Commentary on key issues raised

Pupil numbers

1. Consultation documents presented past and current pupil numbers; they do not show projected numbers nor planned house building.

2. Comment: the total number of pupils attending resourced provision for deaf/HI children is quite small and numbers in individual schools are, in some cases, very small. A fluctuation of one or two children can, therefore, be quite significant in terms of the total number of pupils. The number of children attending resourced provision (approximately 70) represents less than 8% of the total number of deaf/hearing impaired children currently on the caseload of the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service, which includes all degrees of hearing loss. There is no evidence, nationally or locally, to suggest that the incidence of deafness in children is changing. As noted in para. 2.4 of the report, the introduction of newborn screening and consequent earlier intervention with deaf children, and use of cochlear implants, may contribute to a reduction in the number of children using signing as a main or significant means of communication.

3. Both the use of signed modes of communication and placement of children in resourced provision are heavily influenced by parental preference. For children who meet the criteria for placement in Hampshire's resourced provision, parents will be offered this opportunity, provided that resourced provision is within reasonable travelling distance of the child's home. Some parents express a preference for their child to attend a local school and to receive specialist support there. It is the policy of Children's Services Department, whenever possible, to agree to parents' wishes in this respect and to assist schools in providing appropriate levels of support to the child, with the help of central services (such as Specialist Teacher Advisory Service) and/or outreach from resourced provision, as appropriate. Support will be provided by other services (e.g. Speech & Language Therapy Service) when appropriate, as determined by those service providers. Other local authorities are also experiencing reductions in the number of deaf/HI children attending resourced provisions.

4. Past numbers and trends are a reasonable indication of the projected pattern of pupil numbers. Nationally, it is estimated that one to two children per 1,000 are born with a permanent, significant degree of congenital deafness. Of those identified at an early stage, an estimated 50% will have moderate hearing loss, 25% a severe hearing loss and 25% a profound hearing loss. These figures exclude children who may acquire deafness as a result of illness (e.g. meningitis) or other causes. Generally, the criteria for admission to Hampshire's resourced provision require a child to have a severe or profound hearing loss. In May 2005, the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service in Hampshire recorded 85 children with a severe hearing loss and 125 with a profound hearing loss (including pre-school and school age children). The majority of these children are, therefore, successfully educated in local mainstream settings; less than half attend resourced provision.

5. Planned housing development in Hampshire is not expected to have a significant impact on future numbers of deaf/hearing impaired children, especially those attending resourced provision. Additional children who will be resident in areas of housing growth must be seen in the context of an overall decline in the number of school age children, both nationally and in Hampshire. Details of projected housing development and pupil numbers for each District are set out in the County Council's School Places Plan 2006 (www.hants.gov.uk/education/department/ ).

Figures in the School Places Plan and longer term forecasts include the following:

Population of 5 - 15 year olds

Districts	2006	2011	2016	2021
Basingstoke & Deane	21,450	21,657	21,413	21,287
Rushmoor	12,394	12,198	11,833	11,526
Winchester	13,612	12,983	13,384	13,418
Hampshire	163,413	156,897	154,372	153,635

Travel distances and costs

6. The consultation document did not include details of any additional costs arising from changes to home-school transport arrangements for pupils currently attending, or who would in the future attend, any of the resourced provisions which may close.

7. Comment: below are the net additional costs/savings of providing transport (including escort as necessary) for children currently attending the Park View schools / Aldworth Science College provisions in Basingstoke, the Manor / Cove schools in Farnborough, and Medstead Primary School. These figures are based on the children transferring to the next nearest provision, in either the north or west of the County.

Closure of Manor Infant & Junior and Cove schools: + £31,350 p.a.

Closure of Park View Infant & Junior schools and

Aldworth Science College: + £33,630 p.a.

