The Green Paper Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability’ (consultation paper – closing date 30 th June 2011).‘

Aim of the Green Paper For the current system to be less stressful for families, less costly to run. Promoting mediation and giving families more information about the services available locally. And more support to navigate the assessment system. For children who have complex on-going medical needs through to young people who are falling behind at school in order to improve better outcomes for children and young people who are disabled or have S.E.N.

The Offer for consultation is: The option of a personal budget A new single assessment process Giving parents a choice of school Mediation Funding for schools Transition into adulthood Services working together

Early Identification and Assessment A New Single Assessment A new plan is being proposed called ‘The Education, Health and Care Plan’. This will replace the S.E.N statutory assessment and statement process and would have the same statutory protection as a S.E.N statement. The EHC plan would be transparent about funding for the package of support. It is proposed to reduce the time limit for the statutory assessment process from 26 weeks to 20 weeks and deciding to draw a statement be reduced to 3 weeks……

….continued There is a focus on early years early intervention. Parents have the right to request a statutory assessment and local authorities must not have a blanket policy not to statement children under 5. This plan will rely on services working together (collaborative and innovative approaches) with the family to agree a 0-25 year plan for their child. It will explore how to make the assessment more independent as currently the local authority have a duty to arrange special education provision as well as having a duty to make the assessment. The Local Authority and other services will set out a local offer of all the services available (what support is available and from whom).

Early Identification and Assessment Education, Health and Care Plan questions: How can we strengthen the identification of SEN and impairments in the early years, and support for children with them? Do you agree with our proposal to replace the statement with a single statutory assessment bringing together education, health and social care? What role should the voluntary and community sector play in the single statutory assessment? How will the single statutory assessment give parents more confidence?

Giving parents Control The Option of a personal budget A proposal to ensure local authorities set out a local offer of support that will be available covering four key issues; curriculum, teaching, assessment and pastoral support. There is a proposal for a requirement by schools to focus on school statutory responsibilities, the school approach to SEN, how this approach was consulted on and the provision normally available in the school for children with SEN. There is an intention by 2014 that all families with the proposed EHC plan will be legally entitled to and have the choice of a personal budget which possibly would include funding for education and health support as well as social care. (Trained ‘key workers’ from the voluntary sector could be available to support and navigate). Parent forums will be funded by DofE in order to influence local decision making with regards to provision.

Giving Parents Control The Option of a Personal Budget What should the key components of a locally published offer of available support for parents? What information should schools be required to provide to parents of SEN? What do you think an optional personal budgets for families cover? How do you think a personal budget will get a package of support for your child that meets their needs?

Giving Parents Control Mediation There is a proposal that parents and local authorities should always try mediation before a parent can register an appeal with the Tribunal. There could be a coordinated approach to mediation for parents across education, health and social care.

Giving Parents Control Mediation Should mediation ALWAYS be attempted before parents register an appeal to the First Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disability)? Do you like the idea of mediation across education, health and social care? How might mediation best work?

Giving Parents Control Giving Parents the Choice of school There is an intention to remove the bias to inclusion and to introduce legislation to ensure that parents of children with a statement of SEN or EHC plan have the rights to express a preference for a state-funded school, Academy or Free school. (It fails however to mention whether or not a parent will have the right to make representation of a non-maintained special school or independent school). There will be an expectation on local authorities to consider whether home educated children who had been in receipt of school action plus at school to make provision out of school.

Giving Parents Control Give parents a choice of school How can information about school choice be improved for parents of a statement/EHC plan?

Learning and Achieving Funding for SEN in Schools Additional funding will be available to providers to secure a greater number of teacher training placements for trainee teachers in special school settings. The DofE to continue to fund new SENCO training 2011/12. Teaching Assistant time should never be a substitute for teaching from a qualified teacher. Too often, the most vulnerable pupils are supported almost exclusively by teaching assistants. This practice is not acceptable. Children with SEN need more, not less, time with school’s most skilled and qualified teachers. A launch of an additional scholarship fund to enable TA’s to build on their SEN services…..

…continued Removal of school action and school action plus funding and introduce a school based single category. Schools’ ring fencing on budgets and specific grants will be removed and added to the pupil premium giving schools greater flexibility to help all children progress. A proposal to disseminate best practice, change statutory guidance on how SEN should be identified as too often the SEN label is given as an excuse to inaction of the slow progress by some children. And introduce new indicators in performance tables to provide information on the lowest attaining pupils.

Learning and Achieving Funding for SEN in schools How can SEN specialist skills at each tier of school management continue to be improved? What is the potential impact of replacing School Action and school Action plus and their equivalents in the early years with a single category of SEN in early years settings and schools? How could children with SEN be better identified by using a new category of funding? How helpful is the current BESD funding? Is BESD label overused? What might be the impact of opening up a system to provide places for non- statemented children with SEN in special free schools? What information would help parents etc (including OFSTED) assess how effectively schools support disabled children and children with SEN?

Transition into Adulthood Integrated supported and advice for young people as part of their education, health and care plan (0 to 25 years). Better vocational and work-related learning options post-16. Better support to get and keep a job such as work experience and internships. Coordinated transition from children’s to adult health services.

Transition into Adulthood What more can education and training providers do to ensure that disabled young people and young people with SEN are able to participate in education or training post-16? When disabled young people and young people with SEN choose to move directly from school or college into the world of work, how can we make sure this is well planned and who is best placed to support them? How do you think joint working across children’s and adult health services for young people aged could be improved? How could the G.P play a greater role in managing a smooth transition for a disabled young person from children’s to adult health services? What do you think are the main areas to focus on in preparing disabled children or children with SEN in preparing for adulthood (broad range of learning opportunities, moving into employment, independent living, transition to health services, other)?

Services Working Together for Families Changing the role of the Local Authority to become stronger and more coordinated strategic planning and commissioning for ‘improved services’. Simplifying statutory guidance for all professionals working with children and young people 0-25 with SEN and disabilities. Review training (and role) of educational psychologists. Development of collaborative, innovative and high quality support services. Targeted funding for voluntary sector organisations with a strong track record in providing SEN service. Revised and simpler statutory framework and guidance for SEN and disability.

Services Working Together for Families How can central government enable and support local authorities to carry out their role effectively? What more do you think could be done to encourage and facilitate local services working together to improve support for children with SEN or who are disabled? How do you think SEN support services might be funded so that schools, academies, free schools and other education providers have access to high quality SEN support services? What are the areas where the voluntary and community sector could have the greatest positive impact on services? How do you think a national banded funding framework for children and young people with SEN or who are disabled could improve the transparency of funding decisions to parents while continuing to allow for local flexibility?

The Government’s Vision These themes and proposals are based on a ‘vision’, arguing a radically different system is needed, that supports better life outcomes for young people gives parents more confidence by giving them more control transfers power to the front-line professionals and to local communities.

Your chance to have your say Closing date for submissions to the Green Paper is Thursday 30 th June Individual responses can be completed online at or ed to or by downloading a response form and send completed Consultation Unit DFE Area 1C, Castle View House East Lane Runcorn WA7 2GJ