East Sussex Children's Services Accessibility Strategy 2018-2021 - Our Strategy for improving access for children and young people with special ...
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East Sussex Children’s Services
Accessibility Strategy
2018-2021
Our Strategy for improving access for
children and young people with
special educational needs and
learning difficulties and/or disabilities
Contents:
1. Purpose of the Strategy 3
i. The legal context
ii. Who is considered as having a disability
iii. Disability and Special Educational Needs
2. Our Vision and Values 4
• SEN and Inclusion
• Principles
3. The priorities of the Accessibility Strategy 6
A: Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in
the schools’ curriculum
• Achievements to date to increase access to the curriculum
• Priorities to increase access to the curriculum
• Achievements to date to increase access to activities within and
beyond the school day
B: Increasing access to the physical environment
C: Improving the provision to disabled pupils of information that is
provided in writing to pupils who are not disabled
4. Consultation and Participation 17
• Achievements to date to improve consultation and participation
• Our priorities for the development of consultation and
participation
5. Data Information 21
6. Making it happen 22
Appendix 1: The Able group 25
2
1. The Purpose of the Strategy:
This strategy outlines East Sussex County Council’s vision and the practical implications for
improving access of disabled children and young people to the services, including education, which
we provide directly, and those which we provide alongside our partners. This strategy updates the
previous strategy for 2016-2018.
i. The Legal Context:
The Equality Act 2010 replaced existing equality legislation, including the Disability Discrimination
Act and others. Its function has been to simplify the law and bring together the duties and
requirements within one piece of legislation. The effect of the Equality Act is to extend protection to
groups of people who were previously covered by separate laws and to incorporate all provisions
into one piece of legislation.
The Equality Act introduced a single Public Sector Equality Duty – sometimes also called the
‘general duty’ that applies to public bodies, including maintained schools, academies and Free
Schools. This duty extends to all protected characteristic – race, disability, sex, age, religion or
belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment. This combined duty
came into effect in April 2011.
There are three main elements to this duty. When carrying out their functions, public bodies are
required to have due regard to the need to:
• Eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Act
• Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and
people who do not share it
• Foster good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected
characteristic and people who do not share it
Schedule 10 of the Equality Act details the requirements for a local authority’s accessibility strategy
and the accessibility arrangements for pupils in schools (Section 88). This strategy sets out
the ways East Sussex County Council will:-
• Increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the schools’ curriculums
• Improve the physical environment of the schools for the purpose of increasing the extend to
which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and benefits, facilities or services
provided or offered by the schools
• Improve the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible to those
young people that are not disabled
The duty states that the above must be delivered ‘within a reasonable time’ and ‘in ways which are
determined after taking account of the pupils’ disabilities and any preferences expressed by them or
their parents’
ii. Who is considered as having a disability?
You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has
a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.
What ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ mean
• ‘substantial’ is more than minor or trivial - eg it takes much longer than it usually would to
complete a daily task like getting dressed
• ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more - eg a breathing condition that develops as a result of
a lung infection
3
This strategy is based on the social model of disability which is a positive view of disability that
focuses on ability rather than disability. It challenges us all to identify and take action to remove the
barriers that prevent disabled people from taking their rightful part in the normal life of the
community. It requires all agencies to work together to address inequalities across health,
education, employment, housing, access, transport, sport and leisure.
iii. Disability and Special Educational Needs
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or
she:
• has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age,
or
• has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind
generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-
16 institutions1
For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational or training provision that
is additional to or different from that made generally for other children or young people of the same
age by mainstream schools, maintained nursery schools, mainstream post-16 institutions or by
relevant early years providers. For a child under two years of age, special educational provision
2
means educational provision of any kind.
A child under compulsory school age has special educational needs if he or she is likely to fall
within the definition above when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special
3
educational provision was not made for them
A child or young person who has either special educational needs or another disability will be
referred to in this strategy as having Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND).
2. Our Vision and Values:
In East Sussex our vision for children and young people with special needs and/or disabilities is the
same as for all children and young people – that they achieve well in their early years, at school
and in college; are well cared for, have their health needs met, lead happy and fulfilled lives and
have choice and control over the key decisions that affect them.
At the heart of the Education and ISEND Division is a set of core values:
• All children and young people, irrespective of background or needs, are entitled to a good
education that enables them to fulfil their potential.
• Settings, schools, colleges, academy sponsors and the local authority share responsibility
for children’s and young people’s educational outcomes.
• Providing challenge on the performance of settings, schools and colleges, and being willing
to use powers of intervention where particularly rapid improvement is needed, is an
important part of the local authority’s advocacy for children and young people.
• Working in partnership and jointly brokering appropriate high quality support for children
with special educational needs and disabilities, from a range of providers, is the key to
sustainable improvement and makes a real difference to schools, children and families.
• Support is provided based on a sound understanding of the local context and interventions
are flexible enough to meet the particular needs of schools, children and families.
In order to achieve our vision, all services will adhere to the following principles:
1
SEND Code of Practice 2015 xiv
2
SEND Code of Practice 2015 xv
3
Section 20 Children and Families Act 2014
4
• Integration of key services to ensure there is a streamlined response and any potential
duplication is minimised
• Innovation in all of our work, continually evaluating the efficacy of what we do and striving
to become a progressive organisation
• Transformation of our work and the work of others, to bring about sustained
improvements in the outcomes for children and young people.
