SEND

The EVOLVE 3 Programme

‘optimising provision so our most vulnerable children can aspire and achieve’

It takes a whole village to raise a child

2017 - 2030

Dr Kevin Rowland
On Behalf of Sandwell Young People and Children
Principal Educational and Child Psychologist
Group Head Inclusive Learning

1
My Future

“The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the parents but a
place that is created … created first in the mind and will, created next in activity.

The future is not some place we are going to, but, one we are creating. The paths are not to
be found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the
destination.”

John Schaar
23rd September 2013
Professor Emeritus, University of California, Santa Cruz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3YKrDv7XaY

My Life My Future

A person’s impairment is not their disability. Their disability is created in the minds of
people who build barriers. It takes ALL of us, working as one, to remove the attitudinal,
physical and emotional barriers that falsely prevent a person achieving an ordinary life and
achieving all that they wish to achieve. The starting point is in our collective imagination,
that we dare to dream of a future without barriers. Our actions are to remove the barriers
and share the enabling pathways. Our end point is that we can ALL share in each other’s
successful ordinary lives where extraordinary things can happen.

Dr Kevin Rowland
11th November 2016

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FOREWORD 1

SEND: The EVOLVE 1 Programme

The EVOLVE programme provides a VISION, a MISSION and a STRATEGY that will take
provision for our most vulnerable children into the next phase of the progressive evolution of
SEND provision in Sandwell.

Sandwell has a long and proud history of ensuring that its SEND provision for children and
young people is inclusive, high quality and highly effective.

This document should be read in conjunction with the SEND Transformation Strategy (2014-
2018) which is a multi-agency change management programme co-produced to implement
the legislative SEND reforms enshrined within the Children and Families Act 2014 and
regulated by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (CoP 2014).
Additionally, the SEN provision review undertaken by Andy Gravenstede and Gren Knight; A
Review of Services and Provision for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
in Sandwell (August 2016) that was widely consulted upon. Finally, given that all SEND
provision is predicated on a range of positive aspirational outcomes identified by children and
young people the publication; My Life My Future (December 2016) also needs to be
considered alongside this document.

The SEND Review (Gravenstede and Knight, 2016) was originally commissioned by Sandwell’s
Head Teachers’ Joint Executive Group (JEG) whilst reviewing the services for children
entering reception class (now The CLASS Strategy: communication, language, autism and
social skills). The commissioned initiative is comprehensively embedded in: early years’
settings; schools; alternative provision; which holds children’s holistic development at the
centre of its considerations whilst maintaining a transparent and fully accountable monitoring
of all planned expenditure, value for money provision and effective use of efficient resources.

The EVOLVE Programme, as commissioned by JEG will be co-ordinated and implemented by

a sub-group of JEG. Use of the High Needs Block, schools’ budgets, SEND budgets (Element
1, Element 2 and Element 3) will be central to creating a highly efficient co-produced system
that holds child development central to all considerations.

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EVOLVE 1: Up-date
Continuing developments.

The SLD development relates to extending The Meadows School intake to include Years’ 5
and 6. Creating capacity for an additional 20 places in SLD provision.

The MLD, EBD and Psychological needs are an interrelated re-organisation involving three
institutions which creates an additional 40 places, including additional capacity in Post 16.

The funding highlighted below is to support refurbishment and décor as each provision moves
to a new site.

Area of Need Type of Provision Additional Numbers Capital Cost

SLD Special Schools (The 20 £10,000 (Plus BSF)
Meadows)
MLD Special School and 40 £10,000 (Plus BSF)
Post 16
(The Westminster)
EBD PRU (secondary) 0 £10,000
(The Bridge Centre)

Psychological PRU (secondary) 0 £10,000

(Whiteheath)

Total £40,000*

*excluding costs that might be related to BSF

The table above brings the capital work associated with EVOLVE 1 to a close.

