After the green paper….. Brian Lamb

Theory of Change! “I’d like us to implement a cultural revolution just like the one they’ve had in China……Like Chairman Mao, we’ve embarked on a Long March to reform our education system.” Michael Gove Secretary of State for Education Daily Telegraph 28th December 2010. “Some of the things we are recommending I would say are huge cultural changes, which will take time to implement.” Sarah Teather Select Committee 17th May

Process of Change “The piecemeal engineer knows…..that we can learn only from our mistakes. Accordingly, he will make his way, step by step, carefully comparing the results expected with the results achieved, and always on the lookout for the unavoidable unwanted consequences of any reform” Karl Popper “That process will be iterative-a process of active and engaged learning-rather than the Schrödinger’s cat model of a black box, when you do a randomised control trial and then come out and look at it at the end of the day…. beginning on a small scale and then rolling those pilots out, so that we can learn the lessons” Sarah Teather 17th May 2011 Or =SEN Reform

SEN and over identification David Blunkett Green Paper 1997 “Schools currently identify 18% of children as having special educational needs of differing kinds….This Green Paper asks some questions about these figures…...as our policies take effect, the proportion of secondary age children whom schools need to identify as having SEN should move closer to 10%”

Definition of SEN Proposals Issues One school based SEN definition covering school action and action plus Providing clear guidance to schools on the appropriate definition of SEN Improvements to schools offer, Achievement for All etc. Scope and possible changes to the definition-risk of medical model/confusion Reconfiguring of gateway without necessary improvements to schools universal offer Diverts attention away from fundamentals-more specialist support Extension of Achievement for All crucial to the strategy as is availability of specialist support

Assessment Sarah Teather 17th May Select Committee “You have to recognise that the health service runs its rationing system in a different way.”

Assessment and Joint Planning Proposal Issues Single assessment process leading to joint education, health and social care plan Early Intervention Birth-twenty five years Accountability-different assessment systems with different legal structures Culture-different ways of operating Joint budgeting possible solution especially if personalised budgets work? Do we know what good looks like for sensory provision and if so what's needed to deliver that?

Inclusion not working? Baroness Warnock 2005 Coalition Agreement “There is increasing evidence that the ideal of inclusion, if this means that all but those with the most severe disabilities will be in mainstream schools, is not working” “prevent the unnecessary closure of special schools, and remove the bias towards inclusion.”

Presumption towards Inclusion Proposals Issues Extended choice to all state funded schools New guidance to Local Authorities on placement decisions Parents have right to take over special schools that are closing No concept of what Government means by inclusion Policy pinned to number of special school places Financing and structure unlikely to deliver outcomes of the policy

Personal Budgets Sarah Teather 17th May Select Committee “A statutory duty that we are putting in place is the statutory duty to provide a personal budget, and that entitlement to a personal budget will put the bite on the system, meaning that people have to budget for it…..the legal entitlement to a personal budget- provides the bite in a different way, on the health service, so that the health service cannot avoid the issue.”

Personalised Budgets Pilots of personal budgets Proposals Issues Pilots of personal budgets Assumed not to be for very large sums-school placements Support from Keyworker No clarity on mechanisms or operation Service planning and cost aggregation at school level- can it really drive budget process? Potential for parent purchasing consortia-what would that look like for sensory provision? Role of keyworkers in sensory provision.

Parental Involvement Lamb Inquiry- Evaluation of Parental Involvement Projects. “Fundamental to success was the commitment of LAs to true, not tokenistic or paternalistic parental engagement and a clear aim to improve confidence and work collaboratively with parents.”

Local Offer and Parental Involvement Proposals Issues Local Offer securing greater parental consultation and involvement-more strategic role for LA’s Linked to Tribunal Major opportunity for cultural change in supportive authorities Enforceability of Offer Supporting parents to participate Fragmentation of local system-academies etc.

Information Offer-Schools Proposals-four key areas: Issues curriculum – how the curriculum is tailored to meet children’s individual needs; teaching – how teaching is adapted to meet children’s SEN and how arrangements are made to secure specialist expertise; assessment – how on-going teacher assessment is used to identify barriers to learning for children with SEN; and pastoral support –how the school supports the education and wellbeing Clarity of Information-what can parents expect of the curriculum? Availability of support within schools-what is good practice around sensory provision? Clarity over what good practice looks like for SEN and how assessment is going to work What does good pastoral support look like-emotional resilience?

Professional Development Proposals Issues Lamb Inquiry-5 areas of SEN being rolled out by TDA Role of Ed Psych's being reviewed NHS workforce consultation-speech therapy Supporting work of the Trusts SENCO training funded for another year Not overall clear plan about SEN workforce Role of Ed Psych's in new assessment process not determined Trusts work is not going to fill gap in training delivery as school level Major opportunity for sensory sector to define strategy? LA context cuts!

Issues Localism vs. Central Control Culture change vs. Structural change Aspiration vs. Reality (LA cuts) 百花運動 Mao