Annual Evaluation of Enhanced Mainstream Schools

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Dear North Yorkshire County Council,

In the SEN monitoring report available here:

http://cyps.northyorks.gov.uk/CHttpHandl...

paragraph 5.10 says:

The second annual evaluation of Enhanced Mainstream Schools for SEN has been completed and this is being used to identify and spread best practice and to inform further developments.

Please publish this document in full as well as the first evaluation (in full)

Yours faithfully,

Terry Pandere

Data Management Officer, North Yorkshire Council

Dear Terry Pandere

Thank you for your request for information, of which we acknowledge receipt.

Your request has been passed to the appropriate officer to provide a response as soon as possible, and in any event within 20 working days, as required by the relevant legislation.

Kind regards

Paul Atkinson, for

Data Management Officer
North Yorkshire County Council
01609 533219
[email address]

show quoted sections

Claire Kane, North Yorkshire Council

3 Attachments

Dear Mr Pandere

 

Thank you for your recent request for information, I attach a copy of each
of the two documents specified in the FOI request.

 

The annual evaluation of Enhanced Mainstream Schools for SEN is part of an
internal on-going monitoring mechanism. As such, the purpose of the report
is to identify and spread best practice and inform service development. It
is not a public document for publication on the NYCC website.

 

Where necessary we have removed names and details that could identify
individuals from the information disclosed to you as we consider these to
be personal data. As such we are withholding this information under
section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which exempts
personal information from disclosure if disclosure would breach one or
more principles of the Data Protection Act 1998. In this case we consider
that disclosure would breach the first principle, namely that personal
information must be fairly and lawfully processed and must meet one of the
conditions for processing as provided by schedule 2 of the Act. In this
case we consider that the disclosure would be unfair and unlawful and none
of the conditions for processing would be met.

 

I have attached a copy of the appeals procedure for your information.

 

Regards

Claire

 

Claire Kane

Team Leader, CYPS Admin Support

Children and Young People’s Service

North Yorkshire County Council

County Hall

Northallerton

DL7 8AE

 

Tel: 01609 533120

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Audit of Enhanced Mainstream Schools (EMS) for Communication & Interaction (C&I) and for Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
Summary Report – July 2011.

