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

home

SEN articles & info

catalogue

downloads

reports : DFEE Green Paper

5 Planning SEN provision

Planning: the regional dimension

Role of local education authorities
1. LEAs are providers both of school places for pupils with special educational needs, and of specialist support services. However, as a result of this mainly local focus, we find across the country:

differences in access to, and in quality of, provision; with duplication in some cases, and under-provision in others;
wide variations in funding levels;
inconsistency among schools in seeking external support; and
difficulties for some smaller authorities in providing for pupils who need very specialised provision.

2.There can legitimately be variation in the ways in which educational services are provided, and to some extent in the degree of choice locally. But there can be no argument for variations in quality. We will work to secure a continuum of provision across the country so that, no matter where pupils live and whatever their needs, an appropriate level of support is available.

3. While it may be possible for the largest LEAs to make provision for a wide range of special needs, we do not believe that a go-it-alone approach will lead to resources being used efficiently and effectively. Nor will smaller authorities find it easy to provide the range of specialist services necessary to support the improvements we seek. In some areas, collaborative arrangements operate successfully, involving the voluntary and private sectors as well as other LEAs. But in general there is a need for closer co-operation.

Regional planning
4. For these reasons we want to see the development of regional planning arrangements for some aspects of SEN provision. Statutory responsibility for SEN would remain with the LEA. The regional arrangements would help LEAs meet that responsibility by opening up access to all available resources. We want social services departments and health authorities, and the voluntary and independent sectors, to be fully included as partners in the arrangements, so that their contribution can be properly integrated into the regional framework.

Case study - Cross-LEA provision in inner London
A consortium of five inner London LEAs, led by Islington, was set up, initially using Grants for Education Support and Training (GEST) funding, to make provision for pupils with multi-sensory impairments.

In partnership with Sense (The National Deafblind and Rubella Association), the LEAs contracted one of its teachers - a national expert on working with these pupils - to conduct an initial audit of need, and then to support an advisory teacher employed by the consortium. The advisory teacher initially spent one day a week in schools in each of the authorities working with pupils, teachers and other staff, advising on individual programmes for pupils and providing training. Latterly, she has linked with other agencies in education, health and social services and spent one week in each school providing more specific support.

5. We do not propose to develop statutory or excessively formal arrangements. Their success will depend on partnership. Our preferred option, therefore, is to encourage voluntary co-operation on a regional basis, between LEAs, and between LEAs and other statutory, voluntary and private sector providers, including non-maintained special schools and independent schools catering for SEN, and institutions providing teacher training. This co-operation would be reinforced through funding mechanisms.

6. The core functions of these arrangements might be:

planning of places for low incidence disabilities, such as visual and hearing impairments and at the profound end of the autistic spectrum;
encouraging co-operation and perhaps specialisation in SEN support services;
developing provision for specialised in-service teacher training;
collecting and comparing data on SEN provision.

These are not the only areas that might benefit from regional planning.

Others - for example, provision for pupils who are out of school because of illness or injury - might be included. Some voluntary organisations have begun to study the issues involved in bringing about such co-operation: we are supporting this work.

7. Regional planning arrangements could be facilitated in the first instance by Government Offices (GOs). The sort of arrangements we envisage are:

groups to be made up of LEAs, other statutory agencies, voluntary and private sector representatives and providers of training, brought together on a voluntary basis under the chairmanship of the GO; membership could in some cases draw on existing regional structures; DfEE's SEN Division would attend meetings;
the structure would be non-bureaucratic; the GO would provide "light touch" facilitation; LEA staff or others with SEN background would be seconded to the GO to provide support for the regional groups;
each group would be expected to produce a regional plan for relevant aspects of SEN provision within the context of increasing inclusion; the DfEE could issue guidance on coverage;
as a first step we might support pilot schemes based in two GOs to prepare for introduction of these arrangements;
LEAs would be expected to contribute to the low-level administrative costs of the arrangements; regional planning should result in better value for money through more economical use of expensive low-incidence provision;
regional structures would provide a channel for two-way communication between local and central government; regional groups could contribute to national data on SEN and enable us to monitor the national picture.

8. A Regional Development Agencies Bill will be introduced in the current session of Parliament, preceded by a White Paper. In carrying forward our proposals for regional arrangements for SEN we will take account of these developments and also of the role of local regeneration partnerships, funded through the Single Regeneration Budget.

QUESTION: What should be the core functions of regional planning arrangements for SEN, and how should such arrangements be set up?

31/08/2000