East Sussex guidance and support for schools on diversity and equality is underpinned by the
following key principles:
• We are all of equal value
• We seek to improve the access, participation, achievements and life chances for all
This vision underpins the council’s aims and strategy for children and young people as set out in:
• The Council Plan 2018/19
• The Children’s Services Portfolio Plan 2017/18 – 2019/20
• The Special Educational Needs & Disability Strategy 2018-2021
• Excellence for All: A strategy for education improvement in East Sussex
2017-2019
• Joint Strategy Needs Assessment 2018
SEN and Inclusion
In East Sussex we believe that, in relation to education, inclusion
• is based on the acceptance of diverse needs and respect for cultural differences;
• is enabling all children, whose needs and circumstances might hinder them from being
educated with their peers, to access an appropriate curriculum and to achieve their
potential;
• is enabling more children to learn, enjoy and participate alongside their peers for more of
the time;
• means identifying and removing the barriers some children face in accessing the most
appropriate setting;
• requires commitment, dialogue, collaboration and initiative.
Principles:
• all children and young people have a right to have their needs met;
• this will normally be in their local mainstream school;
• the views of the child or young person should be sought and taken into account;
• parent/carers have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education and
development;
• all children and young people, including those with special educational needs, should be
offered access to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum.
5
3. The Priorities of the Accessibility Strategy
A: Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the schools’
curriculums
B: Increasing access to the physical environment of the schools for the purpose of
increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education
and benefits, facilities or services provided or offered by the schools;
C: Improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily accessible
to pupils who are not disabled
A. Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the schools’ curriculums
The Council’s commitment to increasing access to the curriculum is underpinned by the aim to
improve achievement and progress for all children (Children’s Services Portfolio Plan 2018-2020) –
extracts from the plan are below:
• In the context of diminishing resources we will remain committed to an Early Help service
which will enable us to provide support to the most vulnerable children and young people at
an earlier stage, before they get into difficulties which require social care interventions. In
this way we aim to achieve better outcomes.
• ……. to work with the right children and families, in the right way for the right amount of
time to bring about change, helping families to build resilience and coping strategies to
avoid public service dependency. Individual and community responsibility ….
• Working in partnership with schools, colleges, early years’ settings and providers, we are
committed to improving educational outcomes for all children and young people in the
county, ensuring that every child does well from the earliest years until they enter
employment.
• We will also work with schools and academies to be more inclusive in their support of
children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities promoting
health, wellbeing and resilience and preventing problems from developing. In particular we
will focus on reducing the number of requests for assessment, the number of children with
Education, Health and Care Plans and reduce the number of children placed in more
expensive independent placements.
Our vision for the way services will be developed over the next year is underpinned by a number of
important work programmes/strategies:
o Early Help
o ‘Excellence for All’ our strategy for school improvement
o Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) High Needs Review
o ISEND Strategy
o Social work reforms
We hold high expectations that all children and young people will have the chance to prosper and
achieve, regardless of their educational or physical needs, their family background, the school they
attend or the neighbourhood where they live. Education for pupils with special needs and/or
disabilities remains a high priority in East Sussex. All those working with these children and young
people must hold the highest expectations for their achievement. It is important that they receive
the support they need to prepare for the next stage of education, training or employment and that
they are well cared for and are supported to lead happy and fulfilled lives
The Excellence for All Strategy aims to ensure that all children and young people educated in East
Sussex have the opportunity to achieve their potential and benefit from a broad range of pathways
to further learning and employment, for their own fulfilment and to help drive economic
6
regeneration. It is built around a commitment from all partners to a shared responsibility for
improvement and the importance of achieving rapid and sustainable impact.
The Inclusion, Special Educational Needs Service (ISEND) Strategy has four overarching strategic
areas of focus:
• Improving communication with families, children and young people
• Transition at every point
• High quality provision, outcomes and aspirations
• Building capacity to improve inclusive practice in schools, settings, colleges and services
The Strategy sets out the shared strategic aims for children and young people with Special
Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in East Sussex which are endorsed by all stakeholders.
In addition to input from providers and commissioners of services for children and young people,
the Strategy was co-produced with parents and carers and incorporates the aspirations of children
and young people with SEND. As such, reflects the joint priorities for all to improve outcomes for
children and young people with SEND in East Sussex.
The SEND Strategy incorporates key priorities from the Local Area Inspection of SEND (2016), the
Amaze report, ‘Building Parent Carer Participation in East Sussex (2017), and the Strategic Review
of High Needs Funding (2018).
Achievements to date to increase access to the curriculum:
Actions since 2016 to Improve Access to the Curriculum:
• We have seen a very rapid increase in the number of children having access to high quality
primary
education, with over 96% of early years’ providers and over 90% of primary schools now
judged
good or better by Ofsted. The secondary and post-16 sectors continue to perform well in
terms of
Ofsted outcomes.
• As at February 2018 schools judged by Ofsted to be good or outstanding:
92.9% of primary schools against the national average of 89.9%.
100% of Special schools against the national average 93.7%.
77.8% of secondary schools against a national average of 80.1%.