1.0 Remit
Following the baseline audit visits in the summer term 2010, Senior Advisers from Quality and Improvement Service visited the EMS for C&I and for SpLD during the summer term 2011 to monitor and evaluate progress. Four of the five primary EMS for C&I were visited. The fifth school underwent an OfSTED inspection in the week the visit had been planned so this has been postponed until early in the autumn term. Four of the five secondary EMS for C&I were visited. ***** at the fifth is ***** so this has been postponed until early in the autumn term. All 7 EMS for SpLD were visited.
2.0 Enhanced Mainstream Schools for Communication & Interaction
2.1 Context
All posts have now been recruited to (some to begin in September in one school). There have been some staffing difficulties which have impacted on the capacity of some schools for periods of time, for example*****. However, in general absences have been covered very effectively by other staff within the schools, to minimise any impact. Two schools are seeking to recruit new TiC following the promotion/retirement of the current post holders.
Capital building work has been completed in all but two of the schools; one of these school’s building will be ready for September, and work to create an EMS base is due to begin at the other in the autumn term. The consultation to convert the previous resourced provision at one school to an EMS was completed and has been formally approved by members in July 2011.
2.2 Strengths & Impact
2.2.1 EMS provision
Significant progress has been made by each of the schools in developing the range of provision within their own schools to better support pupils with C&I needs. Where practice is strongest it is characterised by :-
 the development of a comprehensive whole school provision map for C&I;
 the development of communication friendly environments;
 support for departments/individual teachers to adopt more
supportive strategies for pupils with higher needs;
 whole school recognition and celebration of provision to
support pupils with C&I needs;
 the close liaison between EMS and main school staff (e.g.
TiC/SENCo/HT);
 the development of individual provision maps and inclusion
passports;
 the development of a wider range of time-limited, targeted
interventions to support learning in lessons;
 the provision of highly personalised one to one support where required (e.g. for a period following a managed move);
 the provision of a suitably quiet space where pupils can go to overcome stress and anxiety.
2.2.2 Progress made by pupils in EMS
Each of the schools is able to demonstrate significant positive impact on outcomes for pupils within the EMS with C&I needs. This includes pupils with statements for C&I/autism, and pupils on the school’s SEN register at School Action and School Action Plus. The number of pupils receiving support within each primary EMS ranges from 5 to 11 pupils; in secondary EMS this ranges from 9 to 25 students; the intensity of work varies greatly in each case depending on need.
This impact of support is measured in different ways in each of the schools, at an individual level, to include:-
 improved progress against personal development targets, for example identified using PIVATs;
 improved progress in national curriculum subjects identified within whole school tracking;
 improvement with attendance;
 reductions to exclusions (fixed term and from lessons).
Each of the schools have had keen regard for the LA’s key performance indicators (KPI) in seeking to demonstrate pupil progress, but as yet have not been able to produce summary overviews of this.
2.2.3 Pupil and parent perceptions
Each of the schools has experimented with strategies to collect the views of pupils and parents in order to demonstrate positive impact. Some useful, innovative strategies have begun to be developed. As yet there is no common method to demonstrate this positive impact, although it is clear that the perceptions of pupils and parents have been significantly improved over the year in relation to individual cases.
A particular strength has been the provision of bespoke training for parents in better understanding their own child’s needs and/or to support their learning and personal development at home.
2.2.4 Outreach support to other mainstream schools
Each of the primary EMS has developed its outreach work considerably. Outreach cases vary between 30 and 56. The amount of support provided in each case varies, but most cases are still ‘open’, even if they have been reduced to a watching brief. Each of the schools have again sought to demonstrate the impact of their support using the LA’s KPI, although there is no standard format for this, and in general impact has been recorded on a case by case basis. There is extensive positive feedback from other mainstream schools describing the timely and effective support they have received.
Outreach support from secondary EMS is very limited. There have been very few referrals, the highest being 13 where the TiC has taken on some casework from the autism outreach service. All other schools have received less than 5 referrals for outreach support.
Outreach support has been most effective where:-
 records of visit/action plans have identified very clear steps
to improve provision to meet a child’s needs;
 the development of provision has involved school leadership
teams and has impacted on the whole school;
 schools have developed or amended an existing provision
map to record these improvements;
 schools have been supported to develop closer (and more
effective) dialogue/relationships with parents;
 EMS have modelled approaches to home school staff which
have then been taken on by the school (e.g. narrative
intervention);
 schools have produced inclusion passports as an outcome
of support;
 clear timescales for support have been identified from the
outset and where possible, cases have been ‘closed’ as a
result of improving provision;
 clear targets for pupil progress have been identified and
progress has been measured against these.
Outreach support has been less effective when:-
 home schools have not engaged fully with EMS staff in
recognising their key responsibility for improving provision;
 records of visit have not clearly identified actions for the
home school to implement, including the development of its
own provision map or a pupil’s inclusion passport;
 pupil progress targets have not been clearly identified at the
outset.
3.0 Enhanced Mainstream Schools for Specific Learning Difficulties
3.1 Context
There were a total of 253 referrals to the SpLD network throughout the year and a significant increase in referral rates since the systems for accessing support were simplified at the start of the Autumn term. Five of the SpLD network schools had prepared a full dataset for the summer term visit using a standard spreadsheet and these schools commented on how helpful it had been to them to have a clear focus for evaluation.
In the schools where governors are engaged with the monitoring and evaluation process associated with the EMS this is providing a positive impetus for development, although this is not a consistent feature across the schools.
