SEN PATHFINDERS

SEN Pathfinders Announced
On Tuesday 25 October 2011, Department for Education announced Special Education Needs Pathfinder contracts involving voluntary and community organisations which will deliver more support, including the Council for Disabled Children and I CAN, the children’s communication charity.

The Department for Education is providing funding of around £6 million a year for two years to deliver this support.

Seeking Partners
These Pathfinders will be seeking further delivery voluntary and community partners to help with pilots. The organisations will support the delivery of short breaks, provide greater information and help to parents, and help disabled young people and those with SEN prepare for employment, training and independent living after they leave school.

The list of successful contractors will provide knowledge and support on the delivery and improvement of local services and help the 20 SEN Green Paper pathfinder areas test some of the Government’s key reforms. Among the organisations and contracts are:

  • The IMPACT consortium (SERCO in partnership with the Short Breaks Network). The Consortium seeks to support local authorities to provide short breaks and involve parents.
  • The Council for Disabled Children seeks to support local parent partnership services across England that provide parents with information about rights and responsibilities under SEN legislation.
  • A consortium led by the National Development Team for Inclusion. This consortium seeks to improve outcomes for young people with SEN and disabilities. The consortium will work with local authorities, schools, young people and their for employment, training and independent living after they leave school.
  • The ES Trust with the National Children’s Bureau. This consortium seeks to extend the successful Early Support programme to improve the quality, consistency and coordination of services for disabled children over five years old.
  • The Early Language Consortium, led by I CAN. This consortium seeks to introduce Early Language Development Training for people working with children up to five years old. The training seeks to raise aspirations in secondary school and plan for will focus on the importance of early language development to improve communication and language skills.

£600mn FOR FREE SCHOOLS INCLUDES SPECIAL FREE SCHOOLS

The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on Tuesday 29 November 2011 contained £600m to fund an extra 100 Free Schools, including new specialist Maths Free Schools for 16-18 year olds, “supported by strong university maths departments and academics.”

This included invitations to those seeking to establish Special Free Schools. The Green Paper “Support and Aspiration: a New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability” in March 2011 showed the Government’s intention to give parents a choice of school from any state funded school including Free Schools. Special Free Schools will normally only admit pupils with Special Education Needs. Children without SEN may be admitted in exceptional circumstances. Special Free Schools should ensure curriculum plans are tailored to meet the individual needs of pupils, as set out in their statements of Special Educational Need.

Funding for Free Schools

The Government is currently consulting on a longer term funding system for schools – including Special Free Schools. But interim funding arrangements enable Special Free Schools to receive a base level funding of £10,000 per place. There may also be funding from the local authority, depending on individual needs. Special Free Schools will also receive an additional grant to compensate for services that maintained schools receive free of charge from their local authority.

Further information on all this will be posted in future Huckfield briefings.