District Inclusion Partnerships
Protocol and Good Practice Guidance
This document describes the principles and protocols underpinning the work of the Inclusion
Partnerships in each of the 8 districts in Staffordshire. Its purpose is to ensure consistency of
approach and clarity regarding relationship between the Inclusion Partnerships and the Local
Authority. It is written using principles which provide the focus for the establishment, operation
and ongoing development of such
Authors:
Lesley Calverley, Senior Commissioning Manager – SEND, SCC
[email protected]
Alison Greenwood, Assistant Director Education Improvement Services, Entrust
[email protected]
Last Updated: March 2016
Date of Review: September 2018
Intranet: http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/Pupil-Support/SEN-and-VulnerableChildren/Policies-and-Guidance.aspx
Staffordshire Cares Local Offer: http://www.staffordshirecares.info???
Email: [email protected]
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District Inclusion Partnerships (DIPs)
1. Introduction
1.1. This document describes the principles and protocols underpinning the work of the Inclusion
Partnerships in each of the 8 districts in Staffordshire. Its purpose is to ensure consistency
of approach and clarity regarding relationship between the Inclusion Partnerships and the
Local Authority. It is written using principles which provide the focus for the establishment,
operation and ongoing development of such partnerships.
2. Shared Objectives
2.1. All pupils in participating schools (including academies and free schools) are the collective
responsibility of the Partnership, and the Partnership will work with the Local Authority to
provide school places and other provision.
2.2. Schools in Partnerships will ensure that they transfer information about pupils moving to
other schools, and seek information about pupils joining their schools, and follow up as
necessary, so that their needs can be met and pupils do not become Children Missing Out
on Education. Schools will retain the pupils on roll until an alternative roll is secured. Cross
district co-operation should always be considered when appropriate.
2.3. Partnerships will have effective processes in place for early identification and intervention
with pupils whose education inclusion is at risk and acknowledge priority for Looked After
Children and for those pupils with Education Health and Care Plans.
2.4. The educational, personal development and welfare needs of pupils needing additional
support should be assessed holistically by using the Early Help Assessment framework
when appropriate.
2.5. Schools agree protocols for admission of Hard to Place Pupils and Managed Moves within
the Partnership and Local Authority using the Fair Access Protocol
http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/Pupil-Support/School-Admissions/LEA-Policy/LocalAuthority-Admissions-Policy.aspx and Managed Move Protocol (See Appendix 1).
Partnerships will record Managed Moves and the Local Authority Admissions team will
produce a report on number of pupils placed through the Fair Access Protocol.
2.6. Partnerships are free to commission the necessary mix of in school and out of school pupil
educational support and provision from public, private and voluntary sector.
2.7. The Partnership will be responsible for ensuring that pupils who need additional support
receive it as a co-ordinated package and for monitoring their progress regularly.
2.8. There will be a commitment to tackling pupil disengagement, encouraging positive
behaviour and addressing disruptive behaviour using all means available, including advice
and guidance from support services, to the Partnership.
3. Governance and Management
3.1. Shared funding devolved by the Local Authority will be available to each Partnership. This
funding comes from the Local Authority’s High Needs Block and therefore academies and
free schools are able to access this in the same way as maintained schools. Historically
this funding was manged centrally to fund alternative provision inclusion however by
devolving funding to District Inclusion Partnerships enables decisions to be made locally
and more creatively.
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3.2. This will enable Partnerships to commission alternative provision and support the work of
the Partnership at a district level according to need, availability and suitability of local
providers as funding allows. The Partnership may choose to allocate a proportion of this
funding to the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) in their district. The PRU is then able to
commission Alternative Provision on behalf of the Partnership. The PRU will provide a
termly report to the Chair of the Inclusion Partnership detailing all the financial
arrangements agreed with Alternative Providers. Any contract that is above a £15,000
threshold (LA Financial scheme of delegation) will be negotiated and signed off by the LA
Officer responsible on behalf of the Inclusion Partnership.
3.3. Partnerships need to be assured that provision from any sector is good quality, effective
and represent value for money. The PRUs in each district will be responsible for monitoring
the progress of the Children and Young People attending any Alternative Provision
commissioned on behalf of the Inclusion Partnerships. There must be a robust Quality
Assurance process implemented by the PRU that ensures the provider is compliant with all
standards as set out in the DfE guidance. The Partnership is collectively responsible for
ensuring the PRU carries this out to their satisfaction and should ask for reports to be
provided termly at the DIP meeting from the PRU Head Teacher detailing the pupil
progress and quality of provision. Any issues with any provider must be dealt with swiftly
and effectively to ensure no child or young person is put at any risk. The PRU will also be
responsible for the higher level contracts in terms of monitoring pupil progress and Quality
Assurance.
