SPECIALIST TEACHER ADVISORY SERVICE
DRAFT FINAL REPORT FOR BEST VALUE REVIEW
1. Summary
This document reports the findings of the Review Group
which was established in the Spring of 2000 to consider
the role of the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service
(STAS). The Service provides assessment and intervention
advice for pupils with hearing impairment (HI), visual
impairment (VI) and physical disabilities (PD). The
Review has focused on the organisation of the Service and
its relationship with other teaching staff involved in
the education of children with special needs. Various
options for the future of the Service have been
considered. Recommendations are given regarding future
structure, data collection and reporting.
2. Service under review
2.1 Objectives of the Service
_ To contribute to the assessment of children with
sensory impairments and physical disabilities;
_ To liaise with other professionals so that officers
and families gain a comprehensive view of children's
needs;
_ To work with teachers to plan individual teaching
programmes;
_ To provide advice and guidance to schools,
parents/carers, LEA officers and other agencies regarding
the education of children with sensory and physical
disabilities;
_ To teach individual pupils as required;
_ To represent the needs of pupils and parents to
officers of the LEA.
2.2 Size of Service
2.2.1 Introduction
The LEA supports children with "low incidence" special
needs using a variety of provision.
_ Mainstream schools via the special educational
needs audit
_ Mainstream schools via statements of special
educational needs
_ Resourced mainstream and special schools
_ Out-of-county independent schools
The size of the STAS is mutually dependent on these types
of provision. The STAS has a role in relation to each of
these sectors, but the predominant activity is focused on
supporting mainstream schools.
Currently, Hampshire County Council does not employ
specialist advisory teachers to support the learning of
children with language and communication disorders. This
is an area of need currently under review.
2.2.2 Special Educational Needs Audit
£15,514,579 is allocated to mainstream schools via the
Special Needs Audit, of which £465,582 is on the basis of
HI, VI and PD needs. The breakdown is as follows:
Primary Secondary
schools schools
Hearing £ 46,436 £ 36,660
Impairment
Visual Impairment £ 52,546 £ 29,328
Physical £190,632 £109,980
disabilities
Total £289,614 £175,968
2.2.3 Mainstream schools via Statements
The children with the most exceptional needs undergo a
multi-professional assessment leading to a Statement of
special educational need. Statements describe individual
needs and specify the resources allocated to meet those
needs. Resources are typically specific amounts of
qualified teacher time or learning support assistance.
The current situation is as follows:
Number Average Number Average Average Total
of pupils special of qualifie cost of cost in £
with needs pupils d additiona per year
special assistanc with teacher l support
needs e per qualifie support in £ per
assistanc pupil per d per pupil per
e week in teacher pupil week
hours support per week
in hours
PD 159 19 23 2 133 655,400
primar
y
PD 75 15 17 2 118 262,880
second
ary
VI 37 20 9 3.5 169 178,200
primar
y
VI 25 19 3 2 143 105240
second
ary
HI 39 13.5 7 3 124 125,080
primar
y
HI 32 11 9 2.5 108 92,960
second
ary
Total 367 - 68 - 1,419,76
0
The average individual support per pupil per year in
mainstream is therefore around £3,870 in addition to the
basic cost of a school place that is between £1,410 and
£2,289 depending on age.
2.2.4 Resourced mainstream and special schools
The total Agreed Place Number (APN) for HI, VI and PD
needs in mainstream schools is 157 as set out in the
table below. The cost per place ranges from £8,406 to
£19,335 (again in addition to the basic cost of a school
place as indicated in 2.2.3).
School PD HI HI HI Signing VI
Secondar Infant Junior Secondar
y y
Cost per £11567 £10017 £8406 £8098 £19335 £12027
place
Richard 12 6
Aldworth
Portches 24
ter
Communit
y
Kings 16
Secondar
y
Noadswoo 3
d
Secondar
y
Cove 6
Secondar
y
Manor 5 5
Junior
Medstead 5
Primary
Park 6
View
Infant
Park 6
View
Junior
Neville 11
Lovett
Secondar
y
Wallisde 7 8
an
Junior
Woodcot 8
Primary
Henry 8
Beaufort
Secondar
y
Toynbee 15
Secondar
y
Westgate 6
Secondar
y
TOTAL = 55 18 19 31 19 15
157
There are 48 APN at Saxon Wood (a primary special school
for physical disabilities catering for an age range of
2-11), the cost of each place being £7,800.
2.2.5 Out-of-county independent special schools
It is decided that some children cannot have their needs
met effectively within provision maintained by the County
Council and therefore their education is purchased from
the private sector.
No of No of Average Total cost
pupils schools cost per in £ per
place in year
£ pear
year
VI 11 3 27,345 299,583
pupils
HI 38 8 20,644 784,461
pupils
PD 34 10 30,106 1,023,609
pupils
83 2,107,653
The average cost of educating a pupil outside the county
per year is, therefore, around £25,390 in addition to
transport costs. These placements are not only the most
expensive, but they also conflict with the stated aim of
educating children as close to home as possible.
