expected that Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill would be published in December 2016. The Bill would create the legislative framework to improve the planning and delivery of additional learning provision, through a person-centred approach to identifying needs early, putting in place effective support and monitoring and adapting interventions to ensure the delivery of the desired outcomes. The Additional Learning Needs Code would then provide the statutory guidance underpinning the Bill, including mandatory requirements. Members noted that two key changes would be:

•           The extension of the age range from 0-18 to 0-25 – All children and young people would have the same rights to receive the provision they required and this would assist in improving transition between school and post-16 education.

•           A single statutory plan – Individual Development Plans (IDP) would replace the variety of statutory and non-statutory plans for learners in schools and full-time education.

The Committee was updated on the approach being undertaken by the Local Authority in readiness of having to implement the new legislation, namely through workforce development, implementation / transition support, awareness-raising and supporting policy.

The following issues were discussed during consideration of this item:

It was asked whether officers envisaged a cost saving to the Authority in the long term due to the simplifying and streamlining of the assessment process and whether fewer or more staff would be required. The Additional Needs Provision Manager acknowledged that the workforce would need to be reviewed and it was probable that some staff would be redeployed to work in different areas of responsibility (e.g. away from the current assessment process) and that capacity would need to be built up in other areas (e.g. for work with young people in the 18-25 age category). She noted that there were many unknowns and until the programme started, it would be difficult to be specific about the potential impact.

In response to a further question on potential savings to the service due to the reduction in the number of assessments undertaken, the Additional Needs Provision Manager confirmed that any savings made would be re-directed into other services. The main savings envisaged would be around staff time. One example would be the educational psychologists who, instead of spending time in conducting unnecessary assessments, could be better deployed out in schools and building capacity amongst staff.   

Reference was made to the significant drop in the academic attainment of pupils with additional learning needs, especially between key stages 3 and 4 and it was asked why this had taken so long to identify and address. The Additional Needs Provision Manager noted that the data quoted in the presentation were all-Wales figures and that historically, the focus for ‘special educational needs’ had been on cognitive impairments (low ability) and this had fostered low expectations and aspirations of pupils in this category. Officers felt that the introduction of the new Bill was very timely and would raise aspirations and expectations for all pupils as many had needs which would not necessarily impair their abilities to achieve educationally (e.g. behavioural, emotional needs).

In response to a query regarding the role of parents and their rights in requesting assessments for their children, the Additional Needs Provision Manager confirmed that parents already had a significant role to play in the existing as well as the new process and that they would still be within their rights to request that their child be formally assessed. However, it was envisaged that as the planning process began earlier in schools, any issues would be identified and that parents could be signposted to the relevant agencies at a much earlier stage.  

Whilst the forthcoming changes were to be welcomed, it was asked whether there would be financial implications for the Authority in having to implement these changes. The Additional Needs Provision Manager stated that authorities would have to wait and see until the details and guidance were published in due course. However, the Welsh Government had set aside funding for an innovation grant which would be available to assist local authorities to implement and transfer to the new arrangements.

It was asked whether the training provided for school staff would be sufficient. The Additional Needs Provision Manager reassured the Committee that much work had already been undertaken in planning for the new arrangements in addition to the existing support provided for schools (e.g. Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator Forum, all-school training sessions). The Inclusion Service operated a ‘coaching model’ which provided assistance to school staff and this would continue in the future. However, she added that head teachers had been aware of these proposed changes for a long time and that there was a responsibility on school leaders to plan ahead and arrange the training necessary for their staff members.

Whilst the presentation was welcomed, concern was expressed that the current process of allocating funding was haphazard and it was asked whether a pilot project had been or would be conducted to test the new arrangements. The Additional Needs Provision Manager confirmed that Carmarthenshire County Council had been part of a pilot project that had been undertaken a few years ago with Glan-y-Môr Secondary School and its respective feeder schools. Personal development plans were piloted and all the County’s schools were invited to view the good practice. Again, she reminded the Committee that school leaders and the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators had a duty to provide training in their respective schools.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the update be received.