3.4. Partnerships will ensure that parents and carers give consent for the involvement of the
Inclusion Partnership based on the principle that all interventions will have a greater impact
if families are involved.
3.5. Young people targeted for support will have personalised learning and support plans linked
to their needs, choices and longer term attainment.
3.6. Partnerships will carry out some of their work via District Inclusion Partnership Meetings
(DIP) which will consist of pupil focussed work as well as strategic planning (Appendix 2
example of terms of reference for District Inclusion Partnerships arrangements).
4. Role of Inclusion Officer
4.1. There are 4 Inclusion Officers assigned to each double district. The Inclusion Officer will
attend every Inclusion Partnership meeting. Their contribution will include
o
Represent the Local Authority at Inclusion Partnership meetings and where
appropriate facilitate the referral of children and young people at risk of social
exclusion to the Partnership.
o
Provision of high quality information and appropriate advice to the Inclusion
Partnerships re. access to education provision; reintegration into education provision.
o
Work alongside the PRU staff to ensure access to education is appropriate and is
facilitated for excluded young people.
o
Advice and guidance on the statutory process to schools and academies, parents
and young people in cases of fixed term and permanent exclusion.
o
Maintaining a strategic, district and countywide overview, highlight and share good
practice in relation to prevention and response in cases of fixed term and permanent
exclusion.
o
Raise issues arising from managed moves across the county.
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5.
District Inclusion Partnerships
5.1. Membership of Inclusion Partnership and attendance at meetings
o
Secondary and Middle School Headteachers or a colleague, preferably Deputy Head,
or Assistant Head who is delegated to make placement decisions.
o
Primary Heads may be invited if deemed appropriate particularly at times of transition
or as part of developing Primary Partnerships.
o
PRU Headteacher
o
District Inclusion Officers as representative on behalf of the Local Authority
o
Representative from the Virtual School for Looked after Children
o
Members of relevant Support Services.
o
College staff.
o
Relevant specialist staff working within the district invited to share knowledge of
individual casework.
o
Voluntary and independent bodies able to contribute to the delivery of education and
work based provision in the district.
o
Any individual that membership agrees may make a useful contribution either on a
short term basis or longer.
5.2. Good practice suggests that Partnerships are effective when:o
Pupils coming before the Partnership have already been identified in school as
needing intervention and that evidence of strategies put in place are available such
as the Early Help Assessment initiated.
o
Interventions in school include that the pupil’s name will be placed on the DIP
database for discussion at an Inclusion Partnership meeting. This strategy must be
agreed by the parents / carers. All, including the pupil should be informed of the
possible outcomes of the referral, eg. short term place at a PRU or referral to an
alternative provision, etc. This has proved to be a useful strategy leading to improved
behaviour without the necessity for provision elsewhere.
o
There is a separate business / strategic meeting that consists of Headteachers
including Head of PRUs / Entrust colleagues on behalf of the Local Authority invited
colleagues when appropriate.
o
The DIP database is factual and includes name of pupil, status of pupil, SEND
information etc. The database is always password protected and is distributed to
members of the Inclusion Partnerships.
o
Schools complete a referral form, which must be sent to the Chair of the Partnership
7 days before the next Inclusion meeting. The Partnership will not discuss the pupil if
a referral form has not been received
o
The Partnership creates a priority list for discussion at the start of each meeting to
ensure the most vulnerable children are discussed first.
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o
If PRU place is agreed for intervention the pupil remains on roll of their home school
at all times and is dual registered with the PRU. TRIG-8 funding will transfer from the
home school to the PRU to support the placement.
o
Clear recording and oversight of all managed moves within the District.
6. Management of the Partnership
6.1. Each Partnership will meet twice a term.
6.2. Meetings will be chaired and managed by a Headteacher from one of the participating
schools with support from Local Authority representative. The Chair will have ‘Power to Act’
between Partnerships when decisions are required urgently, i.e. placement of Children in
Care or pupils who have statements of SEN or Education Health and Care Plan
6.3. Each meeting should receive a report from the Headteacher of the PRU and other
providers, including schools, about progress in implementing Partnership decisions.
