APPENDIX ‘A’
LANCASHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
AN INCLUSIVE CONTINUUM OF SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
PROVISION: LANCASHIRE’S POLICY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL
NEEDS
NOVEMBER 2002
1.
National overview
Recent changes in legislation on inclusion and disability rights give the County
Council an opportunity to review the Local Education Authority's (LEA) attitudes
and practices towards inclusion. The move towards inclusive education has
gathered momentum in recent years and is reflected in the Special Educational
Needs and Disability Act (2001) and the Special Educational Needs Code of
Practice (2001). The fundamental principles are as follows:
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A child with special educational needs (SEN) should have their needs met;
The special educational needs of children will normally be met in mainstream
schools or early education settings;
The views of the child should be sought and taken into account;
Parents have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education;
Children with special educational needs should be offered full access to
broad, balanced and relevant education, including an appropriate curriculum
for the foundation stage and the National Curriculum.
The Inclusion Statement for the National Curriculum (2000) has three essential
features for inclusion. These principles are:
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Setting suitable learning challenges;
Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs;
Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and
groups of pupils.
OfSTED focuses on educational inclusion as part of the inspection regime and
states;
"the most effective schools are inclusive schools, and this shows, not
only in their performance but also in their ethos. Such schools do not
take inclusivity for granted. They constantly monitor and evaluate the
progress each child makes. They identify any pupils who may be
missing out, difficult to engage, or feel in some way to be apart from
what the school seeks to provide. These schools take practical steps in the classroom and beyond - to meet the pupils' needs more
effectively.”
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2.
Statement of Principles and Values
Lancashire County Council adopted the following Statement of Principles and
Values which is part of the Authority’s Policy for Special Educational Needs.
In providing services for children and young people with special educational needs
Lancashire County Council will seek to:
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Ensure that all are valued equally;
Ensure that all make progress regardless of gender, disability, race, faith and
culture;
Work in partnership with parents, children and young people;
Ensure that special educational needs are identified and assessed as early
as possible and are met promptly;
Ensure that all have access to a relevant, broad and balanced curriculum;
Develop, maintain, value and promote a continuum of provision including
lifelong learning;
Educate pupils in mainstream schools, wherever possible, unless this is
against the parents’ wishes or it is incompatible with the efficient education of
other children and young people;*
Work proactively with social services, health services, connexions* services,
voluntary bodies and other agencies in identifying, assessing and meeting
special educational needs;
Support all schools and services in the development of effective special
educational needs policies and practices;
Maintain and develop a range of expertise within schools and support
services;
Monitor, review and evaluate policy and practice on a regular and systematic
basis
*The italic text reflects minor adjustments to the Statement of Principles and
Values made in response to changes to the Code of Practice – SEN (2001) and
the introduction of the Connexions service.
3.
Inclusive continuum of provision
3.1 Aims of the Policy
The aim of the Policy for Inclusive Continuum of Provision for Pupils with
SEN is to set out how the Education and Cultural Services Directorate will
meet these objectives in respect of provision for pupils with special
educational needs.
The principles of inclusive education which are
expressed here are the basis upon which the Authority's Education
Development Plan for 2002/07 have been written and form part of the
Directorate's aspirations in all relevant activities.
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3.2 Definitions
The Index for Inclusion states:
"Inclusion is seen to involve the identification and
minimising of barriers to learning and participation and
the maximising of resources to support learning
participation."
(Booth and Ainscow, 2000:13)
For schools, inclusion involves changing cultures, policies and practices so that
they can respond more readily to pupil diversity. It is linked closely to the concept
of equal opportunities and therefore relates to all pupils, irrespective of their ability,
age, gender, ethnicity and background. Pupil diversity is viewed as a rich resource
to support the learning of all. Inclusion and participation are essential to human
dignity. Inclusive schools combat discrimination. Responsible educational
inclusion, irrespective of setting or placement, is related to curriculum entitlement
and purposeful engagement in an appropriate educational experience. Inclusive
schools regard the process of inclusion as a management challenge to provide
quality teaching and learning for pupils with additional or exceptional learning
needs. Such schools do not regard the inclusion of pupils with disability,
difficulties or those experiencing disaffection as problem groups of children and
young people.
Throughout this document, the term "disaffected" describes children and young
people who are not able to access education because of difficulties in behaviour or
their lack of motivation to attend.
The term "disabled people" covers those with physical and sensory impairments,
learning difficulties and emotional distress. This approach incorporates the "social
model" of disability, which recognises that disability is not caused by the
individual's particular impairment, but by the physical, environmental and
attitudinal barriers which exist in the education system and in society as a whole.
