| answer text |
<p>Of the 55 independent residential special schools, five are identified as requiring
improvement by Ofsted. One further school met the standards since the previous answer
was provided. These schools are The Forum School, Wilds Lodge School, Pioneer TEC,
The Fitzroy Academy and The Grange Therapeutic School. Nine schools offer under 20
residential placements, eight schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 38
schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child
only.</p><p> </p><p>When the department registers an independent school, it establishes
who the proprietor will be, and runs suitability checks on the proprietor. The proprietor
is ultimately responsible for the operation of the school. The proprietor is included
on the register of independent schools. The department does not record the ultimate
beneficial owner of the school. The registered proprietor of each of the 55 independent
residential special schools is shown in the attachment provided titled ‘Table of Independent
Residential Special Schools’.</p><p> </p><p>Of the 26 residential maintained special
schools, six are identified as requiring improvement by Ofsted. These schools are
Holly House Special School, Barndale House School, Greenbank School, Kings Mill School,
Lindsworth School and Lexden Springs School. One school offers under 20 residential
placements, three schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements, and 23 schools offer
residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single child only.</p><p>
</p><p>Of the 33 residential non-maintained special schools (NMSS), three are identified
as requiring improvement by Ofsted. This number has increased by one since the previous
answer provided as the department has identified an additional NMSS that is listed
on the register of schools as a further educational college rather than a school.
These schools are St Vincent’s School, New College Worcester, and Breckenbrough School.
No schools offer under 20 residential placements, one school offers 20 to 40 residential
placements, and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved
for a single child only.</p><p> </p><p>Of the 34 residential special academy and free
schools, four require improvement according to Ofsted. One school no longer offers
residential placements since the previous answer provided. These schools are Brompton
Hall School, Langham Oaks, Pencalenick School and Charlton Park Academy. No schools
offer under 20 residential placements, two schools offer 20 to 40 residential placements,
and 32 schools offer residential placements for over 40. None are approved for a single
child only.</p><p> </p><p>Historical data does not allow a comparison to be made on
Residential Special Schools compared to 2010 and 2015. Data for recorded school types
is available in the department’s data releases, which is included in the attached
documents titled ‘Index of Tables’ and ‘Table of School Characteristics’.</p><p> </p><p>Local
authorities must ensure there are sufficient school places for all pupils, including
those with special educational needs and disabilities. Residential provision may be
the right way to meet the needs of some children and young people, but it places them
at greater risk by removing them from their families and local support networks. While
there will always be a small group of children who require more intensive round-the-clock
care alongside their education or healthcare in a residential setting, this should
be less necessary as the department better meets children’s needs in mainstream schools
and non-residential special schools and provide more early and intensive support for
families.</p><p> </p><p>Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they can meet
the needs of the children and young people they educate. All residential special schools
are required to follow and are inspected against the residential special schools’
national minimum standards (NMS). These standards can be found on the GOV.UK website:
<a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/647f53155f7bb700127fa5c9/Residential_special_schools_national_minimum_standards.pdf</a>.</p><p>
</p><p>Amongst other things, the NMS set out the importance of suitably qualified
and trained staff, along with a requirement for care staff to have at least a relevant
Level 3 qualification. Part D, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, provides comprehensive standards
to ensure staff are meeting pupils’ needs, including ensuring pupils have access to
appropriate support services. Children and young people in residential special schools
away from home are entitled to access local health services in the same way as all
children and young people are. Some providers also offer and commission their own
clinical expertise and support for children in their residential special schools.
Additionally, the National Autism Trainer Programme, funded by NHS England and led
by Anna Freud provides a co-produced autism Train the Trainers approach that has been
offered free of charge for staff working in residential special schools and colleges
to better support them to understand the needs and experiences of autistic children
and young people.</p><p> </p><p>Children and young people may only be placed in a
special school if they have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If the placement
is no longer suitable for the child or young person, the local authority responsible
for the EHC plan will need to review it and consider amending it, following the statutory
processes set out in the Children and Families Act 2014.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime,
local authorities have a duty to arrange suitable education for any pupil of compulsory
school age who, because of illness, exclusion, or other reasons, would not get a suitable
education without such provision. This education must be full time, unless a pupil’s
medical needs mean that full-time education would not be in their best interests.</p><p>It
is up to local authorities to determine the most appropriate alternative provision
for a child, but they should take into account the views of the pupil, their parents
and other professionals.</p><p> </p><p>The department has published statutory guidance
on alternative provision, which local authorities must have regard to. The guidance
is available on the GOV.UK website: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision</a>.</p>
|
|