6.4. Partnership should periodically consider the elements of each meeting, which may include:o
o
o
o
Sharing knowledge of practice and concerns identified by participants.
Cases referred.
Update on developments for individual pupils and district projects.
Identifying further needs and solutions for DIP. An action plan for the year is
produced.
7. Monitoring
7.1. The Partnership and Entrust on behalf of Local Authority will monitor its activities by
producing reports from a generic database for all Partnerships. Data obtained will enable
Entrust on behalf of the Local Authority to evaluate the following:o
o
o
o
Outcomes / destinations for pupils referred.
Impact of Partnership on practice in individual schools.
Impact on district schools and community.
Effective use of Resources available to the Partnership
8. Partnership Activities
8.1. Identifying provision for vulnerable pupils including those at risk of exclusion, those who are
in care or deemed to be hard to place pupils for other reasons through:o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Making recommendations on relation to the Fair Access Protocol where requested
Enabling Managed Moves between schools
Supporting provision in schools to prevent exclusion and disaffection.
Considering short term placements at Alternative Provision including a PRU
Identifying alternative provision for pupils at college.
Recording and monitoring decisions made by the DIP and their effectiveness
Setting objectives and evaluating progress towards them.
Meeting the needs of individual pupils, in both short and long term, including
reintegration into mainstream environments taking into account prior learning and
attainment.
o Responding to the needs of the district.
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Appendix 1
Example
Stafford District Inclusion Partnership
Protocol for Managed Moves
Introduction
In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for a registered pupil of compulsory school age to
transfer from one school to another, other than for the usual reasons and primarily at the initiative of
their current school, for example to reduce the risk of a permanent exclusion.
It is best if such ‘managed moves’ are dealt with according to a clear procedure, in order to avoid
the risk of disputes between schools over who is responsible for the pupil, or children and parents
being left with no clear provision for their education.
In this protocol ‘parent’ includes all those with ‘parental responsibility’ for a pupil and anyone who
currently has care of the pupil.
Note: This protocol is not intended for use where parents (rather than schools) initiate a transfer
from one school to another. In this case, the usual application and admissions procedures should
be applied. A pupil should only be removed from the Admission Register of one school on the
agreed date when he / she will be admitted to the new school, not at the point where the parents
express their intention to seek an alternative school.
Principles
●
Managed moves require the consent of the parents and an expressed willingness by the pupil
to be transferred and to attend the new school.
●
These arrangements are voluntary on parents and children, not a condition of admission to
be imposed by a new school where the current school has not initiated the procedure with
their consent.
●
They are initially time limited for a maximum of 6 weeks with a clear date for review and final
decision over whether the transfer can become permanent. The agreement should also be
documented between schools and shared with the Inclusion Officer.
●
The home school must retain the pupil on their Admission Register during the managed
move agreed period as they remain their pupil. The home school must maintain a daily
Attendance Register for the pupil and must allow the pupil to return if the managed move fails
and the new school is not willing to admit on a permanent basis.
●
The home school may provide funding to support the receiving school, to be negotiated
directly between the schools during the managed move period and as a final ‘transfer fee’ if
permanent admission is agreed.
●
Whilst the receiving school can end the arrangement at any time, the home school can only
remove the pupil from their register by permanent exclusion. During the managed move
agreed period, they are required to have the pupil back if the receiving school does not wish
to proceed.
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Procedures
Where a headteacher wishes to initiate a managed move, written consent should be obtained from
the pupil’s parent(s) to begin the process of finding an alternative. The parent(s) may wish to
specify their preferred receiving school, but should be advised that it may not be possible to accord
with their wishes in every case.
The request should be taken by the headteacher to the Partnership or agreed directly between the
two headteachers concerned and reported at the next Partnership meeting and the Inclusion Officer.
Once an agreed receiving school has been identified, an ‘assessment meeting’ with both pupil and
parent(s) should be arranged, at which the home school should provide all the required information
about the pupil’s previous progress, attainment, behaviour etc. This must not be described as an
‘interview’. This meeting may also involve other LEA officers or other professionals working with the
family, with the consent of the parent(s). The pupil must remain on the home school’s register
during this period.
