This section outlines the ways in which educational services support the implementation of the inclusion policy. It outlines the procedures and range of provision used by West Dunbartonshire Council in order to meet the additional support needs of our children.
There are many services available to support vulnerable groups within West Dunbartonshire.
Psychological Services
Information on Psychological Services is given on their pages of the site.
Network Support Resource
The Network Support Resource helps schools and early years centres to raise achievement for all children and young people through inclusion.
The duties of the Network Support Resource teachers are set out by the Additional Support for Learning Act 2009. This resource delivers approximately 100 sessions (a single morning or afternoon) to distribute to schools and 50 sessions to specialist support.
Further information is available in A guide to the Network Support Resource (updated January 2012).
Flexible Support Resource
The role of the Flexible Support Resource is to support the educational attainment and achievement of vulnerable children and young people.
These children are among the most vulnerable groups of children in the council area.
Children/young people are said to be ‘Looked After at home’ if they are subject to a supervision order with no condition of residence through the Children’s Hearing system. In this situation the child or young person continues to live in their normal place of residence, which is often the family home.
Children/young people are said to be ‘Looked After away from home’ (away from their normal place of residence) if:
In either situation the child or young person can be cared for in a foster placement, residential unit, residential school, a secure unit, a kinship placement, etc.
The Flexible Support Resource has two teachers with specific responsibility for supporting the educational needs of Looked After Children. The teachers work directly with children and young people and support parents and carers with any educational issues.
Further information about looked after children can be found using the links below:
Looked after children on Learning and Teaching Scotland
Count us In: Improving the education of our looked after children
Within Scotland, Gypsies and Travellers are recognised as distinctive communities. These are self-identifying groups who are committed to living a historic lifestyle. This means that there are particular circumstances relating to the educational needs of children and young people from these communities.
These children and young people can experience significant interruptions to their school based learning and are supported by the Interrupted Learner provision.
The Interrupted Learner teachers also provide support byweekly attendance on the Y Sort It bus at the Dennyston Forge site. This location provides e-learning opportunities on a variety of subjects via five satellite connected computers. A teacher is also available twice a week in a local library to offer intensive support for national qualifications.
Further information about education of gypsy / traveller children can be found at:
WDC gypsy traveller strategy
Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP)
Interrupted Learners provision addresses the needs of children and young people who have experienced significant interruptions to their school learning. The reasons for these interruptions can be varied, for example, phobia, ill health or pregnancy.
Two teachers from the Flexible Support Resource address the needs of individual pupils through direct teacher support and the use of electronic learning media. The period of intervention may be short or long term.
Child Protection Officer
The Child Protection Officer has an important role in making sure there is a shared vision for the protection of children and young people within education services and across partner agencies.
Effective support can only be achieved by having well trained staff who recognise indicators of abuse and in whom children and young people can confide and training is a large element of the Child Protection Officer’s role. This training aims to increase awareness and understanding of staff of their role in child protection and has a strong emphasis on partnership working.
Processes
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Process
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Details
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Further information
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Staged Intervention
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A school level learning system which gives varied support to children and young people. There are 4 stages (1 to 4) of intervention depending on their needs.
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Transitions
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Transition of a child / young person from one education level to the next can require additional support. Transition examples include moving from home to pre-school, pre-school to primary school and primary to secondary school.
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Guidelines to planning transitions
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Annual Audit of additional support needs
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Each year early years establishments and schools in West Dunbartonshire Council complete an audit of all children and young people at stages 2 - 4 of the staged intervention process. This audit is used to allocate additional resources to individual establishments and is managed by the Network Support Resource.
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Procedures
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Procedure
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Details
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Further information
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Multi-agency Support Groups (MSGs)
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Multi-agency Support Groups were set up to make sure there was a co-ordinated, multi-agency approach to the support of children and young people.
These groups consider the joint needs of individual children and young people at stage four of the Staged Intervention process. The group for primary schools meets monthly to consider appropriate referrals from class teachers.
The groups choose staff to produce and carry out an agreed action, such as drawing up a support plan or individual educational programme, which will be reviewed on a regular basis.
They provide access to external agencies and targets scarce resources at those children who most need them. In addition, they are responsible for developing new strategies and supports to help children remain in mainstream education.
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Multi-agency Consultation Group (MAC)
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The Multi-agency Consultation Group acts to make sure children and young get the best possible education chance, whether in mainstream education or by moving them onto the The Choices programme.
This group makes sure that all resources are fairly allocated.
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MAC procedures
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Joint Review Panel (JRP)
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The Joint Review Panel considers requests for placement of pupils in specialist education in West Dunbartonshire. It may agree to this placement or suggest additional resources to maintain the pupil in mainstream education.
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JRP procedures
JRP flowchart
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Education and Social Work Liaison Group (Ed&SW)
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This group overviews provision and budget requirements and is responsible for any decision to place a pupil in educational day or residential provision outwith West Dunbartonshire.