• The percentage of children achieving a good level of development in East Sussex in 2017
is 76.5%. 5.8 percentage points higher than the national average.
• The percentage of children eligible for FSM achieving a good level of development in East
Sussex in 2017 is 58.8%. higher than the national average for 2017 ( 56.0%).
• The percentage of children with SEN Support achieving a good level of development in
East Sussex in 2017 is 32.0%. This is 2.6 percentage points higher than the previous year.
The 2017 national average is 27.0%.
• Children with SEN Support in KS1 Reaching Expected Standard
Reading 29% in 2016 to 34.4% in 2017 up by 5.4%
Writing 18.9% 2016 to 23.0% in 2017 up 4.1%
Maths 31.5% 2016 to 37.6% in 2017 up by 6.1%
• Pupils with SEND Support in KS2
SEND pupils achieving the expected standard in the combined measure increased
from 11.7% to 15.5% in 2017
Significant gain in reading moving from 27.9% to 35.3% in 2017
7
Writing decreased from 30.0% to 28.7% in 2017
Maths increased from 28.5% to 32.7% in 2017
Ofsted and Care Quality Commission:
In December 2016, the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a joint inspection of
East Sussex to assess how effectively the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
reforms in the 2014 Children & Families Act have been implemented. The findings were largely
positive and highlights included:
• Swift early identification of needs as a result of close partnerships between early years
settings and schools
• Strong special educational needs (SEN) provision in local mainstream and special schools,
supported well by specialist staff
• Better academic outcomes achieved by pupils with SEN compared with similar pupils
nationally
• Higher numbers of young people in education, employment or training after age 19 than the
national average.
Since that inspection, the Local Authority has:
Commissioned an SEND prospectus to promote the specialist support offered to, and
positive outcomes achieved by, children and young people in state-funded schools. The
prospectus details the provision available to every student who has additional needs and
highlights the high level of academic achievement by East Sussex students with SEND.
This is to be shared online, at school open days and in meetings with parents/carers
Encouraged schools to use an Additional Needs Plan (ANP) or similar SEN planning tool to
support children who do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan. These documents
detail a child’s achievements and progress, as well as the additional support that is put in
place to support their needs. The majority of children with SEN will be successfully
supported with an ANP or similar SEN plan, without the need for an EHCP
Supported the development of the Sussex Discovery College, which offers mental health
recovery-focused educational courses to East and West Sussex students for free
Employed a mental health link worker for the county, who advises schools on positive
mental health practice and works with staff to lower levels of mental health need in children
and young people by improving accessibility to, and awareness of, guidance and support
services
Commissioned an online counselling service for young people. E-motion offers free, weekly
email counselling sessions to anyone aged 12-18 and in need of support, providing them
with a confidential, safe space to talk about their problems and feelings
Implemented an initiative to combat waiting times for mental health treatment and
assessment for development disorders, such as autism. Young people will receive the right
treatment by the right professional within the 18 week NHS constitution time scale.
ISEND Specialist Teaching Services have:
Supported Early Years settings to successfully include children with a range of special
educational needs in their provision through advisory support and training.
Implemented Additional Needs Plans for children on our Early Years’ Service case load
starting in Reception to ensure the school have a comprehensive summary of the child’s
needs, strengths and ways they are best supported to learn.
8
Delivered CPD training for East Sussex nursery and pre-school SENCos/ childminders
regarding best inclusive practice for Early Years settings.
Training courses for school and local authority staff organised by the Local Authority:
o 2015-2017 – just over 1300 courses provided and attended by almost 20,000
delegates (NB this is delegates not individuals so may involve duplication of
attendees)
Led the transition process for children on our Early Years’ Service caseload that are
starting in Reception involving settings, parents, schools and other ISEND school based
services to ensure a comprehensive transition plan supports a successful school start.
Delivered ‘Baby Signing’ courses for parents and children under five to support the
development of early communication skills.
Delivered Public Health Bid groups (‘Small beginnings’) for pre-school children identified by
various professionals to support the development of early communication and learning
skills.
Worked with mainstream schools to support learners with needs relating to Speech,
Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), autism and Specific Learning Difficulties
(SpLD) through advisory support, specialist interventions and staff training.
Developed a new ‘core offer’ aimed to build capacity in the staff groups in primary and
secondary schools through consultation, advisory support and universal training.
Delivered training for a cohort of East Sussex primary school teachers in Quality First
Teaching for SEN utilising a lesson study model.
Delivered a whole day of CPD for a cohort of mixed school-based professionals on autism,
in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary group of professionals from education, the local
authority and health.
Developed and delivered the CLASS Autism Champion course to build capacity in schools
via an identified staff member with specialist knowledge in Autism (Hastings EIP).
Focus on Attendance and Exclusion:
Across East Sussex, children and young people have lower rates of attendance and higher
exclusion than their peers nationally. The Standards and Learning Effectiveness Service (SLES)
and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability (ISEND) teams have worked closely
together with schools, Behaviour and Attendance Partnerships and EIPs to support them to identify
ways in which they can develop best practice and secure improvement. The focus has been
working with schools to change the behaviour of some families so that they ensure their children
are in school, and on improving the quality of teaching and provision of support to ensure that
children stay in school. In October 2017 we launched the Get a Grip campaign an innovative
approach to changing parental behaviour. The impact of this will be evaluated in 2018/19.
