The Council answers questions from the PCF about the expansion of the SEND provision

Following on from our announcement of the expansion of the SEND provision in the borough, parents have asked the PCF (Parent Carer Forum) a number of questions.  Please see a list of those questions below, with the Council’s responses.

Questions

1. What is a resource provision school?

Resourced Provisions (RP) are classes embedded in some mainstream schools and offer enhanced provision for children with SEN. Class sizes are typically smaller than average for mainstream (8-12 pupils) with teachers and teaching assistants offering higher adult to child ratios and personalised support. The curriculum is often highly differentiated, and the environment adapted to take into account sensory needs. Children in Resourced Provision are supported to integrate with their mainstream peer group where appropriate to benefit from the learning and social opportunities that this provides. Resourced Provisions focus on specific areas of SEN (Autism, Early Years and Autism, Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, Moderate Learning Difficulty)

2. What is a satellite provision school?

There is one new, 8 place Key Stage 3 initially and expanding to Key Stage 4 provision in CWAC, which will be provided in collaboration between Dorin Park Special School and Upton High School and will open in September 2024. Pupils will be on roll with Dorin Park School and will attend the Upton High School site where they will be supported by special school staff, with a differentiated curriculum and carefully planned opportunities to access the mainstream school. Pupils will have a range of needs within moderate learning difficulties, social communication needs and speech, language and communication. All children attending will have an EHCP and placements will be decided through the consultation process outlined below.

3. How does the satellite provision differ from being in a Special School?

The main difference is that the satellite provision will be hosted at the mainstream school site with more regular opportunities for pupils to access and engage with the mainstream offer and peer group. Staff recruitment will be the responsibility of the school and they will need to be confident through their processes that the staff they recruit are competent and appropriately skilled to meet the needs of the cohort of children using their provision.

4. How does a satellite provision school differ from a resource provision school?

At a Resourced Provision, children are on roll with the mainstream school. Staffing within the new provisions will be undertaken by the schools and not by the local authority staff will have a an appropriate knowledge skills required to fulfil their job role. The staff team in the new satellite provision will benefit from extensive support from exiting specialist SEN School staff.

5. Where are these new resourced provision and satellite schools located and at which schools across the borough?

See the table

The table below shows the schools, locations and planned time scales of when the provision is open. However we could not estimate admission timeframes as this depends on a number of factors particularly parental preference and staff recruitment if required.

Mainstream School with Resourced Provision	Age Group	Type	Current Places	Planned Growth	Timescales
Upton Westlea Primary	Rec to Year 6	ASC	10	5	Original date Sept 2024 (delayed due to building restrictions, no new timescales at present)
Frodsham Primary Academy	Rec to Year 6	ASC	7	9	March 2025
Witton Church CE Walk Primary (New)	Rec to Year 6	ASC	-	7	January 2025
Grange Community Primary School (New)	Rec to Year 6	MLD	-	10	January 2025
Darnhall Primary School	Rec to Year 6	SEMH	10	14	Before September 2025
Woodlands Primary School	Rec & Year 1	ASC	10	10	September 2024
Dee Point Primary	Rec to Year 6	MLD	24	8	Before September 2025
The Rudheath Senior Academy (New)	Year 7 to 11	ASC	-	15	Before September 2025
The Catholic High School, Chester	Year 7 to 11	ASC	15	15	Before September 2025
			Total Growth	93

 

 

Setting – Satellite and Special School expansion	Age Group as at 24/25 AY	Type	Current Places	Planned Growth	Timescales
Archers Brook Special School	Key Stage 2 and 3 class (2 classes)	SEMH	85	10	September 2024
Greenbank School	Key Stage 3 and 4 class (2 classes)	ASC	119	14	September 2025
Hebden Green	Rec – Year 2 (1 class)	SLD	133	8	January 2025
			Total Growth	32
Dorin Satellite provision at Upton High	Key Stage 3 class	MLD with SLCN/ ASC	-	8	September 2024

 

6. What is the breakdown of the new places between resource/satellite/special school?

Please see tables above.

7. Are these new school places over and above the initial school roll?

These are additional places created with the agreement of the schools. There remains a significant challenge for Cheshire West and Chester in terms of the demand for these places.

8. How have these places been funded?

Funding has been drawn from High Needs Capital Fund from DfE where building modifications have been needed. High Needs Revenue funding supports additional staffing and resources for pupils.

9. We have been told that all special schools are full, how is it now that new places have been created?

In the special schools named above, existing buildings have been modified to create the new class spaces to accommodate pupil numbers for the next academic year. Modifications generally involve reconfiguration of existing buildings, such as the removal/repositioning of internal walls to create teaching space. Capital funding requested by the schools was approved in order that this work could be carried out by the schools to meet the timescales listed above. Demand for special school placements continues to present a challenge for CWAC. CWAC are grateful to the Special Schools above for working in partnership with us to maximise the use of their current space. For some Special Schools no current physical space could be adapted to increase capacity.

10. Are these schools going to have additional staff to support our children with SEND?

This is dependent on the setting. Some do require new staff to be employed, some are expanding existing provision with sufficient staffing already, some have seen reducing numbers on school roll and can support with their existing staff. The responsibility of recruitment of the staff will be with the schools.

11. Have new classrooms been built to accommodate the additional influx of children?

The majority of these places have been created through modification of existing accommodation. Within RP, some of the schools had capacity due to previously falling rolls and surplus accommodation could be brought back into use. For the Satellite provision at Upton / Dorin the accommodation will be situated in a temporary, position within the main school building with suitable adaptations until the High School rebuild programme is completed. CWAC do not yet have a timescale for the rebuild project, but the programme will transform parts of the school into modern and environmentally sustainable places for learners to learn.

12. If my child is currently going through a tribunal process, will they now be offered a place at a satellite rather than special school?

All tribunal outcomes are based on the needs of the individual child. There is one satellite provision due to open in September for 8 pupils in KS3-4 with a specific range of needs. School placements at tribunal are determined through consultation and casework between CWAC and the family.

13. Are these places open to all children with SEND or only those who have got an EHCP

Special School, Resourced Provision and Satellite provision places are only available to pupils with an EHCP, except in exceptional circumstances where an assessment place is agreed (e.g. a child with highly complex needs moving into the area with no prior provision)

14. What is the process of accessing these places. When would I be notified if my child has been allocated a place?

When a child has an EHCP, the SEN Team carry out a process called Consultation for Placement. This means that a child’s EHCP is sent to a requested school so that the school can advise whether they can meet the needs and offer the provision detailed in the EHCP. Consultation is sent to the parents’ preferred school, and to the nearest suitable school as recommended by the SEN panel.

15. Are parents whose children are being allocated these places from September aware that they have a place?

Parents are notified when the consultation process outlined above takes place. Consultations can be viewed by parents through the EHCP Hub and parental preference is always taken into consideration.

16. If these places are becoming available from September what is the process of transition

Transition is planned between parents / carers and the receiving school / previous school if appropriate, in the best interests of the child. All placements are subject to consultation as above and children and families are kept informed throughout.

17. Future plans – How you see any growth for the 2025/6 academic year. We know that this isn’t going to satisfy the current demand in the borough, can we recognise that and talk about future aspirations?

Our growth aspirations for 2025-2026 are currently focussed on need around secondary school Resource Provision.