High Needs Provision Capital Allocation Funding 2022-24 - Consultation Feedback

Summary of Report

Staffordshire County Council has been allocated £13,287,793 High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) funding for the period of 2022-24.

Staffordshire County Council have consulted on proposals to use the funding to:

  • Increase access to mainstream placements for children and young people with high needs (who might otherwise require more specialist provision) with the development of resource bases.

  • Increase the local availability of high needs places to help reduce the requirement for out of area placements/placements at independent special schools.

99 responses were received to the consultation with 86% of respondents supporting the proposals.

Recommendation

To support the proposals to use the High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) funding to:

  • Increase access to mainstream placements for children and young people with high needs (who might otherwise require more specialist provision) with the development of resource bases.

  • Increase the local availability of high needs places to help reduce the requirement for out of area placements/placements at independent special schools.
Background

Staffordshire County Council has been allocated £13,287,793 High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) funding from the government for 2022-24. The aim of the funding is to deliver new places and improve existing provision in education settings for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), particularly those with more complex needs, and with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), although the funding can also be used to support SEND pupils without an EHCP and pupils that require Alternative Provision (including children in Alternative Provision settings without an EHCP).

Proposals for the funding

A consultation was completed on proposals to use the HNPCA to support school age pupils with SEND, either with an EHCP or SEN Support to:

  • Increase access to mainstream placements for children and young people with high needs (who might otherwise require more specialist provision) with the development of resource bases.

  • Increase the local availability of high needs places to help reduce the requirement for out of area placements/placements at independent special schools.
Consultation

The consultation took place between 1st June to 31st July 2022.

99 responses were received, with the majority being from school staff although a high proportion (39%) were received from parents or carers.

Graph of responses received.

86 responses (86%) were in support of the proposals as outlined above. Further analysis of the responses are outlined in Appendix 1.

The main feedback from those who agreed with the proposals (86%) stated:

  • Having more provision and specialist resources in mainstream schools enabled more children to be included.

  • More support and advice was needed for parents if their child attended mainstream schools

The main feedback from those who disagreed with the proposals (13%) stated:

  • More needed to be invested into specialist teaching staff and not buildings.

  • More funding should be invested in providing more places at special schools and not mainstream.

 

Appendix 1

Further analysis of the narrative comments submitted by respondents is outlined below. Comments may have been included in more than one theme.

The main themes from the 86 (86%) of respondents who did agree with the proposals are outlined below. 

Agree with proposals overall         

28

Agree with more provision and specialist resources in mainstream schools to allow more children to be included.

22

More support and advice for parents in mainstream schools

6

Suggest the proposal should include increasing staff knowledge, training and skills in mainstream schools

5

Agree resource bases in mainstream school are effective ways of meeting the needs of Pupils with SEND

4

Suggest more support is needed for children in nursery/early years

4

Responses related to the timescales for EHCP approvals

4

Responses related to the difficulties in obtaining support to evidence needs in relation to the EHCP process

4

Focus required for school leavers where mainstream further education is not suitable or need provision closer to home.

3

Primary schools with strong SEND practice could support effective provision with resource bases

1

The main themes from the 13 (13%) of respondents who did not agree with the proposals are outlined below:

More needs to be invested into specialist teaching staff and not buildings

4

Believe funding should be invested in providing more places at special schools and not mainstream

4

Want to understand more about what the proposals mean

3

Want to understand more about what type of AP provision will be provided.

1

Believe funding should be invested in independent schools which support specific SEND needs. ie SEMH

1

Consider more support is required in the home for those children unable to access school

1

Believe processes for AP should be more streamlined and shorter

1

Consider more should be invested into separate spaces within schools

1

Specialist facility needed specifically for children with Speech language and communication difficulty in the county

1

More investment in respite, out of school provision

1

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