If a managed move is agreed, the following arrangements should be recorded in writing by both
schools as this can potentially lead to difficulties at a later date, this can be actioned for example by
using the format of a Pastoral Support Programme:●
the starting date and agreed attendance arrangements (which need not necessarily be full
time at the new school, at least to start with);
●
the period of the managed move (maximum 6 weeks) and the date for review and ;
●
the arrangements for reporting and recording the pupil’s attendance record (this will be kept
on the ‘home’ school’s register, using the code for ‘receiving education off site’ (present), so
long as the pupil is actually in attendance when required. Absences which are not approved
must be recorded as ‘unauthorised’);
●
any financial support to be transferred directly between the schools during the managed
move period;
●
any other issues needing clarification such as transport, learning support, involvement of LEA
officers and other professionals.
If the receiving school wishes to end the managed move, the headteacher must confirm this in
writing to the parent(s) and to the home school headteacher, specifying the date from which the
pupil must return to their home school.
At the agreed review meeting, a decision must be made to determine whether the pupil will return to
their home school or be admitted to the new school on a permanent basis. Further managed moves
would only be appropriate in unusual circumstances and, if so, must be again confirmed in writing as
before.
On the agreed date, the pupil must be removed from the Admission Register of the home school
and admitted to the Admission Register of the receiving school. Any remaining school records
should then be transferred. Once this has happened, the receiving school cannot then remove the
pupil again, except by permanent exclusion.
The headteacher of the school which no longer has the pupil on their roll can agree to a level of
funding to be voluntarily deducted and transferred to the receiving school. This is actioned between
the two schools independently of the LA.
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Appendix 2
Example
Stafford District Inclusion Partnership
1.
There will be a single Partnership that meets once per half term.
2.
The Inclusion Partnership Chair will be a Stafford District headteacher, elected annually by
the headteachers.
3.
Meetings will be scheduled for 3 hours. The first part (approx 2 hours) is for the work of a
broad pupil placement group, with representatives of schools, LA and youth support agencies
deciding on pupil provision and referrals. The second part (approx 1 hour) is for a smaller
Inclusion Partnership Management Group responsible for management and strategy review
and development.
4.
The pupil placement group will:-
5.
draw up a priority list of pupils at risk of exclusion;
agree the best provision for individual pupils;
consider the admission of pupils to The Hollies SSS (The Hollies Short Stay School)
designated places;
co-ordinate and manage reintegration packages;
agree and record any managed moves;
receive updates from The Hollies SSS headteacher and alternative providers.
The pupil placement group will comprise:-
the Chair;
one senior member of staff from each middle and high school who will make referrals
and have authority to take decisions on behalf of their school;
SPRC headteacher;
district exclusions officer;
one representative of CAMHS;
one representative of LA;
one representative of Education Welfare Department;
one representative of Connexions;
one representative of Social Services;
one representative of each Alternative Education provider;
one representative from Education Otherwise;
one representative from EPS
6.
Schools will gather information and hold discussions with pupils and their parents / carers
prior to referral to the Inclusion Partnership (i.e. pupils and parents will know about and agree
to the referral). An information leaflet will be produced for parents.
7.
The pupil placement group will discuss only new referrals from schools and provision for
young people on the priority list. Pupil referrals will be brought on the attached pro forma.
8.
Each school will have a time limit of 1 minute within which to add verbal explanation of the
difficulties and needs of each referred pupil. When all are heard, the cases will be prioritised
for managed move or a place at The Hollies SSS or other provider. All referrals should have
a PSP and be on School Action Plus (i.e. external agencies should have been involved prior
to a referral).
9.
A spreadsheet will be maintained by the school of the Chair on behalf of the Inclusion
Partnership, with sheets for:8
-
10.
The Inclusion Partnership Management Group will take responsibility for:-
11.
all pupils at risk of exclusion and causing serious concern;
priority pupils (eg at risk of imminent permanent exclusion, pupils with no educational
provision, looked after children, young people leaving custody;
managed moves within the district. The spreadsheet will be updated in meetings,
and this will be an agenda item of each meeting. The database administration costs
will be paid by the Inclusion Partnership to the school responsible.
strategic improvement and self evaluation of the Inclusion Partnership’s work;
policies and procedures to ensure the effective and efficient working of the Inclusion
Partnership;
use and monitoring of the Inclusion Partnership budget(s);
keeping informed of the range of provision available and evaluating its effectiveness.
The Inclusion Partnership Management Group will comprise:-
the Chair;
one senior member of staff from each middle or high school who will have authority to
contribute to and approve policy decisions on behalf of their school;
SPRC headteacher;
District Exclusions Officer;
one representative of the LA Pupil Support Unit;
others by invitations.
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