DfEE Green Paper (22/10/1997) - Planning: the school dimension

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5 Planning SEN provision

Planning: the school dimension

Community special schools
9. Within the new schools framework, described in Excellence in schools, all maintained special schools are likely to become community special schools. This is because of the importance we attach to the place of special schools in a unified service supporting greater inclusion.

10. At present, many details of the provision made by special schools have to be specifically approved by the Secretary of State. Similarly, any change to the approved arrangements has to be decided centrally. We propose to end this requirement for community special schools. Detailed arrangements for more devolved decision making were described in a consultation paper on the new school framework in August. Each LEA would set up a school organisation committee to agree a local school organisation plan and to decide school organisation proposals. In drawing up their plan, LEAs would have regard to the regional plans for SEN proposed above. In deciding proposals, school organisation committees would have regard to guidance from the Secretary of State. This would reflect our policy of increasing inclusion and cover issues such as:

the relationship between regional plans, local school organisation plans and LEA Education Development Plans;
advice on age ranges and types of SEN which could be catered for within the same school; the appropriateness of mixed/single sex provision; and perhaps updated guidance on teaching group sizes, staffing levels and qualifications;
delivery of the National Curriculum;
inspection arrangements: OFSTED would monitor the extent to which LEAs took account of this guidance in organising special schools.

31/08/2000