It is removing these barriers, while welcoming, valuing and celebrating all learners,
which exemplifies our policy for inclusive education in Lancashire.
The human rights issue that disabled and disaffected children and adults have an
equal right to membership of the same groups as everyone else is recognised in
international law. It is enshrined in the UN Convention on the rights of the child,
and in the UNESCO Salamanca agreement calling on the international community
to endorse the approach of inclusive schools by implementing practical and
strategic changes. The introduction of the Special Educational Needs and
Disability Act (2001) which brings Disability Discrimination legislation into
education also reflects this view.
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3.3 Beliefs
Research has shown that inclusive education can lead to improved social
development and academic outcomes for disabled and disaffected children,
while the mainstream peer group adopt more positive attitudes and actions
towards disabled students where they have been educated together.
Inclusive education promotes good social sense because children and young
people, whatever their impairment or approach to learning, have a part to
play in society in adult life. The County Council believes that non-disabled
pupils have a right to experience a real environment in which they can learn
that people are not all the same and that all people should be welcomed and
should have the right to have their individual needs met appropriately.
Inclusive education is different from integration. Many schools 'integrate'
disabled children by bringing them into their premises - but on the school's
terms. The pupil can stay if she/he can benefit from what is already on offer;
the school does not in this case expect to change to accommodate and
support diverse needs. 'Integration' has been widely regarded as the child
fitting around the school but 'inclusion' is about the school fitting around the
child. In this context the curriculum is the vehicle to facilitate inclusive
learning.
Inclusive education, by comparison, seeks to adapt systems and structures
to meet needs, and fully involves the disabled or disaffected child or young
person in the process through adaptations:
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to the school curriculum, teaching and learning, leadership and
management;
to attitudes and values;
to language, images and role models;
to buildings; and
to organisation.
These represent some of the changes required to move from integration to
real inclusion. Where inclusive education is successful in schools, pupils with
needs that are different or additional to others are accepted in their own right
in all aspects of school life: the curriculum, the environment, the locality or
community and the social life.
The County Council respect the fact that some parents may wish to continue
to secure a separate education for their child and, in a very limited number of
cases, this may be the only realistic method of providing the full range of
education and care which a child requires. In all cases, the County Council
will work with parents and others to secure the best possible provision, and
whatever the setting, this will include inclusive experiences.
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4.
Implications for schools to develop or enhance inclusive provision for pupils
with special educational needs
4.1 Strengthening the ability of all mainstream schools to meet the needs
of pupils with special educational needs
Many Lancashire schools are inclusive schools where the teaching and
learning, achievements and well-being of every child or young person matter.
There is much to celebrate and to build upon in order to realise the
Authority’s policy for inclusive provision for pupils with SEN where all schools
are expected to provide for some pupils with SEN, with some being specially
equipped to do so.
It is worth reflecting upon how and why inclusive schools are successful.
Such schools are characterised by four key features:
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Structures and policies that promote inclusion by:
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making all parents and carers feel their children will be welcomed and
supported at school;
a policy of welcoming and doing their best to meet the needs of all
children and young people attending the school whatever special
educational needs or disability they have;
governors and staff who are trained in disability awareness issues;
a policy that ensures recruitment and training of staff who will support
and are committed to inclusion;
an inclusion policy that is an integral part of the school development
and school improvement plan;
a special educational needs policy that is rigorously implemented and
reviewed.
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Focus on high levels of achievement by:
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offering a wide range of learning and teaching experiences;
developing and implementing Individual Education Plans for
children and young people with SEN;
valuing the contribution of all children and young people;
having high expectations of all children and young people;
training staff to equip them to teach all children and young people.
Include all pupils in all the activities of the school by:
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fostering supportive friendships among children and young people;
having clear codes of behaviour that take account of the particular
difficulties that certain children face;
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working to enable children and young people to become more
independent;
finding ways to overcome any difficulties caused by the physical
environment, school rules or routines;
promoting diversity, understanding difficulties, recognising and
respecting individual differences;
taking positive steps to prevent exclusions, especially of children
and young people with statements of SEN.
Work in partnership with parents, carers and other professionals by:
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welcoming parents and carers into the school
making written and spoken language accessible
dealing with parents and carers with honesty, trust and discretion
taking time, sharing information, listening and valuing contributions
in meetings
4.2 Responsibilities of special schools to develop or enhance inclusive
provision for pupils with special educational needs
The County Council recognises the essential role played by special schools as
centres of excellence and expertise in meeting the needs of disabled and
disaffected children and young people. It places them at the heart of its inclusive
education policy, looking to them to take the lead and to be full partners in
developing local partnerships with mainstream schools, and in creating
opportunities for their pupils to be educated in or alongside mainstream school and
college settings. It envisages a future where special school provisions are
increasingly located on mainstream sites; and special school staff work both
directly with children and also with mainstream teachers in implementing more
inclusive arrangements. This approach has become known as ‘co-location’.