In addition
The Hastings Primary Placement Panel (HPPP) has improved inclusion and permanent
exclusion rates for the 20 schools involved. In academic year 2015/16, HPPP schools
permanently excluded 15 children, which was 40.5% of the total primary permanent
exclusions across East Sussex.
In academic year 2016/17, HPPP schools permanently excluded five children, which was
22.7% of the total primary permanent exclusions across East Sussex.
9
We have developed an Eastbourne Primary Placement Panel in 2017/18, as Eastbourne
schools permanently excluded 12 children in academic year 2016/17 which was 54.5% of
the total primary permanent exclusions across East Sussex
At strategic level we have a range of mechanisms to enable voice and participation of
children and young people, from the Children in Care Council, the Able Group of disabled
young people, and the elected Youth Cabinet
The local authority recognises the power of partnership working and to this end has
established collaborative and increasingly robust relationships with individual teaching
schools (TS) and the collective East Sussex Teaching School Alliance (TSA). The LA
actively promotes and supports the establishment and capacity building of teaching schools
to enable schools to access high quality CPD, ITT and school to school support
The Education Support, Behaviour & Attendance Service has:
Supported settings to successfully include children with a range of special educational
needs in their provision through advisory support and training.
Encouraged the use of Additional Needs Plans for children and now included ANP in the
required documentation for any referral, to ensure the school have a comprehensive
summary of the child’s needs, strengths and ways they are best supported to learn.
Delivered Public Health Bid projects on transition, attendance for families with early help
key work and working with young people around substance misuse
Worked with mainstream schools to support learners with needs relating social, emotional
and mental health through advisory support, specialist interventions and staff training.
Developed a new ‘core offer’ aimed to build capacity in the staff groups in primary and
secondary schools through consultation, advisory support and universal training.
Targeted schools with poor attendance levels for support from the team to improve
attendance
Conducted Behaviour and Attendance reviews in schools with recommendations for future
planning
Delivered a whole day of CPD for a cohort of mixed school-based professionals on quality
first teaching to meet the needs of pupils with SEN and supporting SEMH in schools
Priorities to increase access to the curriculum
Other areas where activity is being undertaken to improve access to the curriculum are:
SEND provision is now a key area of focus for all Education Improvement Partnerships
(EIPs). Headteachers, SENCos and other senior school staff meet with colleagues from
neighbouring schools each term to discuss concerns or challenges surrounding provision
for SEND students and plan projects and activities together to meet the needs of their
schools
School SENCos are invited to regular local network meetings, where resources and best
practice are circulated. This not only strengthens the quality of education offered to children
and young people with SEND, but also provides an opportunity for staff to forge
professional relationships with neighbouring schools, meaning the transition process
between local primary and secondary schools is stronger. Good practice, effective
10managing of provision and resources and embedding of the SEND reforms are all current
priority issues at SENCo network meetings
The Local Authority is introducing an online network and resource hub for SENCos and
teaching staff so that those unable to attend network meetings can still engage with
colleagues in neighbouring schools
The East Sussex Quality Mark for Inclusion has been developed to maintain an inclusion
standard threshold in our local area and acknowledge inclusive practice already embedded
in East Sussex schools as identified in our Local Area SEND Inspection which highlighted
East Sussex schools’ commitment to inclusive practice. The East Sussex Quality Mark for
Inclusion will enable the maintenance and development of an expected threshold of
consistent inclusive practice across the Local Authority, and inspire senior leaders,
leadership teams and staff to develop a sustainable inclusive ethos that permeates through
the whole of the educational setting and local community.
ISEND Specialist Teaching Services will:
continue to build capacity in Early Years settings and schools through Specialist Support
core offers.
offer increased accessibility to our CPD programme for Early Years SENCO’s in East
Sussex via an online training programme developed in conjunction with other services.
ensure staff in all mainstream schools have an understanding of how to support learners
with additional needs relating to communication and learning through a core offer of
universal whole school training in autism, dyslexia and SLCN.
participate in delivering training in Speech, Language and Communication for the Strategic
School Improvement Fund (SSIF) Improving Literacy in the EYFS Project, run by The
Hastings Academy Trust.
develop a comprehensive primary-secondary transition programme for students with SEND
in conjunction with other ISEND support services in order to ensure a successful start to
secondary education.
The Education Support, Behaviour and Attendance Service will:
continue to build capacity in all settings and schools through our core and traded offers.
offer increased accessibility to our CPD programme
ensure staff in all mainstream schools have an understanding of how to support learners
with additional needs relating to social emotional and mental health through a core offer of
whole school training in
participate in the SSIF Improving Behaviour and Attendance project
develop a comprehensive primary-secondary transition programme for students with SEND
in conjunction with other ISEND support services in order to ensure a successful start to
secondary education.
develop a ‘core offer’ for schools with existing or new, reintegration and support units
develop a structure of Primary BAP meetings to support schools and give CPD
develop an enhanced screening tool for SEN in SEMH referrals
develop and launch the ESTA (East Sussex Therapeutic Approach) Behaviour support
system
develop a system for parent support alongside Primary and Secondary schools to increase
parental engagement and understanding and build relationships within the community.
support and engage in the establishment of the new SEMH facility (Battle and Langton)
11Achievements to date to Increase access to activities within and beyond the school day:
i-go is a countywide scheme improving access to leisure activities for children and young people
with disabilities and special educational needs age 0-25 in East Sussex. We have nearly 2400 card
holders (an increase of nearly 2000 since 2016) and 67 providers at around 100 venues.