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FOREWORD 2

SEND: The EVOLVE 2 Programme

The EVOLVE Review (2015-2016) of special educational provision and places within Sandwell’s
PRUs, Special Schools and Focused provisions identified a number of key priorities. The
review was requested by the schools Joint Executive Group (JEG) and developmental
conversations continue to be undertaken across the range of priorities identified in 2016,

EVOLVE 2 has been generated from EVOLVE 1 and the release of Government Funding (1.5
million capital funding).

By building on EVOVLE 1 and creating a constituency of early intervention and specialist

provision EVOLVE 2 establishes an extension of existing initiatives building on good outcomes
for children whilst maintaining a strong and disciplined approach to financial stringency in
relation to the High Needs Block. A key element to this is planning funding for ‘place’ values.

Prevention and Early Intervention are factors in SEND OfSTED framework and in maintaining
children’s wellbeing and school’s ability to meet the needs of an ever increasing complexity
of Special Education Need.

EVOLVE 2 is broken down into three phases: 1. Social, Emotional and Mental Health provision;
2. provision for Complex Communication and Autism; and 3. Complex medical needs,
including speech, language and communication difficulties.

FOREWORD 3

SEND: The EVOLVE 3 Programme

EVOLVE 3 is part 3 of a strategic approach that provides for additional specialist SEND places
until 2030. It also incorporates a second SEND EVOVLE review in 2020 that focuses on
progress since the first EVOLVE review in 2016 leading to modifications to the EVOLVE
strategy.

The third phase of the EVOLVE programme started early 2018 with a feasibility study
relating to the expansion of provision for secondary aged young people with Social,
Emotional and Mental Health difficulties, due to 23% increase in school population and the
relative increase in young people experiencing Social, Emotional and Mental Health

5
Difficulties. By consolidating the current provision and expanding the number of places the
Local Authority’s responsibility for using the Capital Expansion programme can be used
effectively and efficiently to cater for the future needs of the most vulnerable children and
young people with SEND.

The long-term strategic approach relates to the increase in children and young people with
Education, Health and Care Plans (2014:1,275 to 2018-1,950) ensuring that there is
adequate high quality provision that supports effective use of the High Needs Block budget.

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VISION for the EVOLVE Programme

Sandwell will enable all children and young people deemed to require different or additional
provision to receive support mainly within their own community that leads them to achieve
their desired aspirations. Where they can, in the long-term, live an ordinary life where they
are productive, healthy, and independent whilst feeling a sense of belonging, fulfilment and
peace of mind.

MISSION to EVOLVE

We will strengthen our existing unified approaches to achieving all that we can achieve for
ALL of our children by building new multi-agency bridges, new community-based pathways
for support. We will renew and extend our existing partnership working so that all roads
enable children’s journey’s to be full of success on their terms and in their chosen
communities. We will not expect children and families to have to find ‘hard to reach services’.
We will take our services to where the children live, play and learn.

STRATEGY to EVOLVE

We have already achieved:

• 50% Implementation of the 2014 new SEND legislation

• Primary School’s BLISS strategy for Social, Emotional and Mental Health
2013 - 2017
• Review of SEND support and provision in 2016
• Establishment of the multi-agency SEND Partnership Board 2014 - 2017
• Restructure of Statutory SEND Services and move to Connor Education
Centre
• Highly regarded SEN Inclusion Support Services: 94% approval rating from
schools; 97% approval rating from parents and children
• Improved and improving links with our Parents’ Voice strategic parent/carer
forum (DfE)
• Establishment of a young people’s SEND Challenge Board

The EVOLVE Programme and associated strategies will, in the beginning, provide a basis for
collaboration and joint planning rather than present a fate accompli. It will set the enhance
the direction of travel that embraces whole system change creating new partnerships and
pathways in community based-settings.