Co-located schools are described as special and mainstream schools which are
located on the same site or within a very limited geographical area. Co-located
schools have separate school management and governing bodies but they seek to
work together closely. OfSTED describes the most effective schemes of this
nature enable special school pupils to have a permanent base room in the local
mainstream school, with some pupils receiving most or even all of their education
in the mainstream school. This enables special school pupils to be accepted very
fully into the mainstream community with pupils receiving a carefully considered
proportion of their lessons alongside their mainstream peers with support
according to individual requirements.
Special schools will need to be aware of the wider role they must play and enter
willingly into partnerships with a range of mutually supportive partners. Schools
will need to act as the safe, secure and emotionally supportive base from which
pupils can access aspects of inclusive learning especially for those who may
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previously have had no such opportunity. But in partnership with other schools,
organised perhaps through local communities, special schools will need to develop
or increase their involvement in inclusive education.
In keeping with the inclusive approach, the majority of the key features of effective
inclusive schools outlined above for mainstream schools also apply to special
schools. In addition, special schools should offer:
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advice and support on policy, organisation and practices;
advice and consultancy aimed to support either individuals or small groups of
pupils; expertise, specialist facilities and resources;
professional development opportunities for the whole range of school staff;
high quality shared learning experiences for pupils, including those on a joint
placement between special and mainstream schools;
joint curriculum developments, involving staff partnerships and covering a
wide continuum of need and ability;
mutual developments of and the use of schemes of work for individuals or
groups of pupils;
formal and regular opportunities for two-way exchanges of staff between
schools (such as secondments and job swapping); and
opportunities for pupils from mainstream schools to benefit from the
resources, expertise and facilities of the special school.
Special schools should play a key role in changing attitudes, ethos and developing
more inclusive curriculum practices that celebrate diversity and engage all
learners.
5.
Implications for County Council Activities
5.1 Attitudes
Starting from a recognition that the belief in the value of inclusion will not be
shared by all in the education community, the County Council will:
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support a range of activities to promote a wider understanding of
inclusion, including issues of disability equality;
promote definitions of achievement to which all learners can realistically
aspire, and are relevant to them;
take care that the language used to describe disabled and disaffected
young people, and the images in its own materials and in those it may
promote, provide positive models which do not demean or offend;
promote the concept of differentiation in teaching to meet the whole
range of individual needs rather than totally separate arrangements for
those with "special" needs.
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5.2 Access
The County Council's aspiration is to make education buildings, activities and
events fully accessible to disabled children and adults. This will include
access:
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to the full curriculum, including the national curriculum, in appropriate
ways;
to setting statutory and additional school performance targets which
reflect the diversity of the school population and promote value-added
approaches which recognise attainment of pupils operating outside
national expectations;
to expression of preference for pupils and their parents/carers about the
most appropriate type of school to meet their needs;
to and within buildings;
to information (for example, in Braille, on tape, or in straightforward
language - both English and a range of community languages including
British Sign Language);
to transport to and from school, where necessary;
to resources that are deployed effectively.
5.3 Employment
The County Council has drawn up, and will keep under review, detailed
procedures on the recruitment and selection of disabled staff. It recognises
the importance of reinforcing positive images of disabled people, and of
providing appropriate role models, and will take positive action to attract
disabled applicants to apply for posts, particularly in teaching. It will take
positive action to recruit and retain disabled school governors. It recognises
the importance of retaining within the Education Service staff who become
disabled whilst in post, by making appropriate arrangements to enable their
continued participation and contribution.
5.4 Raising Awareness and Curriculum Support
The County Council, through its advisers, officers, educational psychologists
and centrally retained staff, will provide ongoing support to all schools and
their governing bodies, within a process of open dialogue, in order to:
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raise awareness with regard to disability equality, disaffection and the
school environment;
examine and develop schools' curriculum policies, so that they provide
for appropriate work on disability equality within the national curriculum
framework, and take account of the need to differentiate learning
experiences to match the needs of a wide range of learners;
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ensure that, where practicable, inclusive education is offered to disabled
or disaffected child/young person within the community within which
they live.
5.5 Continuous Professional Development
The LEA will provide for its staff a rolling programme of training (including
disability equality training) with regard to the Inclusion Policy. This training
will be part of both the induction programmes developed for new staff, and
the ongoing staff development cycle. It will focus particularly on those who
are involved in advising and supporting schools. Appropriate training will
enable LEA staff to support schools in identifying and meeting their own
training needs, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that all school staff can
develop their existing skills and expertise so that they can take responsibility
with confidence for a range of pupil needs. Governor training programmes
on inclusive education will be offered to all school governors.
