Archived decisions

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Contact:

George Heller : Assistant County Education Officer : 01962 846518 Eric Smith : Education Officer SEN : 01962 846245

1. Summary

1.1 Following the closure of Tankerville Special School in August 2002, as part of the re-organisation of specialist provision for children with learning difficulties in the Eastleigh and Winchester area, Lankhills School assumed responsibility for Tankerville's off-site class at Toynbee Secondary School. (Lankhills School will be re-named Osborne School from May 2003.)

1.2 The headteacher of Lankhills School is experiencing difficulties in supporting and maintaining this class, and his governing body has accepted his proposal that it be closed. Parents of pupils attending the class have expressed considerable concern about and objection to this proposal.

1.3 Permanent closure of the class will require a decision by the Executive Member for Education to request the Secretary of State's agreement to modify the original approval to this part of the County Council's re-organisation proposal.

1.4 The Committee is asked to consider the proposal and the responses to the consultation with parents and other interested parties, and is invited to make a recommendation to the Executive Member.

2. Background

2.1 Tankerville School, which closed in August 2002, had established over ten years ago off-site classes in Crescent Primary and Toynbee Secondary schools, in Eastleigh. They were staffed by Tankerville School staff and managed by the headteacher of Tankerville School. The mainstream schools are 0.4 and 1.5 miles respectively from the former Tankerville's main site. (A map of the area showing the schools involved is attached.)

2.2 On the closure of Tankerville School, these classes became the responsibility of Shepherds Down and Lankhills schools respectively. During the review of provision for pupils with learning difficulties in Eastleigh and Winchester in 1998, alternative ways of managing these classes were considered. In the report considered by Education Committee on 7 July 1998, it was stated (para. 10.3): "Informal discussions have taken place with Crescent and Toynbee headteachers who see merit in managing this provision themselves. Tankerville would prefer a special school to manage this provision." The need for further consultation with the schools' governing bodies was agreed.

2.3 It was further noted in that report (para. 10.4): "One important condition of an arrangement whereby the special classes might be consolidated within the mainstream schools would be the need to establish a network of professional support and special school links for these two classes and their staff to avoid becoming isolated."

2.4 The Director of Education reported to Education Committee on 6 October 1998 on the outcome of these consultations. The governors of both Crescent and Toynbee schools preferred the existing arrangements to continue, whereby Shepherds Down and Lankhills schools would inherit from Tankerville School the management and support arrangements for the two classes, should Tankerville School close. The report to Education Committee also noted that these arrangements would be kept under review because of the distances.

2.5 Following the approval of the Education Committee, Public Notices were published of the County Council's intention to close Greenacres and Tankerville schools (for children with severe learning difficulties) and to reorganise Shepherds Down and Lankhills schools, to cater for the full range of pupils, of primary and secondary age respectively, with learning difficulties. The Public Notices, and subsequent approval of the Secretary of State, included the provision of an off-site class at the Crescent Primary and Toynbee Secondary schools. The Secretary of State will need to be asked to modify the approval to the original Notices, if the class is to be closed permanently. (This proposal relates solely to the class at Toynbee School; there is no proposal to review or close the class at The Crescent Primary School.)

2.6 During 2002, the headteacher of Lankhills School, alerted officers to the difficulties he expected in staffing and supporting the off-site class at Toynbee School, a distance of ten miles from the main school site. He indicated his view that the logistical difficulties of managing and maintaining the class would outweigh the limited educational and social benefits which the pupils presently gain from being taught at Toynbee School. He therefore proposed that the class be closed and the pupils be brought onto the main school site, in Winchester, when the reorganisation of the school for pupils with learning difficulties (combining both moderate and severe learning difficulties) takes effect in the summer (when Lankhills School will be renamed Osborne School).