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Change Management Process: SEND EVOLVE 3 2018 – 2030
Sandwell has a long and successful history of providing for children with special educational
needs, for example, its special schools have always been highly regarded and the inclusive
philosophy of its educational provision is visible as schools maintain the highest level of
commitment to supporting all children regardless of their special educational needs. The
Inclusion Support Service continues to thrive in providing specialist support to every early
years setting, school and provision as it works in close harmony with those organisations
and all other agencies which provide co-ordinated support.

The 2018-2030 EVOLVE change management programme embraces a blend of changes,

longer-term evolution, and modifications to existing structures and processes. Importantly,
the change management programme aims to maintain stability across the whole system by
prioritising the timing of events and ensuring that the current effective provision is not
jeopardised.

EVOLVE: Stability versus Change – Excellence for ALL

The EVOLVE Programme will be underpinned by the Four Rules of Evolution:

1. Protect the current inclusive and child centred culture that unites all organisations
across Sandwell and infuse this with required degree of co-production with parents
and young people (as statutorily required in the DfE Code of Practice)

2. Cultivate the effective practice that exists across Sandwell notably in the Early Years
and Primary School phases. Extend the principles of effective practice to include ALL
agencies and organisations, especially those at the secondary school phases and
Post-16

3. Change what is necessary but in a sequential, timely manner using best practice and
outcomes to inform both the process of change, the resulting structures and the
provision. Collectively remove barriers to change through the process of providing
evidence of good practice, building a critical mass and increasing communication by
a factor of x10 across all organisations and agencies

4. Thrive for all practitioners working directly with children and those supporting
children more indirectly to design innovative and creative ways to unleash the
potential of all children by enjoining with families in the process of co-production
forming a ‘family-within-their-community’

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SEND: EVOLVE Programme Elements

EVOLVE Element Key

1 Responsible Financing for the Long-term JEG and Schs Forum
2 SEND Place Planning for the Long-term K Rowland & J Gill
3 SEND Trends and Initial Review Z Ahmed
4 Government Initiatives DfE
5 Local Initiatives LA, JEG, Health & Social
Care

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 SEND
The EVOLVE 3 programme
‘optimising provision so our most vulnerable children can aspire and achieve’

It takes a whole village to raise a child

2018 – 2030

Planning for EVOLVE 3 is already underway and early stages of liaison and consultation are
taking place through a series of meetings. It is also probable that there may be additional
funding in the future to support the increasing pressures upon current SEND provision as
the school population grows and the number of children and young people with
Educational, Health and Care Plans increases.

The principle elements are:

• The establishment of a new pecial school to reflect the increasing population of

children with Complex Communication and Social Difficulties, including Autistic
Spectrum Difficulties.

• The increase in Secondary School places to meet the growing need for additional
capacity for young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs.

• Additional capacity for children with Complex Moderate Learning Difficulties

(expanding on the provision available at The Westminster School) and developing
reintegration programmes for children with the necessary skills and knowledge.

• Expanding the provision for children with medical, health and physical difficulties.

• A wider consultation in 2020 on behalf of JEG by undertaking a second EVOLVE

Review by independent external consultants who have an in-depth understanding of
SEND and who are familiar with the Local Area.

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 • Monitoring and reporting to the Head Teachers’ Joint Executive Group on the
progress of the EVOLVE programme and accounting for the Capital spend and
spending in relation to the High Needs Block.

EVOLVE 3 will be undertaken and developed within a joint-commissioning framework,

including the schools’ Joint Executive Group (Head Teacher reps) and the Local Authority.

Additional Special School: Autistic Spectrum Disorder / Moderate Learning

Difficulties
Currently, there are discussions and consultations underway regarding the establishment of
a new Special School for young people with Complex Social and Communication Difficulties
who have additional difficulties with their learning.

The provision will provide approximately 80 places.

Discussions are ongoing re. seeking an Academy Sponsor. Further developments will be
report below proposals are confirmed.

