1
Minutes
of last meeting
These were
accepted as a true record.
2
Matters
arising
There were no
matters arising outside agenda items.
3
BSF
Pathfinder Update (PG)
Good news
received from the DfES on Tuesday, 30 November – Bradford now in Wave 3
of BSF. Although no specific
funding figure has been given it allows publication of notices to go ahead
in January with formal consultation until Easter and to SOC for
consideration by mid April.
Brenda Bignold,
the new Director for Partnerships for Schools, visiting Bradford on 25
February and visiting Heaton Royds, Salt Grammar and Beckfoot with PG and
Matthew Cooper, Team Leader of BSF. General
agreement that other special school HTs meet Brenda at Heaton Royds or
Beckfoot to stress to her the importance/magnitude of the whole project.
There will also be Health representation.
Bidders’ Day,
10 November was successful with around 200 attendees, including all the
big players, with the exception of Jarvis.
The presentations were well received.
The pre qualification questionnaire to be completed by the bidders
and due to be returned next week. The
short listing process will then begin.
MC – Private
partner should be in place by January 2006 for a September 2007
completion. This will mean
very substantial work over the next calendar year in preparation for the
private partner in January 2006.
SG confirmed
that many special school headteachers were disappointed that the DfES
announcement did not include funding details.
MC reassured SG that despite uncertainty about the amount of
funding, the Council were fully committed to going ahead with the
publication of the notices. MC/PG
agreed to write to all special school headteachers to reassure them that
plans are now on target for the completion of reorganisation in September
2007.
4
SEN Review
and Consultation Update (DW for CH)
The
consultation has formally opened for Deaf Provision.
Some issues causing confusion in the school.
PG and CH both visited the school to help to clarify the situation.
CoG has been positive and actively involved in the consultation
process.
Staff
and parents visiting deaf provision in other authorities to assist the
process. The community has
very polarised views but the silent majority now becoming clearer.
PG – the Elizabeth Foundation has been criticised.
5
Proposed
Reorganisation – First Impressions (DW)
Dominic Wall (DW)
has joined Education Bradford as the Inclusion and Development Manager
within SEN. Previously DW was
a special school headteacher in Oldham and sat on the steering group for
reorganisation.
DW, being
recently new to Education Bradford, did not feel able to comment on the
proposed reorganisation. However,
after visiting and working with the special schools in Bradford he was
able to comment generally on the present situation.
DW, along with Sue Eastwood, Education Bradford have been appointed
School Improvement Officers for the special schools.
DW felt that as a result of visits to schools a meeting of minds
was easy to achieve with HTs and recognised that there were significant
issues in Bradford:
 |
Very
high levels of staff commitment in terms of support to the children,
families and to each other. However,
moral is low but fortunately the commitment offsets this to a
certain degree. Accommodation
is poor and the capacity necessary to cater for the wide range of
needs is insufficient. |
|
No
discrete special school provision for EBD.
Schools coping in different ways and until provision is made
this continues to be a problem. |
|
The
growth in complexity of children’s special needs outstripping the
development of the schools. Schools
working hard to develop even the simplest form of training eg
gastrostomy/tube-feeding. In
comparison with Oldham, the Health provision is very meagre –
partnerships need to be established for 2007. |
|
Older
pupils (up to 19 years) have outgrown the provision.
More appropriate provision required.
Currently wasted activities in the wrong institution. |
Positive aspects:
|
Staff
commitment, the single most positive and obvious aspect. |
|
Engagement
with parents very positive. The
trust in staff very good. |
|
Development
in schools encouraging in terms of communications, structure of
learning and teaching/learning developments. |
|
Some
excellent senior staff but some lack ambition for 2007.
SIOs trying to promote staff development.
There is a need to retain this quality of staff.
Workforce reform – recognise strengths but in terms of HR
this is very sensitive. |
|
Clive
Halliwell forging links with mainstream schools – these have much
to offer but special school staff not aware of this. |
|
Encourage
schools to apply for accredited status despite the proposed changes
for 2007. One school
applying for Sports College status. |
Comments from
the Group:
MC – Should
we have a system to identify the talented staff and encourage them to
pursue a staff development programme?
