Our Inclusion

Our aim will be to ensure that we continue to have access to a range of provision which meets appropriately the requirements of all children with special educational needs and increases the opportunities for inclusion. In terms of pupil placement we recognise that, for some children, a special school or unit may be the more appropriate provision, and we respond as far as possible to the preferences expressed by parents.

We have agreed a SEN Framework for Action for Islington to promote inclusive education which was drawn up following extensive consultation with schools, parents and other agencies in response to new legislation and government guidance.

One of the foundations of the Islington SEN Framework for Action is to consider the review and development of services within four SEN Service Areas. These are in line with the DfES SEN Code of Practice and comprise: Communication and Interaction; Emotional Social and Behavioural; Physical and Sensory; and Learning and Cognition.

The SEN Service Areas are each led in partnership with the appropriate special school. Each special school has been provided with additional funding to provide outreach services to mainstream schools and will also play a key role in working with Cambridge Education @ Islington on pupil placements, service development and training for teachers and support staff in mainsteam schools. Each SEN Service Area has an advisory group where we bring together schools, health and social services, early years services, parents and voluntary organisations to consider how we can best develop services.

In our SEN framework we want to retain and build on the expertise of our special schools and to bring them closer to mainstream practice, not just in policy and service development but also physically. There are plans for our three special schools to move, in time, onto the sites of mainstream schools. The vision here is for inclusive campuses offering high quality special and mainstream provision where the ethos of inclusion will be developed in the best way possible to meet individual pupil needs. The campus will also provide extended day, out of school learning and full-service school programmes in partnership with other agencies.

There has been extensive consultation on developments in the Communication and Interaction Service Area. This has resulted in the establishment of a new special school, The Bridge (replacing the former Rosemary and Harborough special schools). The new special school will be rebuilt on the Hungerford Primary and Holloway Secondary school sites. This is due for completion in 2005/6. Work is in the early stages in the Learning and Cognition service area which is considering the range of support required by mainstream schools as well as the potential relocation of Samuel Rhodes School.

In the Physical and Sensory area discussions have also taken place on the potential for relocating the Richard Cloudesley special school onto primary and secondary school sites.

As part of the action to promote inclusion, attention is also being given to improving the physical accessibility of school buildings. Schools are being asked to carry out their own access audits and to include proposals for improvements in their school development plans. Improvements to the physical access to schools will support the inclusion of pupils with mobility difficulties into mainstream schools and widen parental choice. To support the physical developments, we are also developing a range of support programmes for mainstream schools to develop their knowledge, expertise and confidence through training and advice.

Within the Emotional, Social and Behavioural service area, we have separate outreach teams for our primary and secondary schools and a substantial Behaviour Improvement Programme working with 17 of our schools. The teams offer advice, training and support to teachers and support staff as well as some individual pupil support. We have four Pupil Referral Units, which offer places for excluded pupils and some joint placements with schools. We have just established New Directions, our new specialist secondary provision for young people with severe and complex emotional, social and behavioural difficulties in partnership with health and social services.

In summary, we want to develop inclusive education in partnership. This means teachers and support staff working together across mainstream and special schools, effective training and support offered at school level and through accredited central training. It also means involving schools, parents and other agencies and services in our planning so that we can work together to improve the quality of education for all our pupils.