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EVOLVE 3: Priority 1 – Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs

Priority 1 relates to other growing pressures for secondary school places for children with
Education, Health and Care Plans who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties.
Currently, the Local Authority has needed to purchase ‘out of borough’ places at vastly
inflated costs. A key aim of expanding SEMH places within Sandwell is to improve the
quality of provision within the funding allocated to the High Needs Block, thus, meeting the
needs of this group of children and providing high-quality provision.

The second phase of the expansion of the Brades Lodge Special School is likely to form the
core development of EVOLVE 3 and include the development of a new Special School.

Secondary School age: SEMH Provision: 54 additional places

Area of Need Type of Provision Numbers Capital Cost

SEMH (EVOLVE 2) Special School 14 additional new £150,000
Places (Primary) places
SEMH (phase 1) Special School 20 additional new £200,000 (est)*
EVOLVE 2 Places (Secondary) places
SEMH (phase 2) Special School 20 additional new £100,000 (est)*
(EVOLVE 3) Places (Secondary) places
EVOLVE 3
54
Total £450,000 (est)

*Relates to the original estimated allocation from the £1.5 million and may be subject to scaling up
or scaling down based on the feasibility study.

The increase of additional SEMH places is based on the 2015-2016 EVOLVE Review undertaken by
Independent Reviewers, working on behalf of head teachers (Joint Executive Group) and the Local
Authority (Special School and PRU places).

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EVOLVE 3: Priority 2 – Complex and Moderate Learning Difficulties

Priority 2 relates to other growing pressures for places for children with Education, Health
and Care Plans who are deemed to have Moderate Learning Difficulties and meet the
criteria for a Focused Provision.

The primary aged children are likely to further additional needs e.g. difficulties surrounding
emotional resilience or complex communication difficulties.

The Focused Provision will have close links with The Westminster School and other
established Focused Provisions. If the additional capacity is established as an Outreach Class
for The Westminster School the provision would also form part of the Focused Provision
Steering Group.

Increasing the number of Primary School places for children with Moderate Learning
Difficulties: Focussed Provision or Outreach Class

Area of Need Type of Provision Additional Numbers Capital Cost

Moderate Learning Primary School 10 t.b.c.
Difficulties Focussed Provision
Or Or
Outreach Class from Outreach Class
Westminster

Total

The expansion strategy requires investment and support from all stakeholders in planning
and delivering high quality provision within a Local Authority with an increasing school
population.

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EVOLVE 3: Priority 3 – Medical and Health Needs (Primary)

Priority 3 relates to other growing pressures for places for children with Education, Health
and Care Plans where there are significant medical / health difficulties or physical
difficulties, especially those children who are wheelchair users.

These children are also likely to have other associated needs, for example, where there are
difficulties relating to Cognition and Learning or Speech, Language and Communication
Difficulties.

This additional Focused Provision is likely to supplement the capacity at Crocketts Primary
School and St Michael’s Secondary School.

Area of Need Type of Provision Additional Numbers Capital Cost

Primary School Establish a new 10 t.b.c.
Medical / Health Focused Provision
Difficulties
Secondary School Establish a new 10 t.b.c.
Medical /Complex Focused Provision
Health Difficulties (Secondary School
building)

The proposal relates to the establishment of Focused provision places in Mainstream Schools.

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EVOLVE 3: Appendix 1
DfE Explanatory Note

