Archived decisions

Contact: Cliff Turner, Assessment & Intervention Manager (Principal Educational Psychologist), 01962 846533

1 Behaviour in Schools: Principles and Vision

1.1 Behaviour of the vast majority of children in Hampshire is excellent. Schools provide happy, secure environments. From time to time, some children, like some adults, may behave badly, affecting themselves and others. Parents and school staff support children through such times, resolving the underlying problems and maintaining good discipline. For some children, more support is needed. For the education service, this may require help from outside the school.

1.2 Discussions with parents and staff show that there is shared understanding on principles when considering behaviour problems:

· all children have a right to the best possible education, whatever the ability and behaviour of themselves and their peers

· help (or "intervention") is most effective when provided early, in terms both of the child's age and the appearance of problems

· statutory and voluntary agencies need to work together, with parents and children

· staff in schools need supportive frameworks within and outside school in order to ensure high standards of learning for all children.

1.3 The vision for a behaviour support system can be summarised as describing a mutually supportive network of people working within and outside schools to identify and respond effectively to behaviour problems in the interests of all children.

However simply the vision may be stated, the complexity of human behaviour should not be understated.

2 The Behaviour Support Plan 2002 - 2007

2.1 The overall County strategy for supporting schools and pre-school providers is given in the Behaviour Support Plan 2001-2004 which was approved by Members on 20 November 2000. The Plan recognised that emotional and behavioural difficulties are a result of complex interactions between an individual's biological make-up, their experience of life and the context in which behaviour occurs.

2.2 The Plan made several key proposals about a new model of behaviour support in which:

· The County Council works in partnership with schools and other agencies

· Multi-professional support is co-ordinated at a local level

· Service delivery reflects the need for prevention as well as intervention

· There is continuity between phases

· Interventions take place at different levels when required

· There are improved arrangements for undertaking and reporting research and good practice.

2.3 Since November 2000, the Ofsted Action Plan and the new draft Education Development Plan 2002-2007 have been produced. Both contain activities that are relevant to the management of behaviour in schools and other settings. The purpose of this report is to synthesise the range of activities that are being planned into one Action Plan that clearly sets out what actions arise from the strategy to be done over the period 2002-2007, and what the potential financial implications of the strategy may be.

3 The Action Plan

3.1 18 activities are described:

1. Agree protocols between Social Services, Health and Education for determining priorities on an annual basis

2. Establish seven local inclusion steering groups to ensure county consistency and full involvement of local communities

3. Secure county wide coverage by establishing seven local behaviour intervention teams

4. Improve support and training for parents

5. Improve support and training for pre-school providers

6. Provide effective training opportunities for schools

7. Develop emotional literacy in schools

8. Improve access to psychological services by children and young people

9. Develop the role of schools for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties

10. Develop full time provision for children educated other than at school

11. Secure the entitlement of looked after children to education support services

12. Take action to combat drug abuse and substance misuse

13. Improve research and dissemination of good practice

14. Improve attendance

15. Reduce crime and disorder

16. Improve attendance of emotionally vulnerable children

17. Improve achievement of traveller children

18. Improve the emotional and social development of ethnic minority children

3.2 Each activity has an evaluation mechanism so that the impact can be measured and discussed as a basis for further development.

4 Resource implications

4.1 The services described in this report cost about £10 million currently. To develop the range of activities available, further investment will be needed in future.

4.2 In relation to each activity, funding details are given for 2001/02 and 2002/03. Some projects are the subject of existing budget bids and in some cases joint funding with other agencies is required. As can be seen, many activities are funded by the Standards Fund.

4.3 There are a number of activities that have had to be reduced or postponed because of competing pressures on the Standards Fund budget for 2002/03. These amount to £284,500 and details can be found in the appendix to this report.

4.4 It is not known whether, or to what extent, the Standards Fund will be available beyond the financial year 2002/03. In any event, the funding basis of the LEA will change significantly after April 2003. The timescales of the activities described may have to be adjusted in the light of available funds and as with all plans there will be regular review of all priorities to ensure resources are deployed effectively. For this reason the activities only list the resources for the current and following year.

4.5 Should Standards Fund not be available beyond 2003, further consultation would need to be undertaken with schools and other stakeholders to identify those activities that could be made the subject of subscription and those that could be properly deemed to be core activities of the County Council. In addition the developing application for a local Public Service Agreement will, if successful, secure resources for deployment during subsequent years.

4.6 The return on the investment would be measurable as suggested in the specific details of the activities. It is also important to recognise a broader issue. Research on recruitment and retention of school staff has identified pupil behaviour as a key factor. A strong supportive system would be a major incentive to work in Hampshire and some additional funding is proposed in the budget report elsewhere on the agenda for this meeting.

Recommendations

That the Executive Member for Education be advised that the Behaviour Support Plan Action Plan be approved in principle subject to future funding arrangements.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.