Closure of Medstead Primary School: pupils transferring to:

a) provisions in Basingstoke and Farnborough: - £15,010. p.a.

b) provisions in Farnborough: - £10,640. p.a.

c) provisions in Basingstoke: - £ 6,650. p.a.

Details of how these figures have been calculated and of estimated travel times are set out in Annexe 6.

Similar estimates have not been provided in relation to the possible closure of provision in either Woodcot Primary School or one of the secondary schools in Winchester. In each case, alternative provision is relatively close and additional distances and costs would, therefore, be negligible.

The above costs need to be seen in the perspective of the potential benefits to pupils of attending resourced provision with a larger peer group, with consequent social and emotional development benefits, and with greater long-term security in relation to recruitment and retention of specialist staff.

Capital costs

8. What would be the capital costs of establishing new resourced provision (e.g. in Winchester) and what investment has already been made in existing provisions?

9. Comment: through the Schools Access Initiative (SAI), central government provides capital funds to the local authority to increase the accessibility of mainstream schools. The cost of creating a resource base in a primary school in Winchester will depend on the school chosen and whether there is existing accommodation that can be adapted or whether new building has to take place. If the latter, the floor area required may cost up to £250,000 (including fees and fittings). If it is possible to provide this space fully or in part by adaptation of existing accommodation, the overall cost should be less. It should be noted that there is no primary phase resourced provision serving the west of the County and there is, therefore, a case for making this investment, irrespective of changes which may take place to other existing resourced provisions.

10. As part of its strategic use of SAI funds, the County Council has reviewed the facilities available in resourced provision, including the acoustic treatment of mainstream classrooms. The aim is, over time, to ensure that there are appropriately acoustically treated classrooms available in each resourced school, at least one for each Key Stage in primary schools and one per curriculum area for secondary aged pupils. This investment should enable the County Council's provision for deaf/HI pupils to effectively meet children's needs and better match facilities available in independent/non-maintained schools.

11. Recent (2002/2003 - 2006/2007) investment from SAI to improve resourced provisions for deaf/HI pupils has been as follows:

Cove Secondary £456,000 (including associated works in the school); Henry Beaufort Secondary £37,750; Neville Lovett Secondary £353,333; The Westgate £5,403; Manor Junior £48,610; Medstead Primary £158,423; Park View Infant £3,000; Park View Junior £30,157; Wallisdean Junior £32,660; and Woodcot Primary £6,500.

Peer groups

12. Some respondents have stated that concerns about the size of pupil peer groups in resourced provisions have been overstated; pupils are not disadvantaged by the current numbers in existing resourced provisions. The additional journey time and cost of home-school transport arising from the closure of (some) provisions cannot be justified by the increase in peer group size.

13. Comment: for some deaf/HI pupils, having a peer group with similar needs is important, for mutual support and social interaction. A number of professionals involved in the support and teaching of deaf and hearing impaired pupils have expressed concern about the impact on some pupils' wellbeing and emotional and social development if they do not have access to peers with similar needs, particularly where they are dependent on signing as their main means of communication for both social and learning activities.

14. Resourced provision which accommodates a significant number of children and young people with special educational needs is better placed to influence perceptions and teaching skills and styles which are important contributory factors in achieving successful inclusion and achievement, in terms of both academic skills and social relationships. Achieving an appropriate balance between maintaining pupil peer groups of reasonable size against the distance, time and cost of travel remains key to considering the proposals to consolidate resourced provision for deaf/HI pupils in Hampshire.

15. Having resourced provision within a pyramid of linked schools also allows access to a consistent peer group, both deaf/HI and hearing, that need not be interrupted at changes of Key Stage. It facilitates development of positive expectations of the next stage/phase of education as all pupils, both deaf/HI and hearing, have the opportunity of the same social and learning experiences. Thus a sense of identity is created within a group of individuals and linked schools, with greater opportunities to facilitate the social and emotional development of the deaf/HI pupils. There is also greater scope to achieve consistency of access to a teacher of the deaf and to deaf role models, and to create a structured curriculum across Key Stages through which to promote emotional literacy. Deaf/HI pupils will not have to cope with losing friends when they move between Key Stages.