Special provision fund

allocations:
Explanatory note
Overview of Methodology

The special provision fund allocations announced on 4 March 2017 are to support local
authorities (LAs) to make capital investments in provision for pupils with special educational
needs and disabilities. Local authorities can invest in new places and improvements to
facilities for pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans in mainstream and special
schools, nurseries, colleges and other provision. Every allocation is at least £500,000. Most
areas will receive above that amount and over half will receive more than £1 million. The
funding will not be ring-fenced. Allocations for 2018-19 to 2020-21
The Department for Education is providing £215 million of special provision fund allocations
for the financial years 2018-19 to 2020-21. The formula for allocation is based principally on
projected population growth for children and young people aged 2-18 between the years
2018-19 and 2020-21. Location factors are also applied to take into account the varied costs
of building in different regions. We have topped up the lowest allocations so that local
authorities receive at least £500,000. The City of London and the Isles of Scilly will not receive
an allocation. These allocations are provided in addition to the basic need capital funding that
local authorities receive to support the capital requirement for providing new pupil places.
Figure 1: Outline of the methodology for special provision allocations: Meeting local need
These allocations will support local authorities to create new places and improve facilities at
existing schools. This funding is primarily intended to develop provision for pupils with more
complex special educational needs (i.e. an EHC plan or a statement of special educational
needs) in mainstream and/or special schools. However, local authorities are free to spend the
fund on other education-based provision for children and young people

15
aged from 0 to 25 where this meets local needs, such as early years settings or further
education colleges.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure that there is a school place available for every
child. The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to keep the provision for
children and young people with SEN and disabilities under review (including its sufficiency),
working with parents, young people, and providers. In this context local authorities will wish to
consider how best to use their capital allocation from the special provision fund to support them
in their plans to meet local need. We expect local authorities to plan and make decisions in
consultation with local stakeholders. Engagement with parents and young people is crucial and
local authorities should consult with parent carer forums, to ensure that the range and quality of
provision reflects the needs and aspirations of children and young people in the area. Local
authorities are required to complete and publish a concise plan to show how they intend to invest
their share of the fund. Further information, including a template, will be provided.
The recent consultation on changes to high needs funding1 recognised that local authorities will
want to develop and publish strategic plans setting out how the special educational needs of
children and young people in their area should be met. This consultation announced £23 million
of additional revenue funding in 2016-17, to increase local authorities’ capacity to undertake this
strategic review and planning activity. The use of this special provisional capital funding should be
consistent with the overall strategic plans that authorities have drawn up or will be developing.
1 https://consult.education.gov.uk/funding-policy-unit/high-needs-funding-reform-
2/supporting_documents/

© Crown copyright 2017

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Appendix 2

Special Provision Capital Fund

August 2017

Special Provision
Capital Fund
Guidance
August 2017

17
2
Contents

Summary 3
Expiry or review date 3
Who is this publication for? 3
What can this funding be spent on? 4
Planning and consultation for good outcomes 6
Requirements to meet in order to access funding 7
Before receiving the funding, local authorities need to: 7
Timeline 8

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3
Summary

The Government’s vision for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN)
and disabilities is the same as for all children and young people - that they achieve well, and
lead happy and fulfilled lives. The Children and Families Act 2014 places important statutory
responsibilities on local authorities for supporting children and young people with special
educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. This a vital role that local authorities retain in our
increasingly school-led education system and one that requires long-term strategic planning,
informed by detailed local knowledge enhanced through consultation with parents and
carers, and good relationships with local schools.
Local authorities must ensure there are sufficient good school places for all pupils, including
those with SEN and disabilities. The Government has committed £215 million1 of capital
funding to help local authorities create new school places and improve existing facilities for
children and young people with SEN and disabilities, in consultation with parents and
providers. This capital is not ring-fenced and local authorities can use it as they see fit to
improve special provision for children and young people with education, health and care
(EHC) plans. This funding can be invested in mainstream schools and academies, special units,
special schools and academies, early years settings, further education colleges or to make
other provision for children and young people aged from 0 to 25.
1 Individual allocations are published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-
with-ehc-plans.
This guidance sets out:
• What the fund can be spent on
• How local authorities need to plan and consult to get the best outcomes
• Requirements that local authorities need to meet to receive their allocation

Expiry or review date

This guidance will be reviewed before July 2018.

Who is this publication for?

This guidance is for:

• Local authorities

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4
• School leaders, school staff and governing bodies in all maintained schools, academies and free
schools

What can this funding be spent on?