3.2 Strengths & Impact
3.2.1 EMS provision
Varying progress has been made by each of the schools in developing the range of provision within their own schools to better support pupils with SpLD. Where practice is strongest it is characterised by :-
 wave 1 provision being developed systematically faculty by faculty and when all of the school has reported that they are able to offer a particular kind of support in the mainstream classroom then it is adopted as part of the whole school provision map;
 provision maps are generated by departments and staff are more aware of appropriate teaching strategies for teaching pupils with SpLD;
 teachers in each department are allocated the responsibility for developing the environment, resources, planning and differentiation to meet the needs of pupils with SpLD;
 the development of personalised provision maps based on the whole school version;
 prioritisation of development and training for staff to increase quickly the range of provision available;
 systems for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and learning for pupils with SpLD are well developed and include work scrutinies, learning walks and the collection of pupil views in groups.
3.2.2 Progress made by pupils in EMS
The collection of data to demonstrate progress of pupils is variable. Where this is done effectively the EMS have been able to demonstrate improved progress. Where practice is strongest this has included use of school tracking (for example ‘pinks and greys’) to map progress being made. Data showing progress over time is more difficult to come by as the collection has not been proceeding for long enough. Some schools have also begun to develop assessment tools that look at more subtle impacts upon pupil progress such as emotional impact and self esteem measures.
3.2.3 Pupil and parent perceptions
Through the visits schools were able to demonstrate that significant numbers of pupils receiving supported report that they feel good about themselves and that they feel that they are receiving appropriate support to meet their needs. A high proportion of parents also indicate satisfaction that that their children are receiving the provision that they need and that their teachers now understand their learning needs. There is some emerging evidence that EMS are reducing the demand for statements in some areas.
3.2.4 Outreach support to other mainstream schools
Outreach support has been developed to varying degrees across the 7 schools; insufficiently so in some cases. The underlying causes for this include a lack of awareness in different areas of the services available through the EMS. Outreach is much more advanced where EMS have been proactive in raising awareness of this in their localities. Some high quality outreach support is evidenced by good
pupil attainment and a high degree of parental and client school satisfaction.
Outreach support has been most effective where:-
 client schools have demonstrated that they have improved their
provision maps as a result of the input from the EMS and have
inclusion passports;
 the need to develop these has been stressed through support
and training has been provided on how to develop them;
 the EMS provision map for SpLD has been offered as a
template that client schools can use to base the development
of their own provision maps;
 EMS are managing local SENCo support groups focusing on
the EMS agenda and developing resources which also provide
an excellent forum for raising the expectations of schools;
 EMS has become involved in an initiative run by the
Educational Psychology Service to support schools with
challenging pupils;
 EMS is offering training to all schools and though some schools
have not made referrals most of them have attended the training;
Outreach support has been less effective when:-
 schools had not embraced the concept of accountability and
evaluation;
 expectations of client schools have been low or not clearly
defined (for example to develop and improve their own
provision map);
 recommendations in records of visit are not acted upon and are
not followed up
4.0 Recommendations arising from the visits
The impact of support for pupils from the EMS could be further enhanced in the following ways:-
4.1
Schools:-
1. To support TiC to have a greater role within the leadership of teaching and learning within their own schools (for example through monitoring provision) in order to secure greater consistency across the EMS of high quality universal provision.
2. To further develop individual provision maps which provide detailed strategies to support pupils within lessons; to communicate this effectively and clearly to pupils, parents and adults working with the pupil; and to ensure that pupils are assigned a ‘key worker’.
3. Todeveloppupilvoicewithin‘communicationpassports,whichsummarise key provision requirements and articulate pupil perceptions.
4.2
4. To establish clear targets for pupil progress (what good progress will look like) at the outset of support and to report against this during and following support.
5. To require all schools to amend their provision maps and develop inclusion passports as an outcome of outreach support.
6. To maintain on-going records or impact against key performance indicators.
7. To engage with client schools (where this has not already been established) by offering training on developing provision mapping and inclusion passports.
Local Authority:-
1. To provide on-going opportunities to share good practice across the network in order that consistent and effective strategies are developed to:-
a) measure and record improvements to pupil progress over time;
b) measure and record improvements to pupil perceptions over time;
c) measure and record improvements to parental perceptions over time.
2. To review , with a view to reducing, the current reporting and data collection requirements of EMS.
3. ToprovideasimplesystemtoenableTiCtoreportagainsttheLA’sKPI
4. To provide clarity regarding the responsibilities for joint working across networks when supporting schools with complex cases.
5. To provide further guidance to all schools on the expectations of them when making a referral to an EMS
Other issues arising from the audits which should be reviewed by the LA
1. There is an urgent need to develop clear and transparent protocols to guide decisions which may result in the movement of pupils to an EMS on ‘in-reach’. In addition there is a need to ensure that there is consistent understanding of these protocols by relevant officers across CYPS.
2. The outreach role of secondary EMS for C&I is currently under developed. Schools are not accessing available support, either because it is not needed, or because this support is being delivered from another part of CYPS (for example through the Autism outreach service). There is a need to review this situation.
3. There is potential that students within secondary EMS with a statement for autism are being double funded if the school is in receipt of ‘high need’ funding for the statement, but is also providing support for the student through EMS resources. This situation should be reviewed.
4.3