2.7 A meeting for parents of pupils attending the class took place on 3 December 2002, at which the headteacher outlined the situation and his reasons for proposing the closure of the class. Parents expressed considerable disquiet and opposition to the prospect of the class being closed. A report of this meeting was considered by the headteachers and officer planning group. It was agreed that a recommendation to close the class should be presented to Policy Review Committee and to the Executive Member for a decision.

2.8 Parents, the governing body of Lankhills School and the headteacher and chair of governors of Toynbee School have been invited to formally express their views, which are recorded in this report.

3. Reasons for proposal

Staffing

3.1 The off-site class at Toynbee School comprises eight pupils (two of whom are in Year 11 and will therefore leave at the end of the current academic year). The staffing, inherited from Tankerville School, comprises one teacher-in-charge, with two full-time and two part-time support assistants (total of 72.5 hours per week, plus five hours of lunch-time supervisory assistance).

3.2 The teacher-in-charge has been appointed to a post as Assistant Headteacher within Osborne School, carrying a number of whole school responsibilities, including KS3 Manager (of approximately ten classes), Co-ordinator of Personal, Health & Social Education, and Inclusion Manager. In order to be able to fulfil these roles, alongside that of class teacher, she will have to transfer to the main school site at Easter 2003.

3.3 All of the support assistants have notified their intention to leave the class, to take up posts in Shepherds Down School or to pursue other activities. As a result of the reorganisation, Osborne School is seeking to fill a number of vacancies of teaching and support staff posts, and the headteacher cannot be confident of being able to replace the staff in the off-site class. His priority is to appoint staff to posts on the main site where they can be deployed more flexibly, if necessary covering other vacancies.

3.4 A complete change of the staff working with the off-site class will exacerbate difficulties which the headteacher is already experiencing in managing staffing for the class. He would have difficulties covering staff absences, particularly at short notice, and maintaining an adequate level of staffing in the event of two or more staff being absent. He has serious concerns therefore about his ability to guarantee the health, safety and welfare of staff and pupils. There is a risk that the class would have to close, or arrangements made at short notice to bring the pupils onto the main site, on days when there is a significant level of staff absence. (On the main site, absences or serious incidents can be covered by such measures as: cover by senior staff; flexible deployment of staff; combining classes or allocating pupils to different classes. At best, there would be a significant time delay before any of these measures could be applied to the class situated on the Toynbee site.)

Quality of education

3.5 The distance and isolation of the class at Toynbee School limit the ability of senior staff of Osborne School to monitor and maintain the quality of education and activities provided for the pupils. This concern would be greater in the event of a significant turnover of staff and the appointment of new, and possibly less experienced, staff. (The need for professional support and avoiding isolation of staff in the off-site classes was noted in the report to Education Committee in July 1998; see para. 2.3 above.)

3.6 Ofsted inspection reports of the Tankerville School provision at Toynbee School were invariably complimentary, particularly with regard to the quality of teaching and learning. LEA inspectors have commended the skills of the staff for providing teaching of high quality. Staff in this situation have to meet the challenge of planning and delivering a broad and relevant curriculum to a relatively small peer group (normally, maximum eight pupils) across Key Stages 3 & 4, without access to specialist teaching areas. With the impending staff changes, it is likely to be extremely difficult to ensure continuation of such quality, which the class has benefited from up to now.

3.7 In his comments on the proposal to close the off-site class, the headteacher of Toynbee School notes that "curriculum and specialist facilities sharing has not been a strong feature of the partnership with the Tankerville group, which has largely remained separate from the mainstream secondary school". At present some pupils take lunch in the school dining room during the midday break but otherwise they are not involved in Toynbee School.

Alternative provision at Osborne School

3.8 At the meeting for parents in December 2002, the headteacher of Lankhills School outlined the facilities and opportunities which he believes the pupils would have if they transfer to the main site. These include: an inclusive setting incorporating 130+ children with a wide range of abilities in learning and communication; an ethos in which children are challenged academically; opportunities and challenge to develop and exercise social skills; an emphasis on life skills and development of independence; work experience available to all pupils; college links; special events and a regular activity week in which all pupils participate.

