Purpose of this Consultation Document:
This document is to explain the proposal by Moorlands Learning Trust (MLT) to expand the 12 place School Resourced Provision for secondary aged children and young people with communication and interaction needs including autistic spectrum disorders (ASD),
delivered at Ilkley Grammar School.
Ilkley Grammar School (IGS) has been successfully operating its SRP for the last 3 years and this is now hugely over-subscribed. Bradford Metropolitan District Council (BMDC), alongside MLT and IGS have therefore reviewed the numbers of children in the community
and what their needs are and have concluded that additional places within the SRP are much needed due to demand in the area.
MLT is therefore seeking your views in this consultation on the proposal to expand IGS’s provision from a 12 place to a 24 place SRP as part of the statutory process which is required before alterations of these kind can be made to academies.
What will the expanded School Resourced Provision (SRP) look like? The SRP is part of the mainstream school and is designed to provide specialist and targeted support for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan
(EHCP).
Children accessing the SRP will be on the roll at IGS and will be fully supported by the specialist staff and the staff of the mainstream school working in partnership.
The SRP provides highly trained staff to support young people in their mainstream lessons and enable them to engage in every aspect of school life.
Some children and young people need more support to access a mainstream curriculum, therefore the SRP provides a safe environment for them where they can access specialist interventions, precision teaching, social interaction, small group teaching, and a
bespoke curriculum to match their individual needs. This support is to enable them to access a full broad and ambitious curriculum and to take part in some, if not all, of their mainstream classes and experiences over time as part of the school’s inclusive
offer.
The SRP has a dedicated space within the school which is for the use of the young people accessing the provision. Therefore, at social times this is a place where children and young people can feel safe to communicate or express themselves in confidence,
supervised by trained staff.
SRPs are not separate to the school; they are not special schools or units. Their purpose is to offer specialist support to access a mainstream education.
Schools have the flexibility to refine their model of delivery but in general the provision will:
• Provide 24 full time/named places for children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan for students with an autistic spectrum disorder.
• Specialise in meeting the needs of children and young people with communication and interaction needs including autistic spectrum disorders (ASD).
• Have access to a range of therapies and training opportunities to ensure children are fully supported.
• Increase the opportunities for children and young people with SEND to access mainstream education together with more specialised small group interventions and support.
How will the expansion and additional places be funded?
The Local Authority will fund the adjustments / building work needed to develop the Resourced Provision. The school will receive additional pupil funding to provide the 24 places required in the expanded Resourced Provision.
Who manages the running of the SRP?
The SRP is led and managed by the school and will be for up to 24 places across Years 7-11.
How are SRP places allocated?
Places are allocated in accordance with the Children and Families Act 2014, which requires the Local Authority central panel to take into account the child's special educational needs, parental request for schools, and the formal view of the schools requested
before making a decision to allocate a place. Children within the host school cannot be allocated a place in the SRP without going through this process first.
N.B:
• Parents must request a Resourced Provision when naming a placement in their child’s EHCP.
• IGS provides a formal response to each consultation received from a Local Authority for placements in the SRP. This will state whether the school agrees that they can meet a child’s needs and will refer to section 39 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Places are usually allocated based on parental requests unless:
• the school is unsuitable for the child's age, ability, aptitude, or SEN;
• the placement would be incompatible with the efficient education of the other children in school and;
• the placement would be incompatible with the efficient use of resources.
Will this mean fewer places at Ilkley Grammar School for the community?
The Resourced Provision will be for up to 24 places across all the year groups. The published admission number will not be affected. As is currently the case, under the Schools Admissions Code 2021, all children whose Education, Health and Care Plan names
the school within Section I of the plan must be admitted. Therefore, the increase in SRP places will not affect the admissions criteria.
Moorlands Learning Trust and Ilkley Grammar School Consultation
We are asking you to give your views on our proposal to expand the SRP at Ilkley Grammar School by emailing consultation@ilkleygs.co.uk with the subject title ‘SRP Consultation’.
We are also holding a stakeholder engagement event on Tuesday 21st June at Ilkley Grammar School between 5.30pm and 7pm, where members of the public can share their views in person and ask any questions they may have regarding the
proposal.
If you would like to attend this event, please also email consultation@ilkleygs.co.uk with the subject title ‘SRP Consultation Event’. What is the timescale?
The closing date for all responses is Wednesday 6 July 2022. All responses to the consultation received by this date will be considered by Moorlands Learning Trust before determining whether to proceed to the next stage with the proposal.
N.B: The Trust does not make the final decision to expand the provision - this is made by the Regional Schools Commissioner for Academies