Enhanced Mainstream School Consultation

Date consultation closed

Wednesday 23 October 2024

Description

In Stockton-on-Tees we are committed to ensuring there is a sufficient range of provision and support within our borough to meet the needs of our children who have Special Educational Needs and or Disability (SEND) or who are educated in Alternative Provision (AP).

The Council's SEND Strategy, sets out ambitious and realistic objectives to ensure Stockton-on-Tees' local provision is the first choice for children and young people with SEND and their families. The local authority is committed to ensuring that children and young people with SEND benefit from inclusion in their local community by ensuring that they can access the right provision as close to home as possible, and thus reducing the need for them to have to travel long distances to access out of borough or independent provision due to a lack of suitable in-borough provision.

What is the proposal?

To develop our graduated approach, the proposal is that the Enhanced Mainstream School (EMS) model in Stockton-on-Tees will move to an Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) and SEN Unit model, which would align with Department for Education Guidance and allow for clear registration of the provision, with clear admissions and exit criteria. The proposal identifies a revised number of places for children based on the present cohorts of need within the system. It also identifies the focus of the provision in line with the areas of need as defined in the SEND Code of Practice 2015: Communication and Interaction, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), Sensory and Physical and Cognition and Learning. It is hoped that as part of the outcome of the consultation with schools, that there would be an equal offer of provision in primary and secondary with a focus on transition planning at the earliest opportunity to identify pathways for children for their transition to secondary school. 

Results and outcomes

Awaiting outcome from the consultation.