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SEND IMPROVEMENT and INTEGRATION
Enhanced Mainstream Schools’ (EMS) Summary Audit Report 2012

1.0 Context
The purpose of the annual audit visits is to review and receive feedback on the service provided by each of the EMS in accordance with the service level agreement (SLA), the service specification and the North Yorkshire Quality Standards for Support and Outreach. The visits form part of ongoing quality assurance of the enhanced mainstream schools. This audit report will inform a summary report for the Children’s Trust Board, and help the local authority to identify priorities for the different types of specialist provision over the coming year.
A key aim of the audit visits was to identify and record existing practice in the enhanced schools, with a view to characterising aspects of ‘good practice’ and identifying areas for improvement and future vision. The EMS are perceived as providing excellent care and education for children and young people with a range of significant special needs.
This report has been informed by extensive, objective individual meetings with each EMS. The primary data collection encompassed in-depth interviews with head teachers, senior leadership, specialist and mainstream staff and, in the majority of schools, with pupils and parents (256 people in total).
A total of seventeen EMS annual audit visits were carried out between July 9th and December 5th 2012. See appendix A for dates of visits and details of contact with individual EMS.
The visits were structured and informed by a Quality and Improvement (Q & I) developed proforma. All the visits were scheduled to take a full day and were conducted by the Head of SEND Support and Outreach in Access and Inclusion, accompanied by a specialist for the relevant area of need.
The monitoring visits provided the opportunity for the schools to discuss the progress they have made and evidence the impact of their provision through a range of documentation and direct observation of some elements of the provision, for example the level of enhancement of the home schools.
All seventeen enhanced schools have been fully operational for between one and three years and the specialist provision is bedded in. The LA makes a significant investment from the ‘High Needs Block’ (£2,121,116 estimated outturn for 2012-13). It is crucial that the schools can demonstrate that they provide highly effective provision and offer best value for money.
EMSAnnualReview2012
2.0 Executive Summary
The model of enhanced mainstream schools is a successful one that can be built upon and developed; there are lessons to be learned which will inform future direction. This is only the beginning of the journey and it is critical to maintain the focus on continuing integration and improvement. There is an increasing need to keep a careful eye on ‘value for money’ indicators and outcome and impact measures to gauge the success of the EMS.
The best EMS are characterised by strong and visionary leadership at Head teacher and senior leadership level that aims high for pupils with specific special needs and recognises the key role of the specialist team in achieving these aims and sharing best practice with other schools. Head teachers and senior leadership have a deep and wide understanding of specific special needs and set the expectation for all their staff in terms of supportive environments, training and commitment to understanding and working with pupils. These schools are outward-facing, share good practice and provide highly-effective support and appropriate challenge to schools in their locality through outreach.
The most effective schools see a broader remit for themselves as community ambassadors, spreading knowledge, understanding and acceptance of special needs. Schools described a wide range of ways in which they integrate and have a visible presence within their local community via local partnerships. There is undoubtedly now a greater awareness in the wider community of schools of the importance of timely and accurate identification and targeted support for children and young people with special needs to enable them to achieve success in learning and in life. The key to improving outcomes for children and young people with high need SEN lies in the expertise of teachers, teaching assistants and head teachers, as well as all staff in the home schools having heightened levels of awareness.
Mainstream schools are expected to meet a diverse range of increasingly complex and challenging individual needs and appreciate having access to knowledgeable staff with appropriate specialist skills, competencies and abilities. They see expert practitioners as key to improving integrated working through sharing information on local perspectives and developing activities and initiatives. The local authority has made a significant investment in developing specialist staff – 26 of the 30 specialist teachers have a post graduate qualification ranging from Certificate to Masters Degree in their specialist area.
The EMS address many of the recommendations outlined in the DfE Green Paper ‘Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’ (2011). Specialist teachers have excellent knowledge and understanding of a range of significant SEN and credibility through higher-level professional development, including post graduate qualifications; they are confident in sharing their expertise to support the progress and development of children and young people in other mainstream schools and provision is accessible and of high quality.
EMSAnnualReview2012
A major outcome and key success of the EMS has been the way in which the schools have developed more effective integrated practice on a local area basis and further strengthened joint ways of working. Specialist staff provide training for staff and pupils in their home schools and are also involved in training and dissemination of knowledge and good practice to other schools in their local area. This has enabled a broader community of practitioners and schools to benefit from their experience and expertise. Some of the specialist staff have also helped deliver awareness training programmes for parents.
The EMS approach is about empowering schools and reducing dependency on external support. Specialist staff are well placed to develop the skills of other mainstream colleagues and have developed a culture of high expectations and provision of targeted, often personalised school-based support.
There is a high level of recognition of both the core defining difficulties that these pupils have and the growing effectiveness of the EMS in meeting needs at a local level. This is evidenced through data which indicates that on average the EMS have a working relationship with 85% - 90% of the local schools in their area. Interviews carried out with mainstream schools supported through outreach reinforced the value of the EMS in their communities of schools.
The majority of schools have put in place a formal mechanism for engaging with pupils and listening to their views. Across the range of provisions, there were some notable examples of schools ensuring that pupils’ voices are heard and reflected through working with them and including them in decision making. This represents a thorough commitment to meaningful involvement of pupils in their own education.
The local authority closely monitors and quality assures the EMS on an ongoing basis to ensure activities and outputs have a lasting presence and impact. This summary report is further supported by a record of audit visit for each school – which provides a more detailed assessment of input, output, outcomes and impact.
Following a recommendation of the last annual audit report in September 2011, the local authority developed a tool to capture a variety of data and key performance indicator (KPI) measures. However, having collected and analysed the key performance indicator data as part of the audit review, it is clear that there are major discrepancies in individual’s interpretation of the terms used. It is not possible, therefore, to make any quantitative analysis of the data as this would provide a distorted interpretation of the overall picture. This represents an area of development for the local authority for 2013.