The Parallel Youth Games is a multi-sport participation event for disabled children in Sussex. 400
school children from across Sussex attended the 2018 event and participated in cricket, tennis,
boccia, curling and swimming.
There have been some changes in the provision of after school clubs, which are no longer provided
directly by the Local Authority. We have been working with the special schools during 2017/18 to
draw up plans for an expansion of extra-curricular activities made directly through the schools. The
Local Authority has identified some funding and expertise to support the schools in developing their
own offer as well as exploring routes for additional funding which are not available to the Local
Authority.
The Outdoor Education Adviser has worked with the Equality and Participation team to produce
guidance and support for schools so that all children can be included on visits. Approximately 500
visits have taken place specifically by Special Educational Needs schools, including ISEND and the
short breaks team since 2016. These visits include anything from swimming, day trips to adventure
activities and residential visits.
Buzz Active Eastbourne/ Buzz Active Cuckmere (formerly Spray Water Sports and the Seven
Sisters Canoe Centre) work with the whole community which includes mainstream and special
schools across the county and beyond, and any minority user group who wishes to engage with
them. Buzz are open and transparent about any needs and always have a conversation with a user
group and explain the limitations to what they can offer and whether the centres offer is right for
them. Children and young people from special schools across the county have attended a number
of 4-6 week programmes at the Centre – all the children and young people have a variety of
additional needs, but are able to enjoy this great facility alongside their peers.
“Life More Ordinary”: LMO Grants are for groups (3 or more) of young people who are disabled -
aged 8 - 19 years organised by the Early Help Keywork Service (ESCC). Amounts from £500 up to
£1,000 can be applied for (funding is available for up to 90% of the total cost of a project)
These grants are available to help young people aged from 8 to 19 to make new friends, enjoy
social and leisure-time activities, take part in experiences and lead a 'life more ordinary'!
This grant scheme encourages organisations and projects to include young people who are
disabled in their activities. Applications from non-specialist groups are also welcomed, as well as
those that already include young disabled people in their activities.
Improvements have been made to the Local Offer pages on leisure (including short breaks and i-go
card). These changes reflect the way parents search for information, as observed at parent support
groups in 2018, and site user testing.
The Local Authority has worked hard publicising the Local Offer to practitioners, which has resulted
in increased use of website. In addition, the LA has also worked on increasing partnerships with
schools and voluntary organisations to equip them to give information to families.
Short Breaks:
The short breaks grant scheme is open to organisations offering short break activities to
children and young people with disabilities in East Sussex.
The grant scheme allows the CDS of ESCC to work with a range of providers and to pilot
projects and target any identified or potential gaps in provision in a swift and cost effective
manner to better support the community. Since 2015/16, £199k of grant funding has
supported 24 projects, attracting over £203k of external partnership funding.
12Inclusive projects supported include:
• Arts break workshops, provided by Project Art Works
• Music workshops, provided by Rhythmix
• Theatre experiences and workshops, provided by Head2Head Theatre Co
• Residential activity holidays, for groups such as those from ASCHPS, Autism
Sussex and SIBS (Sibling Service)
• Holiday activities and clubs, provided by organisations such as Chailey Heritage
Foundation, ASCHPS, SASBAH and Families for Autism
B: Increasing access to the physical environment of the schools for the purpose of
increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education and
benefits, facilities or services provided or offered by the schools
‘An accessibility strategy is a strategy for improving the physical environment of schools for the
purpose of increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education
and associated services offered by schools.’ (DDA section 28D (2) b)
East Sussex County Council recognises the need to respond to the following changes:
The increased incidence of children and young people with severe and complex SEN and
disabilities, especially those on the autistic spectrum
The increased inclusion of young people with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LDD)
within mainstream schools
East Sussex County Council believes that providing access to children and young people with LDD
should be central to its building and refurbishment projects.
School Duties:
Schools are required by Law (Equality Act 2010) to have in place an Accessibility Plan that
identifies the difficulties pupils with access needs and young people face in their buildings including
actions to make any improvements and timescales for implementation. All schools are expected to
meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and as far as possible anticipate access requirements
when any works or improvements to the schools estates are undertaken. The Equality Act states:
(1) The responsible body of a school in England and Wales must prepare—
(a) an accessibility plan;
(b) further such plans at such times as may be prescribed.
(2) An accessibility plan is a plan for, over a prescribed period—
(a )increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school's
curriculum,
(b) improving the physical environment of the school for the purpose of increasing
the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education and
benefits, facilities or services provided or offered by the school, and
(c )improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is readily
accessible to pupils who are not disabled.
(3) The delivery in sub-paragraph (2)(c) must be—
(a) within a reasonable time;
13(b) in ways which are determined after taking account of the pupils' disabilities and
any preferences expressed by them or their parents.
(4) An accessibility plan must be in writing.