5.6 Development
The LEA will draw up an Inclusion Policy action plan for implementing its
inclusive education policy, which over time will come to replace those for
Special Educational Needs and behaviour/discipline. It will ensure that
broader development plans (such as the Education Development Plan) make
reference to and incorporate this action plan.
The Inclusion Policy action plan will be managed by a cross Directorate
Inclusion Co-ordination group and overseen by the County SEN Forum,
made up of representatives from statutory agencies, special and mainstream
schools, representatives from organisations of disabled people and from
groups representing parents/carers of disabled children, and LEA advisers
and officers. The Inclusion Policy will set out clear timescales for the steps to
be taken towards implementation of inclusive education.
5.7 Resourcing
The County Council will seek to resource educational settings so as to
maximise their capacity to include all children without necessarily, in cases of
less complex need, requiring additional resources specifically targeted at
individuals through the process of statutory assessment of special
educational needs. It will seek to reduce rather than increase the numbers of
children educated outside the mainstream. The planning and resourcing of
schools will seek to ensure that children can be educated in their locality and
with their friends.
When developing new provision for children with special educational needs,
the LEA will promote inclusive mainstream options in preference to
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establishing new separate special provisions. However, the Authority
recognises the need to develop or adapt some existing provision to provide
the minimum resources necessary to ensure appropriate curriculum and local
access for pupils for whom such provision is the most effective to meet their
needs. Wherever new provision is being developed, the first consideration
will be to make that provision inclusive from the start. The LEA recognise
that adequate resourcing is the key to the confidence with which mainstream
teachers feel able to approach the inclusion of disaffected and disabled
learners. Investment in training and resources will take place to facilitate
inclusion, as money becomes available and opportunities to bid for external
resources present themselves.
5.8
Identifying, Disseminating and Extending Good Practice
The County Council will:
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ensure that all progress towards inclusion in practice is identified and
reported regularly to Elected Members, Education and Cultural Services
staff and to all education settings and staff working within them;
disseminate data on best practice to all LEA staff and schools, as a
means of encouraging progression towards inclusive education across
the authority.
5.9 Developing Whole School Policies
The County Council will encourage and support all schools through its
Advisory Service and its In-service Training programmes to develop whole
school Special Educational Needs, Behaviour Management and Inclusion
policies. Such policies would set out how the school will work towards
offering the same right of access to all pupils in its area and ensures that they
fully belong to the school and all its varied activities, while being entitled to
appropriate support to meet their educational needs.
5.10 Admissions
The County Council will publish an admissions policy for all schools where it
is the admissions authority which makes it clear that, given appropriate
networks of support, an impairment experienced by a child or young person
is not grounds for refusing admission to that pupil. The admissions policy will
reflect the Revised SEN Code of Practice and the Special Educational Needs
and Disability Act (2001) which introduces the new statutory framework for
inclusion. Similar advice will be commended to all other admissions
authorities in Lancashire.
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5.11 Inter-agency Partnership Working
The County Council will place a high priority on joint planning and working in
respect of the services which it provides and with other key partners in
implementing its Inclusion Policy. This will be even more important for
children with special educational needs who are in public care. The County
Council is committed to working co-operatively and flexibly with the Health
Service and with the Voluntary Sector to ensure that the inclusive principle is
central to assessment and planning for all pupils. It will work closely with
partners in the Connexions Service and the Learning and Skills Council to
ensure a smooth and positive transition for disabled young people into further
education or work.
The County Council recognises the need to work with key partners in
implementing its policy on inclusion. As well as school staff and governors,
these include parents of non-disabled or disaffected children, organisations
of disabled people, of black and Asian heritage people, of young disabled or
disaffected people themselves, parents/carers or disabled or disaffected
children and young people, the voluntary sector, and statutory agencies.
5.12 Monitoring and Evaluation
The County Council will monitor progress towards inclusive education by
collecting data and evaluating practice annually at the level of the individual
pupil, the school, and the authority as a whole. It will use indicators such as
OfSTED inspection reports, pupil attainment data through PIPS, PIVATS,
PANDAS and national curriculum level descriptors and GCSE passes and
average point scores. It will review its inclusive education policy and
associated inclusion action plan regularly in consultation with all key
partners.
5.13 Responsiveness
The County Council will at all times be willing to listen to and take into
account suggestions made by pupils, parents, schools and others in respect
of the implementation of this policy. It will not in all cases be able to respond
positively, but it will be the County Council's intention to be open and
transparent in its response.
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