The input of the SEND Support and Outreach Service is highly valued, as is the opportunity to meet as ‘network’ teams for continuing professional development and skill sharing. Both are seen as central to the way in which the EMS continue to be developed and monitored.
EMSAnnualReview2012
It is fair to say, that the majority of the schools have high aspirations and a positive vision for the future development of the EMS. Strongly linked to this are effective levels of communication within the home school, and high levels of reciprocal communication with outreach schools, parents, local authority officers and other professionals. The majority of EMS have developed their own momentum and a strong legacy for continuing to build on best practice. However, reflecting the range of challenges faced by some schools in terms of e.g. leadership and management, there remains some variability in practice.
The role of the Teacher-in-Charge is complex and demanding and the team acknowledge the benefits of mutual support within the network. For some individuals, it can be a delicate balance between managing in-reach, outreach and school responsibilities. It may be the case that some staff may need to be protected from undue demands from within their schools and may need support to develop a robust leadership and management role. It is essential that all specialist staff have clarity of their roles and responsibilities and are effectively deployed to ensure the requirements of the SLA are met.
As the numbers of in-reach placements rise, it is becoming increasingly evident that this creates significant pressures and impacts on delivery of the outreach expectations of the role, particularly in those schools that only have one Specialist Teacher. Pupils on in-reach placement invariably have complex needs and many have associated behavioural difficulties.
It is suggested that a review of staff arrangements, particularly across the Secondary EMS for young people with autism, is carried out to ensure staffing levels are equitable and better reflect the size of the school. Currently, small schools have the same allocation as larger schools with a greater reach area.
Every EMS collects data to capture the progress of all pupils. However, because they use different systems, it is important that collectively, they continue to develop and refine outcome measures for pupils and the impact of interventions to demonstrate the difference they are making. The schools also have a significant role in integrating with other services such as MEA and behaviour specialist staff.
The EMS need to continue to develop their role as ‘centres of excellence’. The local authority intends to widen the reach of the EMS through identified ‘link’ schools for communication and interaction. This will extend local representation.
It is essential that the local authority continues to co-ordinate and monitor activity to ensure the integrity of the service and quality assurance. The active role in ongoing professional development of staff needs to continue to ensure that we can provide high quality specialist services. In addition to this central drive, the EMS must be able to demonstrate they are continuing to develop themselves professionally, specifically in terms of specialist standards.
EMSAnnualReview2012
Local authority annual audits of the EMS should continue as they provide both quality assurance and evidence of outcomes against the service level agreement and that they offer value for money.
Most important of all, schools, parents, children and young people need to be confident in the quality of our services.
3.0 Enhanced Mainstream Primary Schools for Communication and Interaction
3.1 Context
The five Primary EMS for Communication and Interaction have been operational for between one and two and a half years and have made significant in-roads into developing understanding of the needs of pupils with communication and interaction in local Primary Schools. During this period there have been a number of challenges including long-term staff absences due to illness and the appointment of a new Teacher in Charge at Kirkbymoorside, *****.
Collectively the EMS supported a total of 320 children in the last Academic Year through outreach and less than 5 through in-reach i.e. pupils who have a statement of SEN.
3.2 Strengths and Impact
There has been a noticeable enhancement of the EMS home schools in the period since the last audit. This is evidenced by positive feedback from staff who recognise the impact the specialist staff have had on whole school practice as well as positive outcomes for individual pupils.
The most effective EMS are characterised by:
 successful whole school enhancement and evidence of impact which is recognised as systemic throughout the school e.g. whole school targets are language based
 schools making use of national and local best-practice tools and resources such as Autism Education Trust competency framework and standards, Primary Talk accreditation etc
 strong leadership and governance at a senior level including the active involvement of the Teacher in Charge as part of the school leadership team in order to ensure whole school commitment
 appropriate deployment of ‘earmarked’ funding for the purposes set out in the SLA and specification including effective case management through in-reach and outreach
EMSAnnualReview2012
 effective leadership and management of the ‘specialist’ team to motivate, empower and provide clear direction for the team
 children’s specific needs being assessed, identified, responded to and reduced through high quality evidence-based and timely interventions
 robust systems for recording and monitoring support and intervention and pupil progress
 good communication and strong and effective integrated relationships, in particular between the SENCO and Teacher in Charge
 pupil voice being captured as a natural part of the school
 active involvement and contribution to the local authority’s wider SEND
agenda through e.g. SENCO/ TA Networks, training etc
3.3 Progress made by pupils in the EMS
Pupil progress is recorded in a number of ways e.g. Pinks and Greys, PIVATS and National Curriculum Levels as well as ‘softer’ autism and communication specific measures.
Examples of Inclusion Passports are in evidence for children in the home schools. Outreach schools were able to describe how EMS staff have supported and encouraged them to develop Inclusion Passports within their schools.
Many schools prefer to use whole school Provision Maps to outline the range of provision and Individual Education Plans to record targets for individuals. In some instances Individual Provision Maps are used for pupils with high needs. There are however on-going issues with the quality of Individual Provision Maps in a number of mainstream schools.
The revised Record of Support and Intervention (ROSI) records the child’s journey, captures targets for pupils based on rigorous assessment, observation and an inquiry approach and identifies actions for staff.
Monitoring, recording and reporting indicate that the EMS are successfully meeting the needs of some children with extremely complex and challenging SEN through in-reach placements. Several schools have successfully included children who had previously been excluded from school.
3.4 Pupils and parent perceptions Parents
Systems are in place to gather parent views informally within all the EMS for communication and interaction. Parents interviewed as part of the audit visits were very positive about the specialist support that their child receives and the
EMSAnnualReview2012
progress they have made. Each of the schools use a variety of parental questionnaires to gather feedback and hold a file of evidence containing accounts of individual parental feedback. .
Pupils
Mechanisms to obtain pupils’ views are in place within all schools. The most successful EMS encourage the use of individual pupil rating scales for personalised interventions, as well as providing a range of opportunities for pupils to give feedback on how well the support is working for them.