16. The total number of pupils currently attending primary phase provision (36 fte pupils) equates to approximately five pupils per age group. Spread across three provisions, the average number would therefore be 12 pupils per primary (or linked infant and junior) school; and nine pupils across four provisions. (These figures exclude pupils who do not currently attend resourced provision but may attend resourced provision in the west of the County, if established.) Approximately one third of these pupils use sign as their main or as a supplementary means of communication.

Linked schools

17. The benefit of having provision in linked schools has been over-stated. With the exercise of parental preference, children transfer from junior/primary schools to a number of different secondary schools.

18. Comment: analysis of the transfer of all pupils from the resourced primary schools in 2006 show the following as their main linked secondary schools:

Manor Junior: Cove 51.2%; Fernhill 37.8%; Oak Farm 8.5%.

Medstead Primary: Perins 73.9%; Amery Hill 17.4%; Eggars 8.7%.

Park View Junior: Aldworth Science College 78.8%; Cranbourne 9.1%;

Fort Hill 4.5%.

Wallisdean Junior: Neville Lovett 88.7%; Henry Cort 5.7%.

Woodcot Primary: Bridgemary 42.9%; Neville Lovett 31.4%;

Brune Park 14.3%.

These figures show that over 50% of all pupils (both hearing and HI) transferring from Manor, Park View and Wallisdean Junior schools in 2006 moved to the linked secondary school which also has resourced provision.

Staffing implications

19. Concerns have been raised by staff in resourced schools and by others regarding staff's security of employment and any costs which may arise from redundancy or retraining of staff.

20. Comment: funding, and therefore the staffing, of resourced provision relates directly to the number of pupils. Resourced provision in mainstream schools in Hampshire is funded on the basis of the agreed place number (APN) which is reviewed each year by officers in the SEN Service. The APN is normally set on the basis of the predicted number of pupils for the following financial year. The funding value of each APN is the same, across all similar resourced provision. A given number of pupils with similar needs will also require the same level of staffing in whichever resourced provision they are placed. If the total number of pupils in resourced provision remains the same then the requirement for teaching and non-teaching support will, overall, remain the same. A reduction in the number of resourced schools may affect the grading of some posts, as there is normally only one "teacher-in-charge" in each resourced school. A need to "protect" staff salaries or to consider redundancy, if it is not possible to offer staff an equivalent position with similar responsibility and salary, will also depend on the extent to which vacancies arise from the normal turnover of staff in resourced schools. It is not, therefore, possible to predict what (if any) additional costs will arise in relation to protecting staff salaries or possible redundancy in resourced schools if provision is consolidated into fewer resourced provisions. Having resourced provision in linked schools allows schools with resourced provision to use staff flexibly across the linked provisions, which enhances security of employment and career structure.

21. In accordance with procedures which are normally followed in relation to the re-organisation and closure of schools, discussions will take place with trade unions and professional associations, led by Human Resources' staff, to establish procedures within which arrangements will be made to seek suitable alternative posts for staff in provisions which will close. These discussions will begin as soon as final decisions are taken in relation to individual schools.

Closure of provisions currently offering signing

22. Concerns have been raised that the options within the consultation document include the closure of all existing provisions (Medstead, The Westgate and Woodcot schools) which currently offer signing. All of these schools have developed expertise amongst their staff, and many teachers and support staff across the whole school have developed "deaf awareness" and some sign language skills. The closure of these provisions and their transfer into schools which currently offer auditory/oral modes of communication will require some time to re-establish those skills, attitudes and awareness. The closure of these schools would appear to run counter to the underlying intention (which has been overwhelmingly supported) to give equal status to signed and to auditory/oral modes of communication, and to provide access to resourced provisions offering sign in all parts of the County.