The £215 million fund is to support local authorities to invest in provision for children and
young people with SEN and disabilities aged 0-25 to improve the quality and range of
provision available to the local authority. It is intended for the children and young people
with education, health and care plans for whom the local authority is responsible. It is
entirely legitimate for the local authority to spend some of the capital funding on provision
that happens to lie outside the local authority’s boundaries, if the local authority places
children and young people there and believes that the capital investment will improve the
quality and range of provision available.
Local authorities can invest their share of the special provision capital fund in:
• Creating new (additional) places at good or outstanding provision
• Improving facilities or developing new facilities

This can be through:

• Expansion(s) to existing provision including at the same site or at a different site.
• Reconfiguring provision to make available the space for the additional places or facilities.
• Re-purposing areas so that they meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs
and disabilities.
• Other capital transactions that result in new (additional) places or facilities’ improvements
• Investing in provision that is located in another local authority where this supports
providing good outcomes for children in their area.

Examples include:
• Expand outstanding special provision that helps children attend school in the local area so
that children gain independence within their local community.
• Add resourced provision to a successful mainstream school.
• Set up a new learning kitchen to teach pupils the skills they need to be independent in
adulthood and skills that can support them in employment.

Local authorities should consider how to invest capital and revenue in a joined-up way to
get the most out of each project. Local authorities may also combine their special provision
allocation with other capital funding. Groups of local authorities may wish to pool capital
resources to develop provision, which can support a wider area.

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5
The funding is for a range of provision types where this benefits children and young people
with education, health and care (EHC) plans between 0 and 25. This covers the following
provision types:

1 Mainstream school or college including:

• Mainstream school or academy (including free schools, faith schools and grammar
schools)
• Further education (FE) college
• Mainstream sixth form college
• University Technical College (UTC) or studio school

2 Special unit or resourced provision, including:

• Special unit / resourced provision at mainstream school or academy (including free
schools, faith schools and grammar schools)
• Special unit / resourced provision at mainstream sixth-form college
• Special unit / resourced provision at further education (FE) college
• Special unit / resourced provision (other) i.e. at another provision type that caters for
children and young people aged between 0-25

3 Special school or academy including:

• Special school (whether maintained or academy, including special free schools)
• Non-maintained special school (NMSS)
• Independent special school
• Special post-16 institution
• Hospital school

4 Pupil referral unit and alternative provision academy

5 Nursery or early years provider including:

• Private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers
• Nursery school (LA maintained)
• Reception or early years provision within a school or academy

6 Other provision
• Any other education provision that is attended by pupils who have education, health and
care plans and are aged between 0 and 25 and not otherwise covered. Local authorities
should provide further details

Note that local authorities should list boarding provision against the relevant provision type
and set out in the optional additional information box that this includes boarding provision.
The funding is not intended for:

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6
• Higher education including universities and other higher education provision
• Any provision for those aged 25 and over.
• Expanding provision specially to create additional places for pupils who do not have
education, health and care plans. We recognise that facilities for pupils with EHC plans might
bring a wider benefit and help other children.
• Reasonable adjustments that schools are required to fund as part of the accessibility
requirements. This includes ramps or widening doorways.
• Revenue expenditure such as furniture (chairs, desks), teaching apparatus such as white
boards, training or staff costs.
• Individual mobility equipment such as wheelchairs. However, local authorities can spend
this funding on capital installations such as ceiling hoists for lifting non-ambulant children into
a hydrotherapy pool.
• Maintenance work, which will be covered by Devolved Formula Capital funding.