(5) The responsible body must keep its accessibility plan under review during the period to
which it relates and, if necessary, revise it.
(6) The responsible body must implement its accessibility plan.
(7) A relevant inspection may extend to the performance by the responsible body of its
functions in relation to the preparation, publication, review, revision and implementation of
its accessibility plan.
In preparing an accessibility plan, the responsible body must have regard to the need to allocate
adequate resources for implementing the plan.
All schools are expected to meet their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and as far as possible
anticipate access requirements when any works or improvements to the schools estates are
undertaken. The Schools’ Access Initiative (SAI) is intended to address access issues which are
specific to an individual whose needs are complex.
The School Access Initiative enables East Sussex County Council, in partnership with schools and
services to:
• Meet the planning duties of the Equality Act 2010
• To further develop the accessibility of maintained schools in East Sussex (and Academies
where the Local Authority has a responsibility to assist in planning for placing specific
pupils)
• Support schools and parent/carers in meeting the complex physical and access needs of
locally placed children and young people
Achievements to date to improve the physical environment of schools:
East Sussex local authority has a clear strategy for ensuring that we have sufficient places for the
forecast increases in pupils with SEND alongside reducing high cost independent placements. The
High Needs Block Funding review demonstrated that to achieve a reduction in the high cost
placements we need to shift the continuum of provision, this is being achieved by working to ensure
that all our schools are fully inclusive and working with partners to encourage more children to be
supported in mainstream schools; the development of more specialist facilities to support the
integration of pupils into mainstream, and an increase in special school places to ensure we have
sufficient capacity.
As part of our strategy we have encouraged the submission of Free School applications from
current good and outstanding special schools in East Sussex and new providers; the following new
special free schools will open over the coming years:
The Flagship School, Hastings area: 56 places for pupils aged 9-16 with high functioning
autism and pupils with social, behavioural and communication difficulties. The school is due
to open in the 2021/22 academic year.
The Summerdown School, Eastbourne: 84 places for pupils aged 5-16 with autism and
speech language and communication needs. The school will also include 51 places for
pupils with PMLD including 6 places for nursery age children. The school is due to open in
the 2020/21 academic year.
The Workplace Alternative Provision, Bexhill: 94 places for pupils aged 11-16 with
behavioural issues and excluded children. The Alternative Provision is due to open in the
2019/20 academic year.
14A new school for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties (SEMH)
and linked needs, like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): 80 places for pupils aged 5-16, to
be located in Hailsham. The school will open in September 2020.
We have also invited expressions of interest from schools for new specialist facilities, which will
cater for a broad range of lower level SEND needs where pupil’s requirements could be met in a
specialist facility that includes appropriate access to mainstream provision. Three new primary
facilities will open in the 2018/19 academic year to cater for pupils with ASD at different schools
across the county. We are also seeking capital funding to open two new secondary facilities in
future years.
Other projects featured within the Capital Programme are designed to meet the standards set out in
Building Bulletin 103 and Part M of the Building Regulations, covering: access to and use of new
buildings, access to extensions to buildings and other dwellings, sanitary conveniences in
extensions to buildings, sanitary conveniences in dwellings.
C: Improving the provision to disabled pupils of information that is provided in writing to
pupils who are not disabled
‘An accessibility strategy is a strategy for…improving the delivery to disabled pupils – within a
reasonable time, and in ways which are determined after taking account of their disabilities and any
preferences expressed by them or their parents, of information which is provided in writing for
pupils who are not disabled.’4 .
Disabled children and young people are entitled to receive information that is provided for children
and young people who are not disabled, in a format that is accessible to them. This requirement
covers all information, not just that relating to the curriculum. Examples of accessible formats
include Braille, audio-visual, signs and symbols.
Our website currently conforms to Level AA Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG).
From 2020 all our digital content, including videos and social media, will comply with Public Sector
Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.
The development of information technology provides a greatly improved ability to provide
information in a variety of formats matched to the needs of the children and young people.
Alternative forms of communication, such as signs and symbols are increasingly common in
schools as teachers recognise their potential for improving the learning of all children and young
people. No disabled child or young person should need to be in a less favourable position to
receive information than anyone else.
Information can be made accessible by:
Using text that is easy to read and understand
Using visual and written material sin different formats, including large print, symbol text and
Braille
Using ICT, other technological aids and taped materials
Using alternative and augmentative communication, including signs and symbols
Using translators, communicators and amanuenses
Using materials and resources that can be accessed through sight, touch, sound, taste or
smell
Using word descriptions and other stimuli to make up fro a lack of first-hand experiences
All East Sussex schools and support services have access to translation services, including visual
and hearing impaired services.
4
DDA Section 28D (9) (c
15The East Sussex Library Services provides an Equal Access Library service where children and
young people can obtain ClearVision books which have Braille and printed text; large text books;
talking books; subtitled DVDs etc.
Schools are able to seek advice and support from a number of sources:
Sensory Needs Service – 01273 481154 scsn@eastsussex.gov.uk
ISEND Front Door: isendfrontdoor@eastsussex.gov.uk
All East Sussex Special Schools
Priorities to improve the provision to disabled pupils of information that is provided in
writing to pupils who are not disabled
For blind Braille users – we would transcribe all printed materials into Braille. For any thing which
was on line the children and young people are provided with specialist text to speech software.
