Minutes of the SEN Reorganisation Steering Group

27 February 2004, 10.30 am

Committee Room 3, City Hall 

Present:	Phil Green 			Education Director
		Rob Malley			Schools Reorganisation Team			
		Brian Dobson			Schools Reorganisation Team
		Jackie Walters			Office of Education, Community and Social Care
		Susan Milnes			HR
		Sue Ilett			Airedale NHS Trust
		John Lambert			Special School Governor
		Susan Gill			Bolling Special School					
		Gary Bowden			Netherlands Avenue Special School
		Sheila Rye			EYCS
		
Apologies:	Mark Carriline	 (Chair)	Assistant Chief Executive
		Clive Halliwell			Education Bradford
		Cath Dew			Bradford Social Services
		Liz Singleton			Education Client Team	
		Hazel Smith			Education Bradford
		Ronnie Hartley			EYCS						
		Jean Racktoo			Airedale NHS Trust
		Margaret Robinson		Bradford City PCT/Speech Therapy
		Liz Andelin			Bradford City PCT
		Matt Burghardt			HR

 

1

Minutes of the Last Meeting and Matters Arising

These were accepted as a true record.  

2

BSF Pathfinder Update (JW/PG)

JW - Successful Exemplar Design Open Day on 24 February.  GB commented that he and colleagues agreed that the domed design looked very interesting.  JW suggested visiting Kingsdale School in Southwark which is of a similar design.  Also a school in Bexley could be visited at the same time.  GB further suggested that enquiries be made about the durability of the materials used.  The Eden Project building is one of the oldest known buildings using thermo dynamics. 

 

JW - Partners Day scheduled for 10 March – 2 pm to 4 pm at The Business Innovation Centre, Angel Way.  Steering Group members will be formally invited shortly.  Many key partners to be represented.  At present looking for partners to invest in the project.  Format including a workshop approach with Phase 1 and 2 schools attending with ideas for the design of buildings.

 

PG – Working on the Strategic Business Case for the whole project.  Reporting to Executive at the end of March.  Council resolved yesterday that all Education Capital Receipts - plus certain others - could be reserved for BSF.

 

JW – Local launch delayed until late March/April.

 

 

3

SEN Review and Consultation Update (PG for CH)

Consultation on Deaf Provision running into difficulties.  A range of possibilities offered but many wrongly concluding that the closure of Thorn Park is inevitable.  Series of meetings scheduled at the school.  PG hoping to attend the first - anxious not to have the consultation process dominated by a petition against closure.

 

Guard House consultation process complete and a report going to Executive on 9 March.  Also included in the report is the proposal for Heaton Primary School to become a co-located site.

 

Consultation on DSP provision progressing.  CH has had positive discussions with a secondary school in the north of the District.  Capital funding identified.  Report to EPP on 25 March – in the public domain 17 March.  SI – health is happy with the principles. 

 

LS has had meetings with special schools focussing on HR issues.  Joint meeting with Greenhead, Branshaw and Braithwaite in March concerning provision on the Greenhead site.  LS has also been involved in productive work with Bradford Moor/Lapage and Guard House. She is working closely with parks and landscapes to ensure a collaborative approach.

 

4

Subgroup Updates

Buildings (RM) – Nothing to update.

 

Vision into Practice (PG for CH) – As a result of work with the DfES a special schools expert is coming to Bradford on 15 March.  The intention is to look at the visits made so far.  Special School colleagues also invited.

 

Buildings Transition (BD) – Further progress made on the schools booklet.  Now made contact with Finance and Mark Chambers from ICT.  Continuing to concentrate on Temple Bank.

 

HR (SM) – OJC – consultation and agreement made with HT and DHT of Temple Bank.  The placement plan for staff and support staff largely agreed.  Further consultation ongoing re non teaching staff.  Another issue for OJC is the funding and changes on formula funding for special schools.

 

HR subgroup – to meet next week.  Additional rep from Braithwaite along with another HT recruited to the group.

 

Training (PG for CH) – Last meeting not well attended. 

At the budget meeting yesterday Council agreed additional £100,000 for training and also funding for HR support to allow for the appointment of extra Council HR staff.  SM added that this funding was short of the figure requested.  SM, MB and Jan Harker to meet concerning this and to report back to PG.  PG replied that there may be some flexibility in next year’s budget to provide more support.

 

Communications (JW) – The first issue of the newsletter has now gone out.  Education Bradford also issued an SEN Update which was generally agreed to be excellent.

Still working on the Website with Council reps.

PG for LS – parental involvement in subgroups – please pass to LS any contacts, either groups/individuals to invite representation as and when appropriate.  LS will also contact known groups.  SR commented that EYCS subgroup has already made arrangements for a series of meetings for parents/carers in March, May and July.

Website update – It was agreed that approved minutes would be passed directly to Jill Burghardt at Branshaw Special. 

PG for LS requested that subgroup Chairs (with the exception of Buildings and Communications) write a short paragraph describing the focus of work so far, what has been achieved/decided and who has been involved.

Looking to extend the website to include examples of good practice in inclusion.  Please pass any ideas to LS.

 

Early Years (SR) – Subgroup meeting next week. SR reported on the thinking behind the EPP paper for late March, focusing on proposals for EYCS aspect of SEN Reorganisation and set in the context of other work around provision for Early Years.  Some proposals dependent upon other areas being correctly configured. 

 

Age range from 2+ with maximum 24 places within each.
Although registered in the special school, children expected to spend time in the co-located mainstream school or nursery. There should be as much movement and flexibility as possible on the sites e.g. Guardhouse site will include co-located mainstream nursery and a Neighbourhood Nursery and Children’s Centre services within the adjacent Sure Start building.
Some other Childrens Centres could be resourced for SEN.  Choice of sites should include location, need and existing staff expertise.
Resources must follow the child.
Ensure there is specialist provision in each area of the District.

 

PG stated that the logic would be that the mainstream sites become Extended Schools together with other strategic Early Years provision.  The Client contact for Extended Schools is now Gill Dooley.

 

SI commented on the provision for the Wharfe valley area since it did not qualify for a Children’s Centre.

 

Health (SI for LA) – No subgroup meeting this morning – insufficient attendance.  Mapping on service input about complete.

 

5

Date and time of next meeting

Friday, 12 March, 10.30 am, City Hall.

 

 

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