Appendix B includes a number of examples of parent, pupil and school feedback.
The network of schools for communication and interaction have recently developed an electronic process which will enable them to collect, collate and analyse perceptive data and produce reports.
3.5 Outreach support to other mainstream schools
The majority of schools reported that they are actively working with 80-85% of the mainstream primary schools in their locality (Note: the number of designated schools supported in each locality varies between 37 and 81).
Head teachers interviewed found the EMS specialist teachers to be responsive, supportive and helpful. Several also found the staff to be diplomatic and supportive with parents, particularly in challenging cases.
The majority of schools understand the referral and outreach systems much better and there is good collaborative working between schools, other types of EMS and agencies.
Outreach school Head teachers and staff spoke highly of the professional, high quality training they had received.
3.6 Recommendations made from the visit
The impact of the EMS could be enhanced in the following ways:
EMS
 further develop the involvement of EMS staff in monitoring and tracking pupil progress within the home school, for example through collecting EYFS/ end of KS2 data and engaging in pupil progress meetings for jointly managed cases
 the schools need to be able to prove that they are ‘narrowing the gap’ for children with communication and interaction needs in their home schools and can evidence progress using a range of measures
EMSAnnualReview2012
 continue to encourage schools to develop appropriate records i.e. Inclusion Passports and Individual Provision Maps, with regular review of these to ensure they are embedded into practice
 further develop casework management to include appropriate and effective exit strategies at the end of episodes of involvement.
Network
 review levels of differentiated support for each school
 provide opportunities to further develop and utilise skills related to the ATA
role
 establish processes for the systematic collection of feedback from pupils
and parents that allows for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of
perceptions
 provide CYGNET ‘Train the Trainer’ training for EMS autism specialists
 investigate reasons for significant increase in children with articulation
problems in EYFS.
Local Authority
 clarify definitions and understanding behind the KPIs
 investigate the growing number of transfer of cases from EMS for BESD to
EMS for C&I.
4.0 Enhanced Mainstream Secondary Schools for Autism
4.1 Context
The five EMS for autism have been established for between 18 months (Filey) and 3 years (King James’ and South Craven), and all five secondary schools have made significant progress towards meeting the Service Level Agreement targets and remit. Inevitably there have been challenges within some of the schools which have impacted upon the capacity of the EMS specialist team to fully establish some aspects of their provision.
This has included managing unexpected challenges within the general school context (such as changes within the senior management and leadership personnel), the appointment of a new Teacher-in-Charge at Holy Family School
*****. All schools now have an established base, in some cases this is integrated with generic SEN / Learning Support whilst others have dedicated spaces of their own.
4.2 Strengths and Impact
In general, the specialist teams have had a positive impact within their respective schools and have worked hard to support and help develop the academic, social, behavioural and emotional skills of their identified referred pupils as well as enhanced the overall provision for all pupils. Where practice is at it strongest, it is characterised by:
EMSAnnualReview2012
 detailed understanding of the strengths and needs of each individual pupil recorded in a personalised profile, with a detailed plan of support and range of interventions and activities to help address needs
 schools using multiple assessments beyond those statutorily used to monitor progress in terms of attainment and with respect to social and behavioural outcomes for young people with autism
 acknowledging the education of young people with autism must be broader than for those without autism
 robust recording systems which help document, monitor, review and inform
 comprehensive mechanisms to regularly communicate any changing pupil
needs with the wider school
 regular supportive formal and informal communications between school and home/family
 sensitive provision of physical spaces to help provide a range of supportive environments for their pupils
 effective integration of the specialist provision across the whole school
 a commitment to deliver a range of high quality regular training, both in-
house and within the wider outreach community
4.3 Progress made by pupils in EMS
Pupil progress (academic) is documented in a variety of ways by each school, with the specialist team utilising and building upon generic school systems - personalising these where appropriate to the needs of their cohort of young people with autism.
All the EMS home schools are using ‘inclusion passports’ and a form of ‘individual provision map’ to help formally capture pupil difficulties and communicate appropriate strategies and interventions to support individuals in lessons. The schools routinely review pupils’ levels of achievement information and use this to help inform their understanding of the pupil, develop target setting and future interventions.
The EMS are successfully meeting the needs of some young people with extremely complex and challenging needs relating to autism through in-reach placements. Several schools have successfully included young people who had previously been excluded from school, attended a special school, were home educated, or would have been placed out of authority.
Young people with autism who attend the EMS on an in-reach basis receive excellent transitional support to enable them to settle and be fully included in
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mainstream lessons alongside their peers, with support. Academically, many of these young people are achieving at least in line with their predicted targets and, in many cases beyond expectations, in effect closing the gap.
Whilst individual personalised interventions are clearly evident within all provision, few are able to adequately demonstrate the effectiveness of these interventions (especially when interventions are autism specific) in a quantifiable or data-driven way.
4.4 Pupils and parent perceptions Parents
Informal parent feedback is obtained by all the schools. Overall, parents were very positive about the specialist support that their child receives and the progress they have made. Schools use a variety of parental questionnaires to gather feedback. Each school holds an evidence file containing documentary (and verbal) accounts of individual parental feedback. However, not all schools routinely use anonymous feedback questionnaires to more formally obtain parental perceptions about the support their child receives.
Pupils
Mechanisms to obtain pupils’ views are in place within all schools. The most successful EMS encourage the use of individual pupil rating scales for personalised interventions, as well as providing a range of opportunities for pupils to give feedback on how well the support is working for them.
4.5 Outreach support to other mainstream schools
All the schools are engaged in delivering outreach support within their locality. In some instances this support is well established although for others it is still in its infancy. For some provision this outreach support has included not only the specialist teacher-in-charge but also the specialist named ATAs undertaking a range of activities including offering advice and consultation, modelling and delivering individual interventions and conducting group work.
