Guidance Associated with Admissions to West Sussex Special Support Centres (SSC) for Pupils with EHCPs
Introduction
This guidance aims to help families, schools, early years settings, colleges, voluntary sector organisations that support families and other professionals understand the provision made at West Sussex special support centres and the range and level of needs that they meet. We encourage professionals to signpost families to this guidance.
Special support centres in West Sussex are a key part of the services and provision for children and young people with SEND and play an important role in supporting delivery of West Sussex SEND and Inclusion Strategy (2019–2024).
The majority of children/young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) will be able to attend their local mainstream school where they will receive the support they need to do well. The range and level/type of needs that can ordinarily be expected to be supported within a mainstream setting can be found in the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice Guide.
Some schools develop their own internal provision to support the additional needs of children and young people. Schools include information on this type of provision in their SEND Information Report which can be found on their website.
Some children/young people will need an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to help make the provision they need and support them to achieve the outcomes we want them to achieve.
Sometimes a child/young person will continue to struggle and not make progress, even with carefully planned and personalised support. In these circumstances the best way of supporting them to achieve well may be through a placement at a more specialist provision. In West Sussex we have both Special Support Centres (attached to mainstream schools) and special schools to offer this more specialist provision.
This guidance is about our Special Support Centres; however there is similar guidance for our special schools and mainstream schools available as well.
Considering a Special Support Centre
Sometimes the EHC plan may show that a child or young person has such specialist needs that a Special Support Centre might be a suitable option for placement. Suitability for a Special Support Centre does not mean all other types of provision are unsuitable. The key to any placement for a pupil with an EHCP is that the setting can offer the prescribed provision and support to enable the pupil to meet their outcomes.
The consideration of suitable provision might include what reasonable adjustments any type of setting can make to meet the pupil’s needs.
When considering the suitability of a West Sussex Special Support Centre for a child or young person with an EHCP the Local Authority will consider the principles set out in this document alongside the detail of each particular setting set out in their ‘Provision Descriptor’. This consideration will also take into account the individual needs of the child/young person.
This guidance and the provision descriptors are to support families and professionals in understanding the process and provision available. It does not, however, reflect specific criteria that must be met before admission.
A child/young person may be appropriately placed in a Special Support Centre; but that does not mean that other types of provision are not suitable. Parents/carers are still able to choose a mainstream setting if they wish to.
‘If a parent of a child, or young person, wants that child or young person to attend a mainstream setting, the LA can only refuse if a mainstream placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of others, and there are no reasonable steps the LA could take to avoid this’ (section 33 Children and Families Act 2014).
Many children/young people with SEND will have a range of needs, and all schools, including special schools, must make reasonable adjustments to meet the full range of needs of a child/young person in line with the Equality Act 2010.
West Sussex Special Support Centres
Special Support Centres offer a range of provision for children/young people with EHCPs who require specific specialist support alongside the opportunity to integrate and benefit from mainstream opportunities.
Each setting has its own provision descriptor which you can access below to understand the type of support they offer.
Children/young people will normally only be admitted to a special support centre if they have an education, health and care needs plan (EHCP) or under EHC needs assessment, except for exceptional circumstances. Example of an exceptional circumstance might be a child/young person with very complex needs moving into the country or a significant change in a pupil’s presenting needs due to accident or illness.
The EHC needs assessment is an important process which ensures a full understanding of a child/young person’s needs, as well as the provision required to meet those needs. In most cases it will, therefore, be important for the full assessment to take place before consideration can be given to placing a child in a Special Support Centre.
There are a range of maintained/academy Special Support Centres in West Sussex catering for children and young people with a range of needs.
If you are thinking about a Special Support Centre placement, you are strongly encouraged to look at the provision descriptor for the setting (see links below) and also the school websites. Where possible it is advisable to arrange to visit the Special Support Centre to see what they do.
The Consideration and Admissions Process
The WSCC Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) are responsible for coordinating admissions into West Sussex Special Support Centres.
Parent/carer’s or the young person themselves can make a request for a particular nursery, school or post-16 institution, and WSCC must comply with that preference and name the school or college in the EHC plan unless:
The Consultation
Where a parent/carer or young person makes a preference for a West Sussex maintained Special Support Centre the West Sussex SEN Assessment Team will always consult with that setting.
Alongside this consultation, SENAT will also consider the suitability of the preferred setting and, as a result, they may consult with other settings they consider may be appropriate.
SENAT will send the draft or Final EHCP and associated documents to the governing body, principal or proprietor of the school or college. If the school/setting is in another local authority area, that Local Authority must be consulted too.
The school/setting has 15 days to respond, and their views will be considered carefully before deciding whether to name it in the child or young person’s EHC plan. The setting must consider the child/young person’s needs and required provision in their response to the consultation. They must take into account the SEND Code of Practice when providing their response. This may include schools considering:
SENAT will consider all responses received and make the final decision on placement. As this process may be different depending on the current situation for the child/young person the SEN Assessment Team will keep individual families informed regarding progress.
During times of consideration of a large number of preferences for a particular setting SENAT and the setting may arrange specific consideration processes i.e. a Consideration Meeting, to look at the full range of pupil’s potentially seeking a placement. This ensures a fair consideration process based on need during these busier times, for example when considering admissions into Year 7. Again, the SEN Assessment Team will keep families informed.
Although the majority of admissions take place at the beginning of an academic year, admissions into special support centres can take place across the school year.
SSC Provision Descriptors
SSCs for Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN):
SSCs for Social Communication Needs (SC)
SSCs for Physical Disabilities (PD)
SSCs for Additional Learning Needs (ALN)
Related pages
- Support at school for my child/young person
- Graduated SEND Support
- Primary Schools
- Secondary Schools
- Guidance for Admissions to Mainstream Schools for Pupils with EHCPs
- Special Support Centres (SSC) in West Sussex
- Special Schools in West Sussex
- Guidance Associated with Admissions to West Sussex Special Schools for Pupils with EHCPs
- Independent and Non Maintained Schools
- School Exclusions
- Worried about school/college
- Compliments, Concerns and Complaints about a school
- Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service Online Support Offer
- The SENAT's work on outstanding EHC needs assessments