3.9 Osborne School aims to provide a teaching and social environment where pupils can be taught according to their educational and social needs. The school intends to offer high quality provision in terms of teaching, facilities and social needs. This may be within a special school setting, a mainstream setting, or an agreed combination of the two. The school intends to pursue inclusive opportunities within the special school and within local mainstream schools and those mainstream schools that are local to the child. Staff will be seeking to work with mainstream colleagues in supporting the development of inclusive practices within their environments, from both staff's and pupils' perspective. Osborne School aims to become a resource centre where both parents and professionals can access support, guidance and training in working towards more inclusive environments.

3.10 Osborne School will be accommodated from summer 2003 in a new purpose-built building. It will have a range of specialist rooms for science, technology, ICT, physical education, art and music. Pupils will have access to a wider range of specialist teachers who will enhance curriculum experience, than can be provided in a single off-site class.

3.11 Pupils in a school population of 130+ pupils will have greater opportunities to make and sustain friendships outside their tutor group, and to take on responsibilities within the wider school community, than are currently being offered in the off-site class.

4. Arrangements during the summer term 2003

4.1 At their meeting on 17 February the governing body of Lankhills School took a decision, after careful consideration, to close the off-site class for one term on the grounds of health and safety. This is a temporary measure which does not pre-empt the County Council's decision about the long-term future of the off-site provision. The governors will review this decision each term.

4.2 The headteacher wrote to parents of the pupils affected on 21 February 2003 to inform them of this decision. They noted that, despite significant efforts to recruit, the headteacher has been unable to find a suitable teacher to take over this class.

4.3 It has been confirmed to parents that the class will continue to be taught together on the main site, with the class teacher as their teacher for a significant part of their timetable.

5. Consultation

5.1 Letters inviting comments on the proposal to close the off-site class at Toynbee School were sent to the parents of the eight pupils attending this class, to parents of the five pupils attending Shepherds Down School's off-site class at the Crescent Primary School, to the headteacher and chair of governors of Toynbee School and to the chair of governors of Lankhills School.

5.2 Parents were invited to indicate whether they agreed with the proposal, as well as making comments. Responses were: In favour : 1

Against : 6

Comments from all respondents are summarised in the following paragraphs. (Copies of the responses can be viewed in the Members' Room.)

5.3 Parents of one existing pupil stated that he had decided that he wishes to transfer to Osborne School's main site, and they were respecting that decision.

5.4 Many parents highlighted positive features of the off-site class; e.g. size and location; favourable pupil-adult ratio; ethos; the pupils are happy there; it boosts pupils' confidence and self-esteem; the children are involved in a mainstream school environment. Some parents who live close to Toynbee School noted that their child has friends in the local neighbourhood as a result of attending the class.

5.5 Parents expressed the concern that the closure of the class would represent greater segregation of children with special educational needs rather than greater inclusion; there should be more, rather than fewer, units of this kind. A concern was expressed about the risk of the pupils being subject to bullying within Osborne School.

5.6 Some parents have questioned the severity of the staffing and health and safety concerns expressed by the headteacher, and suggested that insufficient effort was being made to fill the staffing vacancies. The viability of the class should not be dependent on the recruitment of one teacher. The headteacher of Tankerville School had successfully run the class without highlighting staffing or safety concerns. It was suggested that the staffing difficulties may be a direct consequence of the re-organisation of the special schools. There was also some concern that the proposal was being made on financial grounds, to save the school and/or LEA money. Parents were concerned that the pupil : staff ratio of classes at Osborne School would be less favourable than for the off-site class.

5.7 Parents were concerned about the disruption to their child, noting that children with special educational needs require a stable and routine environment, and that children may become anxious and unsettled by these changes. The closure of the class would follow closely the disruption resulting from the closure of Tankerville School. Some of the pupils had also been affected by the amalgamation of Rosemary Portal and Southdown schools into Shepherds Down School in 1994.

