[senco-forum] Herts Farce?

From: kngbrndn at aol.com

Hi Brendan, why are we not surprised!

My LA operate a system for low incidence and high incidence needs. High 
incidence are not even supposed to get past the Stat. Ass. hurdle, if they 
do, funds for high incidence statements are already delegated to the school. 
In my sons case 15 hours of support has to come out of the secondary's 
budget whereas in primary the school actually received delegated funding.

FROM THEIR WEBSITE
Only pupils with low incidence needs will be considered for statutory 
assessment. Whilst pupils with high incidence needs may experience 
difficulties, these are not in themselves grounds for requesting a statutory 
assessment. These pupils should have their needs met as flexibly and 
creatively as possible within whole school arrangements to support 
inclusion.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Funding for high incidence needs has been devolved to schools in ***** to 
enable them to support these pupils as early as possible. Support is also 
available to schools from central teams identified under the separate 
categories of need as well as through the school link officers and the SEN 
training programme. Low Incidence special educational needs will include: • 
Severe and profound communication disorders including autism • Severe and 
profound learning difficulties • Severe and profound physical difficulties • 
Severe and profound sensory impairment • Severe and profound behavioural, 
emotional and social difficulties
High incidence special educational needs will include: • Behaviour, social 
and emotional difficulties • Mild and moderate learning difficulties • 
Specific learning difficulties including dyslexia and dyspraxia • 
Communication disorders including Autism • Mild physical/sensory impairment 
.

I think this may help us to understand why mainstream schools in our LA seem 
'reluctant' to take the children with high incidence statements.
incidentally Brendan I once read something on SEN in Herts (will try to see 
If I saved it) where they laid out how they expected schools to support 
statemented pupils and how it would be possible to have 1 LSA supporting a 
few statemented children, so cutting down on the amount of support staff 
needed. At the end they said they did not expect this information to be 
shared with parents or carers.

>From: kngbrndn at aol.com
>To: senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
>Subject: [senco-forum] Herts Farce?
>Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2007 12:04:54 -0400
>
>What's going on in Herts? It seems there's a strange SEN delegated funding 
>policy -- that's created a two tier funding system -- with the higher level 
>to be 'scrapped about' between clusters of schools. Instead of the legal 
>framework approach of individual pupil statutory assessment and 
>statementing. And even with two tier statements -- the lower tier only to 
>be funded from school resources. It is supposed to be removing all 
>individual pupil funding and delegating totally to schools.
>
>Does this comply with the legal framework? How are schools / chidren being 
>affected in Herts?
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