23. Comment: it is unfortunate that a consolidation of resourced provision may involve the closure of those which currently offer sign. These schools have, however, been reviewed against the criteria which underpin the consultation (set out in para. 1.3). One of the prime factors underlying the consolidation of provision for deaf/HI pupils is that one, at least, of the resourced schools offering sign is amongst those provisions which are most "vulnerable" in terms of their pupil numbers and staffing.

24. Woodcot Primary School is located a relatively short distance (approximately two miles) from Wallisdean Infant and Junior schools which have resourced provision for auditory/oral pupils. Woodcot currently has five deaf pupils, the Wallisdean schools have eight. Wallisdean Junior School is a normal "feeder" school to Neville Lovett School which also has resourced provision. A significant, but smaller, proportion of pupils transferred from Woodcot Primary to Neville Lovett School in 2006. The option of closing provision at Woodcot Primary School and transferring the resource to Wallisdean Junior School would be consistent with achieving the five criteria set out in para. 1.3 above.

25. Support for the retention of provision at Medstead Primary School has been expressed in a large number of responses, particularly to the earlier consultation. Medstead Primary School is in a more isolated rural situation. Its linked secondary schools do not include resourced provision for deaf/HI pupils. (See para. 18 above.) No pupils attending the resourced provision at Medstead School currently live in or close to Medstead village. (See Annexe 6 for current home-school travel times.)

26. In considering whether to retain secondary phase provision at The Westgate School, it is necessary to note that the school currently has one pupil (Year 10) with no additional pupils expected to be placed in the provision in September 2007. Its neighbouring secondary school, Henry Beaufort School, has resourced provision for auditory/oral pupils, and currently has seven pupils on roll. In considering whether either of these two provisions should close, account has to be taken of the impact on the greater number of pupils and staff (if provision at Henry Beaufort School were closed), alongside the implications of extending "deaf awareness" and signing experience amongst the wider pupil and staff population of Henry Beaufort School if provision at The Westgate School closes.

27. The proposed pattern of resourced provision, offering a range of communication modes, will require both teachers of the deaf and support staff who are competent in auditory/oral methodologies and those who have good signing skills. Not all staff working in these provisions will need to be competent across the full range, provided that there is sufficient expertise to meet the needs of all pupils. To support the implementation of these changes, a working group will be established under the auspices of the County Deaf and HI Group and in liaison with the headteachers and staff of resourced schools, to identify staff professional development needs and to support a programme of training to enable staff to extend their skills and knowledge in order to better meet the needs of a wider range of children. This programme will also identify and support whole school awareness and development needs, to enable all deaf/HI pupils to be fully included in the life and community of each school.

Outreach

28. Providing outreach support increases the funding, and therefore the viability in terms of staffing, of resourced provision. What outreach support is currently provided? If some resourced provision closes, more parents may choose to place their child in a local school, rather than in resourced provision. What would be the costs (including travel time and cost) of providing outreach support to pupils who do not attend resourced provision?

29. Comment: currently outreach takes two forms. There is outreach from the signing provision into auditory/oral resourced provision where there is currently no signing expertise. Moving to resourced provision that is `mixed mode' (i.e. resourced provision where sign and auditory/oral modes of communication are supported) will, over time, eliminate this need as each of the pyramids will have adults who are competent in the use of sign. The other form of outreach is to deaf and HI children attending their local school, supplementing the work of the Specialist Teacher Advisory Service. This form of outreach is likely to remain. Predicting its extent is difficult as the demand is reliant on parental preference for their local school and resourced provision being available within reasonable travelling distance of the child's home.

30. Outreach is being provided in the current academic year (2006/2007) from the following resourced schools:

Henry Beaufort (teacher of the deaf for one session per week);

Park View Junior (teacher of the deaf for the equivalent of two sessions per week);

The Westgate School (deaf instructor and two communication support workers supporting three pupils in other local schools).