Many of these youngsters have been out-county for several
years. The development of Hampshire County Council
provision will reduce the number placed out-county. This
will increase the need for STAS support within the
county.
2.2.6 STAS
The Service needs to be understood in the context of
types of provision listed in the four preceding sections.
By comparison the size and costs of the STAS are
relatively small. There are 9.8 HI teachers, 5.5 VI
teachers (one of whom is unqualified), and 3 PD teachers.
There is a senior PD teacher advisor post that was frozen
in January 1998 due to financial constraints on the
Service. This vacancy has created enormous pressures on
the remaining three members of the PD section of the
Service; each of whom now serves at least two education
office areas and helps to cover a third. Criteria for
referral have been tightened so that many schools and
families who may have expected a service and no longer
getting one.
2.3 Service Activity
There is a statutory duty under the Education Act, 1996
to ensure that a core service is delivered to pupils
statemented for HI, VI and PD. Good practice indicates
that it is important to get involved early in a child's
education, because that is when intervention is most
effective. It is also helpful to intervene early in order
to minimise the need for statementing (which is an
expensive process). Continuity of support and consistency
of service delivery are important for both statemented
and non-statemented pupils.
The frequency of visits is related to need so that some
children may be the focus of an annual visit, whereas
others may be visited weekly, or even more often in
exceptional circumstances.
Academic year No of Visits to Visits to Total Average
1999-2000 children children statemented no of annual no
at Stage 3 children visits of visits
of the per per STA
Code of year
Practice
Physical 492 363 1245 1608 536
disability
Visual 365 709 1241 1950 354.5
Impairment
Hearing 827 2225 3909 6134 626
Impairment
Total 1684 3297 6395 9692 529.6
Visits to VI children may be longer than others as they
are more likely to involve direct teaching and
significant curriculum modification.
2
The above figures do not include work such as attendance
at annual reviews, liaison meetings with Health staff,
joint assessment clinics and in-service training for
teachers. A total of 10,000 visits per year is probably a
realistic estimate. In addition, of course, members of
the STAS should properly spend a proportion of their time
in maintaining their own professional development. More
detailed information on the age range and location of
children served by STAS is given in Appendices 1a (HI),
1b (VI), and 1c (PD).
All of the STAs report that workload pressures are high.
Several members of the Service have suffered from
illnesses thought to be related to stress and have taken
early retirement on health grounds.
There are several underlying reasons for the reported
high workload:
_ more children with disabilities are now educated
within Hampshire rather than being sent to independent
residential school.
_ recruitment is a challenge: this is partly a national
problem - made worse in Hampshire because although the
cost of living (e.g. housing) is high, rates of pay are
less than in comparable authorities such as Kent.
_ SENCOs are becoming increasingly skilled. This is a
welcome development, of course, but a consequence is that
the nature of the advice they now seek is more
sophisticated than hitherto. Rather than responding to
requests by giving general comments specific assessment
and research may be required in order to deliver quality
advice.
_ parents are better informed. Media interest in
disability and widespread internet access are raising
expectations.
2.4 Outline costs
The Service costs £804,300. In addition, the teacher
advisers administer a budget of £146,600 for specialist
equipment, all of which is spent in mainstream schools,
including some resourced schools. There is concern that
this budget has not kept pace with rising costs and
demands. A request for additional funding of £50,000 for
the year 2001-2002 has been made and accepted. The
purpose of this funding is to support children with
special needs by improving communication and their access
to the curriculum and with special emphasis on
Information and Communication Technology.
2.5 Aims of the review
The overall aim of the review is to ensure equality of
service across the County irrespective of disability.
Additional aims originally included:
_ Reviewing the organisation of the Service
_ Improving the relationship between the Service and
staff in resourced schools
_ Considering the use of resourced schools as bases for
peripatetic staff
_ Developing a scheme to accredit Hampshire resourced
schools for outreach work
2.6 Objectives of the review
2.6.1 To evaluate progress made since the last review of
provision for sensory impairment and the last review of
provision for physical disability
2.6.2 To clarify the needs of children with sensory and
physical disabilities
2.6.3 To evaluate the organisation of the Service
2.6.4 To improve working arrangements between STA teams
and the staff in resourced mainstream provision
2.6.5 To research models of provision and support in
similar LEAs
2.6.6 To consult widely to identify a preferred pattern
of provision across the county
2.6.7 To explore ICT opportunities in service delivery
2.6.8 To evaluate training provision and budgetary
arrangements
2.6.9 To link with other LEA policies and strategic plans
2.6.10 To evaluate relationships between STA teams
2.6.11 To develop an accredited outreach scheme from
resourced schools to mainstream schools to support the
learning of children with VI, PD and HI.