Some information is provided on CD and this can be processed from text to speech using computer
software.
For partially sighted – all materials can be provided in large print, following a request from the
young person. For downloaded materials, text enlargement programmes (such as ‘Zoom text’ and
‘Supanova’) are available to the young person.
For signing deaf (BSL) young people – written materials can be presented in BSL sign and provided
on a DVD (using external agency).
For deaf young people who have poor literacy (as many do) – leaflets could be modified and
presented in appropriately simplified language (using external agency).
164. Consultation and Participation
East Sussex County Council recognises that an accessibility strategy has to serve the children and
young people for whom it is intended and therefore their involvement is crucial. Children’s Services
aim to ensure that children and young people are empowered to participate in decisions that affect
them across health, education and social care.
Achievements to date to improve consultation and participation:
The Ofsted/CQC report of 2016 made a recommendation for Children’s Services to
communicate more effectively the improvements to provision and services, in order to
bolster relationships and trust through better sign posting to the many resources
available.
As a result of the above:
Further development work has been undertaken to improve partnership between
parents and carers and the LA, as a focus for all service areas.
Greater communication and engagement with parents, carers and families has
been secured through a social media presence; a Facebook page and parent
newsletter
A SEND prospectus promotes the specialist support offered to young people in
state-funded schools, exemplified their positive outcomes and high academic
achievement
Representatives from the East Sussex Parent and Carer Council (ESPaCC) are
involved in strategic planning and consultation
The Assessment and Planning (SEN) Team underwent training and development
to satisfy high expectations of quality assurance and ensure that parents and
carers’ experiences are positive during the time they interact with the service
Amaze have been commissioned to look at parent participation across the county
and make recommendations for improvement
A voice group involving disabled young people has been set up, called The Able
Group. They develop an Infographic about their list of achievements.
East Sussex invited the Council for Disabled Children to train young people involved in
The Able Group to establish wider consultation with children and young people with a
range of needs, through networking with school councils and community groups. There will
be an event involving disabled young people to develop the strategy for the future
involvement of disabled young people at an event in early 2019.
In partnership with Equality and Participation Team, ISEND are building a network of
young people’s groups to enable timely and effective consultation/co-production with a
broad range of young people with SEND, to inform our SEND strategy. The Able Group
(TAG) are taking a key role in developing the network, including identifying good practice.
The group is represented on the Local Offer Working Group to enable communication with
multi-agency partners
17The East Sussex Youth Cabinet recently worked with the Health service to create Top Ten
Tips and to help school staff better support mental health and emotional wellbeing of
children and young people.
Joint work is being undertaken with the Youth Cabinet and other youth voice groups not
specific to SEND, to enable the voice of young people to be heard.
The Local Authority uses Service User feedback to inform practice across all areas of
service provision. In order to gather data and feedback to ensure services are providing
ISEND services carry out feedback evaluations requesting parents and carers of children
with young people with additional needs complete a questionnaire.
Data from 1/09/17 – 31/08/18 demonstrated that 80.65% (1,017) of 1,261 of respondents
agreed that things had changed for the better as a result of the involvement of ISEND
Services.
Below are some quotes from parents whose children have received support.
“I'm very pleased with the progress my child has made as it's been a long journey to get
his learning back on track. Thank you for all your support.”
“I felt that having ESBAS involved prompted the school to be more compassionate
towards child’s needs and not be quick to exclude.”
“My child has successfully fully integrated back into both school and his social network.”
“I am incredibly grateful for all the support we have received. My daughter would have had
no education if it wasn't for ISEND. Cannot sing their praises enough!”
“The ISEND team are a valuable source. We have found their staff very supportive,
friendly and warm. All home staff that we have had the pleasure to be visited by have been
amazing. My child would not be where she is now for all the team's support.”
• An Advocacy Service is available to disabled children receiving direct support from the
Children’s Disability team. It is a user-led service which supports disabled children and
young people in getting their voice heard and to have a say in the services they receive.
Trained advocates visit centres twice weekly and are available on request. Disabled
Children and young people can refer themselves to the advocacy service and referrals are
taken from parents, carers and social workers.
•
Use of Social Media:
As of November 2018:
- The ISEND Facebook page currently has 830 likes and 911 followers. The CLASS+
Facebook page currently has 824 likes and 887 followers.
- In the past 6 months, monthly engagement rates (post likes, comments and
shares) are at an average of 307 and our page reach is at an average of 2,715 –
meaning our posts are seen by thousands of people, not just those who follow us.
18In October 2018, our engagement rate was 595 and reach was 4,235,
demonstrating that the page’s prominence is quickly growing.
A high number of comments, shares and reactions suggest that both families and external
partners are not simply seeking information from the pages, but choosing to actively
engage with our service.
ParentVoice:
As of November 2018,
- 1,618 people had subscribed to the Parent Voice e-newsletter. In June
2018, over 1,500 subscribers were removed to comply with GDPR. Since
then, over 400 people have manually subscribed themselves to the
newsletter, demonstrating a strong interest amongst the local community.
Our Priorities for the development of consultation and participation:
Children’s Participation:
The Able Group
• Increase capacity and diversity of The Able Group
• Develop links with school councils and other young people in schools and colleges,
e.g. through SENCOS and the school youth voice leads.