DW – possibility of placing some on secondment in other schools.
SI – Agreed
fully with DW’s comments concerning Health provision. Health management do not give SEN children the appropriate
status. There is a
willingness, coupled with high quality practice but insufficient staff to
provide what is necessary. DW
commented that some authorities are even more highly resourced than Oldham
and Tameside. MC asked to see
the research on this.
6
Steering
Group Subgroup Updates
Heath (JR)
– Health Workshop taking place Thursday, 9 December.
CH attending for Education Bradford and DW also invited.
PC sends apologies for the Client Team.
Workshop focussing around current issues and aiming to develop a
strategy by Easter which will then go out for consultation.
Early Years
( RH) –
·
RH and PC visited
Guard House Primary and Heaton Primary to look at early years provision.
Bradford Moor/Lapage to be visited in the New Year.
The need to inform the Co-location sub group that these sites are
very complex. Where exactly
will the community nursery or shared early years be co-located – the
need to firm this up quickly next year.
SI – the Airedale child development centre team hopefully to
relocate in Keighley, preferably at Guard House or another site.
This is very much at the initial proposal stage.
·
Resource Nursery HTs
visited to discuss proposals for reconfiguration.
·
Also meeting with
Resource Nursery staff.
·
Sub-group looking at
admissions and referrals.
·
Consideration being
given to an Early Years Inclusion Panel with representatives from Health,
Education Bradford and Social Services.
·
PG – from January a
review of nursery provision – some areas with over/under provision.
Communications
(DW) – Trying to
convene a meeting of the Co-location Development Group before Christmas.
HR (SM)
– The group has met a couple of times since the last Steering Group
meeting.
|
A
presentation had been given to the joint OJC on the preferences
staff had expressed in the consultation document.
The information was of a general nature as the consultation
had been undertaken on a confidential basis. |
|
DW’s
comments concerning retention of staff – this needs to link into
the overall retention programme which should also consider
non-teaching staff. PG emphasised the roles of the temporary Governing
bodies and HTs and how crucial they were to the process of
encouraging staff to stay in the system. |
|
Meetings
continuing on creating the JD’s/PS’s affected by remodelling.
SG commented that this work is critical in terms of school
budgets. PG – there
may be an increase in education funding and it is crucial that
special schools are represented on the Finance Strategy Group at
every meeting. |
|
Group
considering whether application forms of all unsuccessful
shortlisted candidates could be retained as a potential recruitment
resource. |
|
Once
the publication of notices is made, schools can only make temporary
appointments but there must be a process of encouraging good
candidates to apply and subsequently retaining these staff post
reorganisation. |
|
There
is concern with the retention of support staff – not all the
current staff may chose to transfer to the new schools due to
differences in location. This has implications for: |
-
ability to recruit
-
training
-
knowledge of the children
JL – crucial to encourage support staff to remain with schools,
even if they move into
the mainstream sector. SM –
Council policy will try to
support this, however it is the decision of individual members of
staff.
·
Corporate HR
advertising 2 new post to assist with the reorganisation process.
Buildings Transition (PG) – Transition issues can now wait.
In the interim the special schools need to prioritise current
crucial building issues in terms of:
-
health and safety
-
child/staff curriculum needs
-
management action to improve conditions in school
Vision into Practice (PG for CH) – Received advice for an acoustically friendly special school.
Training meeting with Bradford College on 6 December – a number
of courses have been brokered. Seventeen
staff from Bolling have been positively accredited – Chapel Grange will
be next. PMB in April. Training
developing well.
Pupil Transition (PG for CH) – Meeting 6 December to agree the next steps, this is crucial for
the publication of notices. Seeking
advice from Sarah Bell (Legal) concerning the content of the notices.
7
AOB
PC thanked
sub-group leaders for sending updated versions of their timelines.
She will consult with Liz Singleton on the logistics of
incorporating these into the existing timeline.
PG – the
strategy from Education Bradford’s Recruitment and Retention Group has
been requested.
8
Date and
time of next meeting
Friday, 7
January 2005, 10.30 am at Future House.