3 Review process
3.1 Challenge
3.1.1 What are the services being offered?
The overall purpose of the Service is to support
effective inclusive education. This is in line with the
wishes of most parents, government initiatives, and the
policies of Hampshire County Council. The activities
undertaken by the Service include:
_ Individual assessment and teaching of children
_ Collaboration with teachers and support staff in
developing and implementing (Individual Education Plans)
IEPs
_ Training to teachers, support staff, other
professionals and governors
_ Advice to the LEA about children's needs
_ Advice to schools regarding effective deployment of
specialist equipment
_ Advice and support to parents
_ Contribution to LEA development of policy and
practice
3.1.2 Why are these services being offered by the STAS?
Under the Education Act 1993, LEAs may provide special
educational needs support services to schools. National
regulations require mandatory training for HI and VI
teachers, over and above the minimal teaching
qualifications. There is no such requirement at present
for PD teachers. The STAS provides professional expertise
that is not available from elsewhere. In Hampshire
schools, teachers with these qualifications and skills
are rare in both mainstream and special schools. Although
such staff may be employed by the major disability
charities such as RNIB, RNID and Scope, these
organisations are not generally in competition with LEAs.
Rather, they see themselves as stimulating LEAs to
develop local high quality provision for the children
whose needs they represent.
Staff within the STAS have to serve the whole county.
Staff are deployed efficiently from the local education
offices.
The needs of children with HI, VI and PD change from year
to year. There is therefore a need for a Service that is
versatile and responsive. The size of the county creates
economies of scale that in turn support flexible ways of
working.
There are several factors that are likely to put more
demand on each section of the STAS in future:
_ The development of Universal Neonatal Screening for
Hearing impairment is likely to lead to a 10% increase in
workload for HI STAs in the next three years.
_ The increasing number of blind and partially sighted
children being educated within the County rather than
being sent to independent residential schools is likely
to increase the demand on the VI section.
_ The statutory need to conduct risk assessments on
children who require manual handling will increase the
demand on the PD section.
Both the VI section and the PD section are greatly
affected by the increasing sophistication of hi-tech
communication devices. The need to match children's needs
to suitable switches, computers and software is growing
demand on the Service. This is a highly specialist area
of work. At present Inclusion Branch supports 0.5 fte of
a teacher adviser for IT to undertake work in the most
complex cases. A full time post was deleted in 1998.
3.1.3 What are the outcomes?
1944 children with HI, VI and PD needs attend mainstream
schools compared with a total of 205 attending resourced
and special school provision. Clearly, the majority of
children with low incidence needs are supported in
mainstream schools.
According to staff in schools and parents, the Service
makes a significant contribution to the attainment of
individual children and thus to school improvement as a
whole. (See section 3.3 for details).
3.1.4 What are the benefits?
Teachers, headteachers and parents report that their
understanding of children's needs is enhanced, that
inclusion in the classroom and in the school as whole is
facilitated. (See section 3.3 for details)
Teachers and parents report that access to the National
Curriculum is supported and that academic attainment is
enhanced. (See tables 3.3.2 and 3.3.4). Comparative data
on attainments from elsewhere in the country suggest that
Hampshire children achieve relatively well.
3
Informally, headteachers report that it is helpful to
improve the awareness of the majority of pupils about
disability.
There are social benefits to the work of the Service as
well as educational because children can live at home and
attend local schools. It is believed that this brings
long term benefits in terms of mental health adjustment
and social cohesion.
3.2 Compare
Contact has been made with CIPFA (Chartered Institute of
Public Finance Accountants), District Audit and the Audit
Commission to seek information about comparative costs in
relation to other counties. It is recognised that
reliable information is not available, at present, but
that there is a need to collect such data in future.
In the absence of systematic information, the Service has
used its own network of colleagues around the country to
solicit information. Detailed information has been
received from Kent and Surrey, for example. The table
below gives an indication of comparative costs.
County Number of Cost per year Cost per 1000
pupils of of STAS pupils
statutory
school age
Kent 174,455 £844,000 £4,837
Hampshire 154,677 £804,300 £5,200
West Sussex 104,135 £904,000 £8,681
Warwickshir 67,888 £857,000 £12,625
e
Surrey 105,326 £1,968,000 £18,685
Caution should be used in interpreting this table. For
example, the costs for Surrey are thought to include both
office accommodation and secretarial support, whereas the
Kent figures include neither of these. (The Hampshire
figures include secretarial support but not
accommodation.)
A common feature of these services is that all but
Hampshire have a clearly identified Head of Service. In
some cases, this post includes responsibility not only
for HI, VI, and PD, but also for learning difficulties,
language difficulties and autism.
Services vary in their arrangements for locating teacher
advisers. Some are based in local education offices, as
in Hampshire, but in other county services are based in
schools.
3.3 Consult
3.3.1 Summary
4
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