5.8 In their letters, some parents felt that their views, expressed at the parents' meeting, had not been listened to. They noted that it was difficult for them to accept the case for the children to transfer to the main (Osborne School) site, as it does not yet have a `track record', and they cannot yet see its accommodation and facilities. Some parents felt that they should have more choice of schools. There was also a concern from a parent of a pupil attending Shepherds Down School's off-site class at The Crescent School that if the class at Toynbee were to close, then the class at The Crescent School would also close.

5.9 The headteacher of The Crescent Primary School has expressed her views. She believes that closing the off-site class at Toynbee School does not support the County Council's policy of inclusion. She stated that the LEA has pushed very hard for inclusive education and mainstream schools are catering for a wide range of special educational needs children who would otherwise be in special schools. "The Toynbee class offers a superb opportunity for children to be inclusively educated within a mainstream setting."

5.10 The governing body of Lankhills School considered the proposal at their meeting on 17 February which was attended by the County's attached (SEN) inspector. In their written response they stated that: they do not believe that there is a convincing case on educational considerations for maintaining the Toynbee class; they would wish to see, if the class is to be closed, that the educational preferences of the parents and children involved are addressed; and they would like there to be, where parents wish it, the option for their child to attend a school in their own locality.

5.11 The headteacher of Toynbee School has stated that "we would not be opposing the proposal to close the outreach class". He acknowledges that his school's ethos has been strengthened over the years by the participation of students with severe learning difficulties, "and we recognise the benefits to them of wearing with pride the Toynbee uniform".

5.12 The headteacher acknowledged the major difficulties arising from the staffing and health and safety issues. He noted that his staff had made it clear that it would not be feasible for them to assume any emergency or support role for this class, should the need arise, given the demands of their current responsibilities.

5.13 Noting that there had previously been discussions with LEA officers about the possibility of the class becoming `mainstream resourced provision' (see paras 2.2 - 2.4 above), the headteacher stated that he would not seek to re-open this discussion, as the school is "fully involved and occupied in ensuring the continuing success and reputation" of its resourced provision for visually impaired pupils. (Toynbee School is the County's only secondary mainstream school resourced for blind and visually impaired pupils.)

6. Financial considerations

6.1 The school's budget is substantially determined by the agreed place number (APN) which is determined each year by the LEA and by the relative severity of the pupils' special educational needs. The APN equates to the number of pupils which the LEA expects to be attending the school in the relevant financial year. An annual audit of the pupils attending each special school allocates each pupil to a funding "step" according to the nature and severity of his or her special educational needs. The unit of funding for the pupils remains the same, therefore, wherever they are taught. The floor area of the off-site class is included in the premises-related elements in Toynbee School's budget share. None of these factors will be changed by the closure of the class.

6.2 The LEA allocates a "split-site" element in the budget shares of schools such as Shepherds Down and Lankhills schools which have off-site classes. The allocation to Lankhills (Osborne) School in a full year, for eight off-site classes, is £2,162. This will no longer be allocated to the school if the class closes.

6.3 This small reduction in expenditure arising from the removal of the split-site allowance is likely to be off-set by changes in the cost of home to school transport. In the current year, most pupils attending the class live in the Eastleigh area and they would have a longer journey to the main Lankhills (Osborne) School site. The cost implications would, however, change over time, depending on where, within the Eastleigh and Winchester area, pupils who might have attended the off-site class live.

7. Conclusion

7.1 It was acknowledged in the report to Education Committee in October 1998 that the operation of the off-site classes should be kept under review. It had not been expected that any such review would have taken place so soon after the closure of Tankerville School. However, the headteacher of Lankhills School is experiencing serious difficulties in maintaining staffing of the class, which is sufficient to ensure both the continuing quality of teaching and support, and the safety and welfare of staff and pupils.