Planning and consultation for good outcomes

Local authorities need to plan how to invest their allocation and other funding to achieve
the best outcomes for children and young people with SEN and disabilities.
Local authorities will need to:
• Consult with parents and carers. Effective engagement with parents and carers is crucial
in building and implementing a strategy that develops support for changes. This helps local
authorities ensure that services will meet the needs of children and families.
• Consult with schools, FE colleges and other institutions which offer special educational
provision. Local authorities should work with providers to identify how capital investment
can best improve the quality of provision available for children and young people with EHC
plans.
• Consider how to invest revenue and capital funding strategically to maximise the benefit
of both in the context of the current infrastructure and programmes. This might include
looking at how to expand participation in an existing learning programme by making capital
adjustments so that children and young people with SEN and disabilities can also attend.
• Collaborate with other local authorities to form partnerships to work effectively across
borders.

We allocated £23 million of additional funding to local authorities in 2016-17, to increase

capacity to undertake strategic reviews of their special educational provision. Local
authorities can use this funding to support them to decide how to invest their allocation
from the special provision capital fund. More information about strategic planning is
available in the information about the high needs strategic planning fund and the high
needs funding: operational guide 2017 to 2018.

22
7
Requirements to meet in order to access funding

We require local authorities to complete and publish a short plan that sets out how they
intend to invest their allocation, which is visible to parents, carers and other local groups.
The plan for local authorities’ SEND capital provision allocations should sit coherently with
their wider plan.
Local authorities are required to take the following steps to access their funding.

Before receiving the funding, local authorities need to:

• Consult with parents and carers of children with SEN and disabilities and young people
with SEN and disabilities.
• Work with education providers to agree how the capital can best be targeted.
• Fill in the short plan template, confirming that the requirement to consult with parents,
carers and young people has been met, and including information about the other groups
that they have consulted.
• Publish a plan on their local offer page showing how they plan to invest their funding,
before the deadline specified below.
• Note: o Where local authorities work collaboratively on projects, these must be listed on
each local authorities’ plan with an explanation of which other local authorities they have
collaborated with and how.
o Where a project will both create additional places and improve facilities for current and
future pupils, local authorities should show on the plan how much funding will be spent on
each of the two objectives. This may involve estimating how much of the project’s
investment would go towards each of these two aims.

Local authorities do not need to send the completed form to the Department for Education.
Local authorities should not include costings where this would have a negative commercial
impact. Where not all costings are included in the first publication of the plan, local
authorities should re-publish the plan as soon as it is no longer commercially sensitive to
publish this information.
If you have any queries relating to this guidance, or any other aspect of the Special Provision
Capital Fund, please contact sen.implementation@education.gov.uk.

23
8
Timeline By Wednesday 14 March 2018 Local authorities must publish the short plan on
their local offer page

Summer 2018 Local authorities that have published the plan

and consulted with parents, carers and young
people will receive the first tranche of funding

March 2019 Local authorities should update and republish

their plan to show what they have spent on so
far

Summer 2019 Local authorities will receive the second tranche

of funding

March 2020 Local authorities should update and republish

their plan again

Summer 2020 Local authorities will receive the third tranche of

funding

March 2021 Local authorities should update and republish

their plan a final time, to show how all money
was eventually spent

24
Appendix 3 Planned expansion of the Brades Lodge.
With an increase in the numbers of students planned the infrastructure at The Brades Lodge will
need an over haul too.

At present the classrooms were designed for 4 students and with the addition of a teacher and LSP
the space in some of the rooms if already very tight. All our rooms are well below the DfE
recommended size.

We currently have 37 planned places with 35 students on roll. Our attendance has increased from
59.46% in 14/15 to 78.62% currently this year. The number of students on roll has already increased
and so space is at a premium. The school has funded the build of a porta-cabin to ease the burden
of space on the current cohort and this has started to have an impact on the delivery of a broad and
balanced curriculum. This also means that the corridors will not be so full or congested. And the
distractions afforded by having so many children in a small space reduce.

The proposal for another 20 students at the Brades Lodge is great. The management team are keen
to develop not only the school, in line with the vision, but also themselves and their knowledge and
capacity. The remainder of the staff team are aware of the need for increasing capacity and are also
up for the challenge.

