Agenda item

To present a report on the activities of the SEN Provider Unit during the Summer Term, 2015.

The report of the Special Educational Needs Provider Unit on activities undertaken during the Summer Term, 2015 was presented for the Joint- Committee’s consideration.

The Principal Educational Psychologist highlighted developments with regard to staff changes in the Administrative, Specialist Teachers and Educational Psychology Services and where those changes entailed the loss of posts i.e. through resignation, job change or completion of a secondment period he explained the potential impact on the affected service and the mitigating steps taken either by a proposal to fill a vacancy or by reconfiguring workloads within the current staff complement. The Officer referred to the following points –

•           Two of the administrative assistants within the Administration Service will be leaving the service the one due to retirement (0.4 full times) and the other (full-time) to an external post. Whilst it is hoped the full time post can be filled for a temporary period, the intention is not to fill the other 0.4 post.

•           The Hearing Service continues to operate on the basis of a strong team with three qualified teachers, equivalent to 2.6 full time, as well as a full-time unqualified teacher who is currently undertaking training. Despite the impending retirement at Christmas of one of the teachers and the loss of an experienced assistant, the service will continue to have a team of 2.7 full time equivalent teachers from Christmas onwards.

•           There are 2.1 full-time equivalent teachers currently in the Visual Impairment Service along with two qualified assistants (1.6 full-time equivalent).

•           There have been reductions in the service for language and communication and in particular for autism. There are currently two teachers within the service being 1.8 full-time equivalent. The service has lost two teachers (i.e. 1 full-time equivalent) along with an experienced assistant who was on secondment from Gwynedd. The team is at present finding it challenging to meet all needs across the two authorities.

•           The service for medical and physical difficulties continues to operate on the basis of two teachers, one full time and the other who works for 0.3 full time equivalent but who also provides 0.2 to the visual service.

•           The Educational Psychology Service continues to operate with less staff than usual with one senior psychologist at present on secondment to Gwynedd Council. Two part-time psychologists have left the service meaning that it is possible to support two trainee psychologists on a professional course in Cardiff. The service continues to operate a system whereby each school has its allocated psychologist and a number of sessions are arranged for each school; the  service is seeking to make changes to this system to ensure that all schools are served equitably. There are 5.9 full-time equivalent psychologists (10 individuals) within the service with the addition of an experienced trainee psychologist who is able to take some of the schools under supervision. The trainee psychologist will be qualified in the summer of 2016 and in more favourable financial circumstances the team would be happy to consider employing her.

•           The data with regard to final statements produced within the statutory timetable during the 2013/14 academic year shows that whilst the number of new statements in Gwynedd has reduced from last year, the number in Anglesey is similar to the previous year.

In the ensuing detailed discussion, the following points  were made -

•           The Joint-Committee noted the reductions in the language, communication and autism services with concern and sought clarification of the plans to address the needs of children across the autistic spectrum as a consequence particularly in light of the ongoing pressures on the team.

The Principal Educational Psychologist said that the service has a number of temporary staff and because of the financial pressures several contracts are likely to come to an end in the summer. Whilst discussions regarding the situation are due to be held, because the bulk of the Provider Unit’s expenditure is on staff, in the long term this represents the Joint-Committee’s principal avenue for identifying savings. Moreover it is considered premature to be taking specific action pending the outcome of Gwynedd Council’s Strategy for Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion’s journey through the Council’s democratic processes.

Gwynedd Council’s Senior Inclusion Manager said that notwithstanding Gwynedd has been developing a Strategy for ALN and Inclusion, there are children who are currently in the system whose needs must be met. There have been discussions with Anglesey’s ALN Education Officer with a view to establishing a forum to facilitate access to provision; it is felt that rather than looking specifically at the staffing issue, greater focus needs to be placed on the efficacy of current processes and practices to better ensure they are fit for purpose and to reduce the work pressures on staff and also to enable a more planned rather than reactive response. This approach could be extended to all the teams within the SEN Provider Unit.

The Senior Education Accountant said that there is provision also within the two authorities for children with autistic needs.

•           The Joint-Committee welcomed the progressive approach that had been taken with regard to training two educational psychologists but expressed concern in light of the financial context regarding the long-term prospects for their permanent employment within the Joint-Committee  The Joint-Committee noted that it would be regrettable should their services be lost given the efforts and investment made to obtain places for them on the restored professional course at Cardiff  University. The Joint-Committee therefore requested that it be provided with a report with regard to the arrangements made with the Trainee Psychologists in terms of committing them to the Joint-Committee for a period on the completion of their training and the financial implications for the two posts.

•           The Joint-Committee expressed concern regarding the level of uncertainty and risk in relation to the staff situation which it felt could be unsettling for staff, and it emphasised the need as far as possible to try to provide stability for staff. The Joint-Committee sought assurance that the service is sufficiently equipped to provide for the needs of all those children who require support and that none are disadvantaged because resources are stretched, and it was suggested that a report be provided to give an overview of the current position to enable both counties to set a strategic direction.

•           The Joint-Committee suggested that it is not meeting frequently enough to be able to maintain an effective overview of developments and the cancellation of the September meeting was  cited as an example.

Gwynedd Council’s Senior Inclusion Manager said that Gwynedd has conducted a strategic review of additional learning needs and inclusion and is clear in terms of the outcomes it wishes to achieve for children and young people requiring support and how those can be attained. A difficulty for the Joint-Committee is the emerging divergence in the  two authorities’ approach to meeting needs – the School Action and School Action Plus approach places greater emphasis on schools which in turn can lead to greater demand for services. Gwynedd Council is seeking to develop a more preventative approach to reduce the demand for additional provision.

Anglesey’s ALN Education Officer confirmed that there are some differences in the authorities’ approach. In Anglesey funding has been devolved to schools and there are agreed pathways between the Authority and primary schools regarding how support can be accessed. Whilst the demand for statements in Anglesey is constant, they are greater in number in the nursery phase this year. The Joint-Committee noted that this increase needs to be monitored to identify a possible trend. The ALN Education Officer said that the needs of these children are acute and go beyond the School Action Plus provision and represents a pattern that may continue. The Senior Inclusion Officer said that in Gwynedd the approach is be via  an Individual Development Plan rather than a Statement but with support also from schools and the Early Years Units. By utilising the Early Years Units, the level of support required subsequently in the mainstream is therefore less because of the early input, intervention and targeting.

It was resolved to accept the report and to note its contents.

ACTIONS ARISING:

•           The Joint-Committee to be provided with a report with regard to the post-training arrangements made with the Trainee Psychologists and the financial implications for the two posts.

•           The Joint-Committee to be provided with an overview of the position in the two authorities with regard to the approach to meeting the needs of children requiring additional support because of ALN.