7.2 Those difficulties were not experienced by the head of Tankerville School who had enjoyed relative continuity of staffing and had more ready access to the class, from her main school site only a few minutes travel from Toynbee School. It was also important for staff to have regular and easy access to the main school site, for staff meetings, staff development and administrative support. This is more difficult to achieve with the increased distance between the two schools.

7.3 The headteacher of Lankhills School has been making considerable efforts, in conjunction with the Education Department's recruitment team and recruitment agency, to fill his staff vacancies for the coming term and next academic year. These efforts have, to date, been only partly successful and the school currently has insufficient staff to maintain the class after the Easter break. The governing body has accepted the case for the closure of the off-site class at Toynbee School for the coming term.

7.4 The strong support of most parents of pupils who have been attending the class to its continuation is understood. Their children have benefited from the high quality of provision which has been maintained by the current staff. Parents and pupils have valued their presence and acceptance within the mainstream school community. The heads of both Lankhills and Toynbee Schools have, nevertheless, expressed strong reservations about the limited nature of the integration which has been experienced. It is the view of the County's SEN inspectors that, whilst the teaching of the off-site class at Toynbee School was of an exceptionally high standard, the aspirations for meaningful integration were never realised.

7.5 On the main site of Lankhills (Osborne) School, pupils will be fully part of a larger school community amongst a pupil population with a wide range of learning needs. There will be an extensive range of appropriate curriculum expertise and facilities, and opportunities for social contact and the development of life skills and independence. There should be scope for a broader range of inclusive experience - in terms of curriculum, social development and opportunities for pupils to take responsibilities and to increase independence - than has been achieved at Toynbee School.

7.6 Were the off-site class to continue, it is expected that the allocation of pupils to the class would have been for a shorter term, e.g. maximum one year, with pupils spending the majority of their years in classes on the main site, rather than spending up to five years in the off-site class, which was a typical pattern when the off-site classes were the responsibility of Tankerville School. Although pupils have, in the past, normally transferred from the off-site class at The Crescent School to the class at Toynbee School because they catered for a similar group of Tankerville School's pupils, this arrangement was likely to change. The two off-site classes are now the responsibility of different schools (Shepherds Down and Lankhills schools) and the headteachers and staff of these schools will be determining independently which pupils would be assigned to these classes, and how and when these pupils may move between classes on their main school site and the off-site class. Should the class at Toynbee School close, pupils who have attended the class at The Crescent School may transfer to Osborne School (or other special schools) or to a mainstream secondary school, dependent on their individual needs and their parents' preferences. There is no reason for the closure of the class at Toynbee School to affect the off-site class for primary age pupils at The Crescent School, which is the responsibility of Shepherds Down School.

7.7 LEA officers and the staff of Lankhills (Osborne) School will be working together to develop alternative opportunities for those pupils for whom it would be of clear educational and/or social benefit to spend some time in a mainstream school or with mainstream peers. This may be with a mainstream school close to the pupils' home or close to Osborne School. The County already provides financial support, in the form of Inclusion Grants, to support the process of trialling or transferring pupils from a special school into a mainstream school. Many special schools have accreditation within the County as a provider of outreach support, to help mainstream schools maintain and improve their provision for pupils with special educational needs. During 2002/3, a scheme has been piloted in which two special schools for pupils with learning difficulties have been supporting a number of pupils in local mainstream schools. Many children with quite severe and complex needs are successfully provided for, through the provisions of their statement of special educational needs, in a mainstream school.

7.8 An officer from the Education Department's SEN Service will attend the Annual Review meetings this term for each of the pupils currently attending Lankhills School's off-site class, to discuss with parents and the professional staff involved the future provision which will be appropriate to each pupil, taking account of parents' preferences.

Recommendation

To recommend to the Executive Member that the approval of the Secretary of State be requested to the closure of Lankhills (Osborne) School's off-site class at Toynbee School.

The Executive Member is minded to agree this proposal.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

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

NB the list excludes:

Published works.

Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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