• Develop links with school councils and other young people in schools and colleges,
e.g. through SENCOS and the school youth voice leads.
Please see Appendix 1 at the end of the Strategy for more information about
The Able Group.
As we further strengthen our social media presence, we want to increase the
prevalence of content directly related to the work of the ISEND and its partners in
health and social care. We also plan to develop a range of useful digital resources,
including:
- Guidance videos relating to the work of each service (e.g. ‘Strategies to help
with Demand Avoidance’ for CLASS)
- Webinars and surgeries for school staff and/or parents and carers.
Practitioners can deliver ‘lessons’ on any subject and host a live Q&A
afterwards.
We are also seeking more input from ISEND services in future editions of Parent Voice.
We hope to dedicate issues to specific topics, for example ESBAS practitioners can write
articles about behaviour and attendance strategies.
19These initiatives will build capacity in parents, carers and schools and enable them to
implement strategies in their home and classroom to better support pupils with additional
needs.
• We will extend training so that more young people and parents can be actively
involved in staff recruitment and selection.
• We will improve feedback to young people and parents through a variety of
means including infographics, films, newsletters, social networking and video
diaries.
• Services will be supported to build on good practice around parental and young
people’s participation in their own plans and also in service evaluation and
development.
• We will continue to offer information days to families to share information and
provide networking opportunities.
205. Data Information
In East Sussex, the 5-19 (inclusive) population has remained fairly consistent. The
latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid year estimates have shown a small
increase year on year from 89,034 in 2014 to 90,296 in 2017, an increase of 1.4%.
East Sussex County Council’s Dwelling Led Population Projections (2018) predict
that by 2022 the 5-19 year old population will rise to 92100, an increase of around
2%
The East Sussex school population continues to show a small year on year
increase. In January 2018, 65,370 children and young people were on the roll of
the East Sussex Mainstream and Special Schools (including academies, special
facilities and pupil referral unit) in Reception year up to NC year 14, for those
schools offering further education provision. This is an increase of 3.2% since
January 2014. Based on ESCC’s Pupil and SEND Forecasting Models the school
population is forecast to rise to over 67600 by January 2022, a further increase of
around 3%.
Of those children in East Sussex Mainstream Primary and Secondary Schools, the
proportion of children identified with Special Educational Needs continues to show
a downward trend. Since January 2014 the percentage of children at School
Action, School Action Plus, SEN Support, Statement of SEN and Education, Health
and Care Plans combined has fallen from 17.6% to 11.7% in 2018. This is now
below the total for England, which is 13.2%.
In 2018 for East Sussex, 25% of children identified with SEN in primary and
secondary provision were also eligible to receive free school meals.
For those school aged children up to NC Year 14 with a Statement of Special
Educational Needs/Education, Health & Care Plan maintained by East Sussex,
numbers between 2014 and 2018 continue to increase. The number maintained
by ESCC in January 2018 is now 13% higher compared those in January 2014.
Since September 2014 under the new SEND reforms an EHC Plan can now
remain in place until the young person reaches the age of 25. As at January 2018
there were 3,279 Statements of SEN/EHC Plans maintained by East Sussex,
including those aged19 and over.
ESSC has now developed a forecasting model to enable it to predict future
numbers of children with SEND. The model (as at October 2018) is currently
forecasting that between January 2018 and January 2022 the rise in the numbers
of children and young people with EHC Plans will continue, to around 4100, an
increase of approximately 25%.
The number of children with an East Sussex Maintained Statement of SEN/EHC
Plan placed at non Local Authority provision (Independent, Non-Maintained
Special and Specialist Post 16 providers) remains fairly constant. Since January14
21there has been a slight decrease but numbers in INMS provision remain between
7% and 8% of the total numbers. That is predicted to continue to be the case as at
January 2022.
The percentage of children identified with ASD as their primary special need
represents the highest need category and continues to increase year on year from
24% in January 2014 to 27% in January 2018. By January 2022, children with ASD
are forecast to represent 29% of all those with EHC Plans.
6. Data Information
Management, co-ordination and implementation
This revised strategy was co-ordinated key officers within departments across Children’s Services.
The continued development, implementation, review and evaluation of this strategy will be
overseen by the SEND Governance and Commissioning Group which has representatives from all
stakeholders, including schools, health and parent carers.
Whilst the strategy stands alone as a separate document it is important to recognise that its aims
and priorities are incorporated and in line with wider East Sussex County Council strategies, plans
and practice including the ISEND Strategy and Council Plan.
Making the strategy accessible to residents, parents, children and young people
The strategy will be available through East Sussex County Council’s website. Versions of the
strategy will be available on request using large print, symbols and/or Braille.
Schools will be able to access the strategy and any relevant guidance notes through Czone, the
Children’s Services intranet for schools.
22References:
National:
SEND Code of Practice 2014
Equality Act 2010: Public Sector Duty
SEND Regulations 2014
Local:
Information for schools on Czone includes example policies and action plans:
https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/supportingchildren/equality/Pages/main.aspx
Participation Strategy:
https://czone.eastsussex.gov.uk/supportingchildren/youth/youthparticipation/participationeastsusse
x/Pages/main.aspx
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