Specialist staff have delivered a wide range of autism specific training and recognise the importance of building and further developing this aspect of their work. Where outreach is less well established this is because there have been significant staff absences and/or challenges within the school setting which have impacted upon available time and capacity.
4.6 Recommendations made from the visit
The impact of the provision for autism could be enhanced in the following ways:
EMS
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 develop processes for capturing anonymous feedback e.g. questionnaire for parents
 develop methods for collecting student feedback
 the schools need to be able to prove that they are ‘narrowing the gap’ for
children with communication and interaction needs in their home schools
and can evidence pupil progress using a range of measures
 continue to develop and deliver departmental specific training to further
enhance staff’s awareness of autism and issues re curriculum access.
Network
 develop effective system for measuring and tracking the effectiveness of support and pupil progress, particularly in relation to autism specific interventions
 further develop cohort tracking data and outcome measures across the EMS to include attitude to learning, wellbeing and social skills.
Local Authority
 clarify definitions and understanding behind the KPIs
 consider repetitive nature of LA paperwork (i.e. capturing basic details)
 re-visit the role and responsibilities of Educational Psychologists in relation
to EMS e.g. the need for targeted psychological assessment of identified need for young people with autism.
4.7 Vision and Future Developments
All the schools have a commitment to fulfil the outreach remit within their locality and all have the potential to further develop their work in this area to fully establish and maximise this provision. Some EMS have clear aspects of outstanding practice and strength and it will be important to develop both, regular county wide opportunities (formal and informal) for these practices to be shared across all EMS provision.
Finally, the introduction of the new North Yorkshire Autism Standards for Educational Provision during 2013/2014 will provide a comprehensive and robust audit tool to further evaluate practice within the EMS autism secondary school provision.
5.0 Enhanced Mainstream Schools for Specific Learning Difficulties
5.1 Context
The seven EMS for SpLD have been running now for 3 years and have made in-roads into developing a good understanding of the needs of pupils with SpLD in local Primary and Secondary Schools.
The local authority was without a Specialist Lead for SpLD for 13 months. Inevitably this resulted in some limitations to service development and
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progression. A new Specialist Lead took up post in September 2012. In addition, there have been vacancies for specialist teachers in two schools.
It is expected that all seven enhanced schools for SpLD will achieve the Dyslexia Quality Mark (DQM) as evidence of their expertise in relation to dyslexia. To date 5 of the 7 have achieved this; 2 are in the process of acquiring this status having been hindered by significant changes in their school leadership team.
There were a total of 375 referrals across the EMS for SpLD an increase of 48% (122) since 2011. In addition, 22 students were referred from within the EMS to the specialist team indicating an increasing awareness of the expertise of the specialist staff.
5.2 Strengths and Impact
Specialist staff have empowered their home schools in a variety of ways to enable them to better understand and meet the needs of students with SpLD. One school celebrated National Dyslexia Week with displays throughout the school and several others were able to evidence impact across departments through guided learning walks. Six out of the seven EMS have a portal on their school’s website describing their service and providing useful resources for those seeking information about SpLD, for example one school publishes ‘ten top tips’ each week.
Progress has been made in each of the EMS to provide a comprehensive outreach service to primary and secondary schools in their local area. Mainstream schools that demonstrate good practice are encouraged to obtain the DQM to reflect their understanding of the needs of pupils with SpLD, for example in the Harrogate area 10 schools have achieved DQM status.
Best practice is characterised by:
 schools that are proactive in providing a dyslexia friendly environment across the whole school
 provision that effectively supports the range of needs encompassed within specific learning difficulties i.e. dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and dyscalculia
 specialist teams that are motivated, empowered and effectively deployed according to their particular skills and interests.
 careful management of requests for involvement to ensure specialist EMS involvement is appropriate
 young people’s specific needs being assessed, identified, responded to and reduced through high quality evidence-based and timely interventions
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 robust systems for recording and monitoring support and intervention and pupil progress
 outreach schools following up recommendations e.g writing clear targets, using provision maps and inclusion passports
 expectations being realistic and met in full by the specialist staff
5.3 Progress made by pupils in EMS
Pupil progress is recorded in a variety of ways e.g. national curriculum levels, ‘Pinks and greys’ and ratio gains. For individuals where progress has been limited, the data is interrogated. In a number of cases it was determined that the referral was not appropriate in the first place e.g. the child having global developmental delay rather than a specific learning difficulty.
The EMS collectively are active in identifying methods by which progress can be measured. Recently criterion and assessments have been added to determine a pupil’s attention on-task, sensory processing, visual perceptual skills and handwriting legibility.
5.4 Pupil and Parent Perceptions
The audits provided the opportunity to interview 16 parents across the seven EMS for SpLD. These were parents of both primary and secondary-aged children. All were extremely positive about the support their child had received. They were particularly in favour of the inclusive model of empowering the pupil’s teacher and TA, reducing the need for the pupil to be withdrawn to receive support, and lessening the possibility of any stigma attached to the condition.
Parents particularly appreciated the advocacy role that the EMS was able to offer where there was a perceived breakdown in communication between the school and parent concerns.
5.5 Outreach support to other mainstream schools
There is significant interaction with local schools and a growing understanding and respect for the expertise of the specialist knowledge and expertise of the EMS teachers and ATAs. All the EMS have had contact with almost every school in their cluster, even if only by telephone. A significant amount of training at whole school level, staff groups, TA and parent workshops has been achieved; this has had a positive impact on addressing pupil need.
Outreach support has been less effective in situations where it has become apparent that the referred child has broader cognitive difficulties. In these circumstances, Quality First Teaching strategies have proved more appropriate than delivering a literacy-specific intervention.
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Some tensions remain in certain areas of the county when schools do not fully understand the principles of the EMS model. Some continue to expect long- term support with responsibility being taken by the EMS teacher (Learning Support Model) rather than the empowerment model which is currently advocated.
5.6 Recommendations arising from visits
The impact of the EMS could be enhanced in the following ways:
EMS
 the schools need to be able to prove that they are ‘narrowing the gap’ for children with specific learning difficulties in their home schools and can evidence progress using a range of measures