However, in the past I feel that The Brades Lodge has gone above and beyond expectations to
accommodate students and the needs of the LA. We have managed to raise attainment, reduce
exclusions, increase attendance and reduce staff absence. All of this has been achieved with ever
dwindling budgets but we cannot squeeze any more out of the building or the staff.

To properly accommodate the extra 20 students bringing our school to a roll of about 60 we need to
plan a proper infrastructure that will be able to accommodate the needs of the students and
curriculum. We try to run a mainstream curriculum with the addition of vocational subjects, a well-
developed alternative provision network, and a host of therapies and engaging activities and
rewards.

Our plan would be to have class sizes of about 6 with a 2 form entry and have this fill the school up
from the bottom. 5 years with 12 students in each taking our places up to 60. For the site to
accommodate this we would need at least 4 extra teaching classrooms to cater for the extra
students we will need to teach.

In addition to this we would need a re-modelling of the canteen area, we already struggle with the
35 students we currently have. Some students get very impatient with the length of time it takes to
get served. This is not a staffing issue but more of a space concern as the serving area is not suitable
to cater for the numbers we currently have.

The specialist rooms, science lab, food technology and art room, were originally designed for 4
students at present we have to manage students timetables so that we reduce the burden on these
teaching spaces. This has the effect that some students miss out on valuable teaching time in these
subjects. I would like to see a remodelling of these rooms so that we can comfortably cater for the
increased numbers of students in the class.

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With the increased emphasis on Computing and the renewed drive the staff have for developing this
area it would be necessary to have a computer suite, although this could be used as a standard
teaching space when there is not a computing lesson timetabled.

There has been a great deal of research about the positive benefits of exercise on students with
ADHD, with some scientists saying that with an outlet for extra energy as a result of increased sugars
and salt in the diet it would reduce the need for medications. With this in mind to have a space that
can be used in all weathers onsite we would see an increase in team spirit, camaraderie and
potentially a decrease in students acting out and it would certainly help with the fitness of students.
Currently we drive our students to a local SLT centre which can take up to 33% of the teaching time
available.

Assemblies are an important part of any school week. It is a time to come together and celebrate the
good and the positive that the school and students are doing. It is also a time to give out
information to all students at the same time so that they can remain fully informed. At present, we
do not have a space large enough to cater for 60 students and the staff comfortably. A new sports
hall would help with this and it could also be used as a dining room and theatre for the school
productions we are currently unable to put on.

With the nature of our students they sometimes require a safe space to break out into, these can
come in a variety of different forms from rooms for individual working as a catch up for core
subjects, as a room to talk to someone about difficulties they are having in their life, as a therapy
room where they can receive proper strategies to help them cope with historic or current events in
their lives. At present, we have 3 of these rooms and they are used each and every day. They are
not really fit for purpose due to location and resources within them but we get by. At the very least
with an addition of 20 more students I would like to see at least another 3 rooms of a similar ilk.
One to handle students who are at the point of crisis, one as an independent work space or
intervention room and the third set up as a therapy room.

Office space is also at a premium and as head of school I am finding it difficult to find space to get
away from the day to day of the students to plan the strategy and develop capacity and curriculum.
The administration team are struggling for space to store work and with an increased number of
students and a need for a private and professional meeting space it would be necessary to consider
reviewing the current office space.

Currently, we have 2 toilets for students and so with an increase in numbers of students these would
need to be added to. Alongside all of this we would need to consider the need for us to take girls, if
this is a direction that the LA would like to take for the Brades Lodge then we would need to
consider how the infrastructure might need to change for this too.

Although this sounds a lot I believe that it will benefit the offer that Sandwell has and the capacity of
The Brades Lodge to continue to positively impact on the SEMH students that come on to our roll.

Submitted by Simon Hobbs, Head Teacher, Brades Lodge, 20.11.17 at a planning meeting.

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