Contact: Sue Sylvester, Policy and Performance Officer, ext 7493

e-mail: [email protected]

1 Purpose of this report

1.1 This covering report is intended to provide an `at-a-glance' summary for Members on the options being presented for the delivery of EOTAS (education other than at school) services. It leads into the full options report which has been drafted by the core review team.

1.2 This report supports Aim 1 of the Corporate Strategy as it presents options that seek to maximise the life opportunities of vulnerable children and young people.

2 Purpose of the service

2.1 Schools are where pupils should be for all or most of their statutory education. However, for those pupils who have been excluded, or are physically or psychiatrically unwell, EOTAS may be considered. EOTAS is a short term provision, its purpose being to reintegrate pupils to school and / or prepare them for further education, training or employment. The service has increasingly become involved with preventative work and since April 2002 has been responsible for the Behaviour Support Teams (formerly the Behaviour Intervention Service). The EOTAS service is also responsible for monitoring the provision of home education by parents.

2.2 The relevant duty of is laid down in Section 19(1) of the Education Act 1996, which states that "Each local education authority shall make arrangements for the provision of suitable full-time or part-time education at school or otherwise than at school for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them".

3 Evaluation of whether the service meets Best Value

3.1 The surveys conducted in the course of this review showed consistently high levels of satisfaction with the services provided by EOTAS.

3.2 Expenditure across primary, secondary and special schools was analysed and showed that Hampshire's expenditure on EOTAS services was in the middle of the group of comparator LEAs. When expenditure on behaviour support services was included, Hampshire's performance remained consistently close to that of neighbouring LEAs.

4 Outcomes sought

4.1 The attached report describes service delivery options and service improvements to deliver the following desired outcomes:

· Improved management information and analysis

· Greater emphasis on re-integration

· Earlier involvement to tackle behaviour problems

· Minimal gap between exclusion / ability to attend school due to illness and the availability of EOTAS provision.

· Clearer focus on the needs of individual children

· Improved processes for seeking the views of children and parents and listening to them

· More effective monitoring of `home education'

4.2 Of the five options for service delivery identified (see paragraph 5 of the Options Report), option 5 - retention of the centrally controlled and funded EOTAS Service developed to fulfil the requirements of `Every Child Matters' is the preferred option of the review team for the following reasons:-

· The Best Value Review Team felt that this option was most likely to achieve the desired review outcomes (see Appendix 1 to the Options Report).

· The Headteachers consulted in the course of the review overwhelmingly supported this option.

· The direction being set by central government in the light of papers such as `Every Child Matters and `A better education for children in care' and the LEA strategy of developing full service teams supporting extended schools would best be served by a centrally retained service implementing a coherent action plan focussed on the government's aims and the LEA strategy.

4.3 A number of service improvements were identified in the course of the review (see paragraph 7 of the Options Report) and were considered in the assessment of the service delivery options. It is anticipated that the costs of all the improvements could be met from within existing resources, except for the costs of the service wide database and the virtual learning environment, for which budget bids will be made through the normal budgeting processes.

5 Member involvement

5.1 The following members participated in this phase of the review:

· Cllr M Cartwright

· Cllr K Heron

· Cllr P Peskett

6 Review costs

6.1 Direct costs to date are £5,000 and 120 officer days have been required which, at a mid-level salary rate of £220 per day (allowing for basic on-costs), is a cost of £26,400.

Recommendations:

1. It is recommended that the Best Value Review Team develops an improvement plan based on:

· Option 5 - Retention of a centrally controlled and funded EOTAS Service, developed to fulfil the requirements of `Every Child Matters' and the Children Bill.

· the service improvements listed in paragraph 7 of the attached report.

N.B. The list excludes:

1. Published works

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