 encourage students to have a voice by supporting DQM (through the Aiming High Portal)
 further develop the EMS to showcase excellent practice in their community and wider
 achieve the DQM, if not already in place
 encourage the acquisition of the DQM in locality schools
Network
 develop a casework management tool to indicate level of need (0-5 range)
 further develop the service provision to support pupils who have DCD and
dyscalculia as well as dyslexia
 critically reflect on the evidence-base which underpins interventions
 enhance knowledge of current research and exemplary practice in relation
to SpLD with the support of EP, SpLD Lead, and university contacts
 introduce cross-team moderation of referrals and interventions
 formally evaluate the ‘impact’ of training
 consider the needs of pupils whose profile does not ‘fit’ within each EMS i.e.
pupils with moderate learning difficulties
 liaise with independent providers i.e. Dyslexia Action to discuss ‘partnership’
working.
Local Authority
 review clarity and consistency in the application of KPIs
 work through SENCO Networks to reduce the perception of parents that
pupils with more complex needs are being ‘ping-ponged’ between different types of EMS, aiming for a coordinated and seamless service.
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5.7 Vision and Future Developments
The goal is for each of the seven EMS for SpLD to become a centre of excellence; to showcase exemplary practice in all aspects of specific learning difficulty.
Each EMS for SpLD will be known for its expertise in relation to dyslexia, DCD and dyscalculia and will be able to support pupils with co-occurring conditions such as autism and attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder. Each school will provide a base for large CPD training events relating to specific learning difficulties and will become known regionally and ultimately nationally for its expertise and integrated practice.
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Appendix A
EMS Primary C&I
School     Visit Date    Head/Deputy
EMS Staff
School
Staff Parents Prof/outreach Pupils
Embsay
Hookstone Chase
Kirkbymoorside
Mill Hill
Thorpe Willoughby
EMS Secondary Autism
09/07/2012
24/09/2012
27/09/2012
17/09/2012
19/09/2012
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
0
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
3
5
3
4
4
2
4
4
3
4
3
5
4
4
5
3
3
63
2 Less than 5
3 Less than 5
1 Less than 5
3 Less than 5
2 Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
10
Less than 5
Less than 5
15
Less than 5
5
11
8
Less than 5
School     Visit Date    Head/Deputy
EMS Staff
School Staff
Parents Prof/outreach Pupils
Bedale
Filey
Holy Family
King James
South Craven
EMS SpLD
School
Barlby
Easingwold
Graham
Lady Lumley's
Richmond
Rossett
Upper Wharfedale
18/10/2012
23/10/2012
08/11/2012
20/11/2012
05/12/2012
Visit Date
01/10/2012
25/10/2012
07/11/2012
11/10/2012
15/10/2012
17/10/2012
22/10/2012
3 6
3 Less than 5
2 Less than 5
3 Less than 5
1 Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Head/Deputy
EMS Staff
School Staff
Parents Prof/outreach Pupils
Totals 20
2 Less than 5
3 Less than 5
2 Less than 5
3 Less than 5
2 Less than 5
4 Less than 5
2 Less than 5
41 19
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
Less than 5
27
Less than 5
6
Less than 5
12
Less than 5
Less than 5
5
86
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Appendix B
SEND Support and Outreach Service Annual EMS Audit visits 2012 Comments noted for each EMS
EMS Primary C&I
School
Visit Date
Comment/Note
Embsay
09/07/2012
There is good collaborative working between schools, with other EMS and agencies. For example where a school is not clear of the prime need for a referral, the EMS accept a joint referral and then decide which EMS should take the lead, whilst planning joint interventions and tailored programmes of advice and support as appropriate. As a result of this integrated working, schools and pupils in the area are more likely to receive the exact support they require.
*****
Outreach schools described how the support of the EMS has impacted on groups and individual pupils, for example the impact that an individual programme has had on the reading and writing of *****.
Hookstone Chase
24/09/2012
*****
*****
*****
Kirkbymoorside
27/09/2012
Examples of effective integrated working including: The different types of EMS in the area hold regular network meetings (Malton, Lady Lumley’s, Scarborough and MEA Hub). This enables an integrated approach to complex cases. Speech and Language Therapy Service – excellent relationships established with the Therapists in the area. Work alongside on cases.
*****
Mill Hill
17/09/2012
Integrated working is a strong aspect of the work: we work with other EMS, EPs; S< OT; Consultant Paediatrician; Network Team; Paediatric Therapy Manager; SLD Outreach Coordinator; MEA Team; ASCOSS.
Thorpe Willoughby
19/09/2012
School staff feedback: “Support is right there – when it’s needed, where it’s needed”. Support is seamless and high impact.
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*****
Trained TA who now supports other TAs in School (ELKLAN training). Met with parents – reduced their anxiety.
Outcome – kept the child in mainstream
*****
*****
EMS Secondary Autism
School
Visit Date
Comment/Note
Bedale
18/10/2012
The EMS team have a good understanding of the needs of the young people they work with, a parent acknowledging “they work with you for what’s in the best interest of your child” (parent quote).
Over the past year, the provision has clearly helped a number of young people with autism, demonstrated by increases in mainstream class attendance in a variety of subjects;
Parents acknowledge that their children enjoy coming into school with one saying ***** The parents spoken with acknowledge their children feel supported by the EMS team, feeling they enjoy the informal and friendly atmosphere of room 29 and general supportive culture.
***** room 29 ***** reassured by the presence of the provision and support of the EMS team. The provision was said to promote independence in its young people rather than dependency and this was greatly valued.
Filey
23/10/2012
Generally staff felt they received hands-on practical advice. In the course of discussions individuals reflected a good understanding of the needs of young people with autism and it was clear that they had absorbed advice and are applying it to their practice.
*****
Holy Family
08/11/2012
*****
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*****
King James
20/11/2012
*****
“TiC has helped me look at things differently ... the team approach is excellent ...we share resources”. Behaviour support manager described the impact of the EMS: “we work closely together, we have a system now that works. The autism awareness sessions have been very effective, the support with behaviour has meant we get few repeat offenders and the team bring parents along with us”.
South Craven
05/12/2012
*****
EMS SpLD
School
Visit Date
Comment/Note
Barlby
01/10/2012
Some evidence of parents choosing to send their children to Barlby because of its reputation as an EMS.
Easingwold
25/10/2012
Head teacher praised the EMS team for raising the profile of Easingwold School. His current round of visits to cluster primary schools confirmed the positive reputation.
Staff felt that having EMS status gave the school credibility. The specialist team are known as ‘the friendly team’ and the EMS is “embedded more than you think”. Support has “had a massive effect on students’ self-esteem”.
Graham
07/11/2012
Progress for students accessing targeted reading interventions indicate average ratio gains of 17.6 months over the equivalent of ten weeks (37 pupils in lower school, 10 in upper school).
*****
*****
Lady Lumley's
11/10/2012
*****
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Richmond 15/10/2012
*****
*****
Rossett
17/10/2012
*****
Head Teacher conducts focus groups with students – recent group held with students with ‘dyslexia’. Feedback re support was very positive.
Upper Wharfedale
22/10/2012
*****
*****
*****
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