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MAC / Ed&SW procedures
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Coordinated Support Plan Review Group (CSP review group)
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This group considers whether a partner agency is required to deliver a pupil’s educational objectives. If yes, then a Coordinated Support Plan may be considered and the school will follow West Dunbartonshire’s guidelines on these.
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Additional Support Needs Tribunal in Scotland website
Code of Practice
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Joint Agency Teams (JATs)
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To make sure there is a consistent approach and effective joint working in secondary schools, WDC have established Joint Agency Teams. These are considered to have an important role in the management of secondary schools.
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JAT Guidelines
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Attendance Review Group (ARC)
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A continuing failure to improve school attendance will result in a referral to the Attendance Review Committee.
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Guidelines for parents on attendance orders
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Highly dependent Learners Steering Group
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This group coordinates all adaptations and equipment provision for the department of educational services.
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Protocols for Highly dependent Learners Steering Group
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Promoting Positive Relationships
West Dunbartonshire Educational Services recognise that the greatest obstacle to inclusion can be attitude. Therefore, the best learning takes place in learning environments where responsibility and respectful relationships are central to the process of teaching and learning.
Positive relationships are fostered through a range of nationally supported programmes including:
In addition UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools scheme is available to schools and early years centres. RRS aims to:
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help children learn about their rights and responsibilities according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and how to use this understanding as a guide to living
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raise pupil achievement including attainment
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improve the quality of their own and their families’ lives
Within West Dunbartonshire Council
There are varied specialist resources for providing specialist education within West Dunbartonshire.
Kilpatrick School
Kilpatrick is a special school for primary and secondary pupils who are highly dependent learners and require smaller class groupings, regular input from nursing staff and/or a life skills curriculum.
Some of the pupils, particularly at the primary stages, have a shared placement with a mainstream primary school. Some secondary pupils have shared placements with local mainstream establishments and staff from Kilpatrick Secondary School offer outreach to mainstream secondary schools.
Kilpatrick Early Years Service (KEYS)
The Kilpatrick Early Years Service is for highly dependent learners in the 0 – 3 age range. It is located in the Primary School building at Kilpatrick school and is staffed by a nursery nurse and two learning assistants and supported by an early years teacher. Children are referred through the Pre-school Assessment Team.
It provides the following services:
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sessions for children who require specific care for additional support needs that cannot be met in a mainstream early year’s establishment
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children with medical needs who require regular input from nursing staff
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access to resources for children from mainstream early year’s establishments
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outreach home link for very young children not yet ready for placement in any early year’s establishment
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outreach support for early year’s centres with regard to children under three who attend their centres
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a drop in facility for parents/carers and children under three with identified needs – The KEYS club
Cunard school
Cunard School issituated within the campus of Whitecrook Primary School in Clydebank. It provides education for 20 primary pupils whose additional support needs make it difficult for them to remain in mainstream schools. As, their social and emotional difficulties mean that they have not acquired the skills necessary to manage themselves in an age appropriate way.
In the nurturing environment of Cunard school positive behaviours are reinforced. The children have the opportunity to learn new skills by forming supportive relationships with staff. Many of the children have shared placements with their mainstream schools.
The Choices Programme
For pupils in S4 who require the opportunity to learn about themselves from supportive staff and develop vocational skills in a more informal setting than school, the Choices programme is available. It is based at Skypoint in Faifley and offers specialist provision to address the needs of these pupils who have experienced difficulties in mainstream school.
The aim of the Choices Programme is to provide an education for all pupils and to prepare them for life and work. A balanced curriculum offers a mix of academic, pre-vocational and social activities. There is particular focus on literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, including emotional wellbeing.
Choices can be accessed by West Dunbartonshire secondary schools through referral to the Multi Agency Consultation Group and the Choices admissions process. There are 24 full time and five part-time pupils accessing specific programmes of work for a set number of sessions weekly.
Primary Language and Communication needs
The Language and Communications Unit is based in Renton Primary School. It offers places to 24 pupils whose needs, whether autistic or language, mean they would have difficulty assessing the curriculum in a mainstream environment.They are supportedin small classes with appropriately modified environment and curriculum. Shared placements with mainstream schools are possible.
Primary Communication Base
The Communications Base is based in Vale of Leven Academy andoffers similar provision for Secondary pupils with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. These pupils are supported in a base within the extended Support for Learning provision of the school.
Outwith West Dunbartonshire Council
In exceptional circumstances placements are sought from specialist establishments within other local authorities or from independent providers. The placements are usually for children and young people with highly specialist needs which cannot be met in West Dunbartonshire.
Day placements are also sought for secondary age pupils whose needs can no longer be met within mainstream secondary schools. These pupils often have a range of difficulties related to their social and emotional needs. These placements are often with independent providers from CORA (the St Francis schools in Springboig, Plains and Bishopton), Ballikinrain, Spark of Genius, CTEC and Ardfern.
In these circumstances a fee for a supported placement is agreed and the child/young person continues their education outwith West Dunbartonshire.
The Educational Psychologist ensures that the pupils’ needs are kept under review and that the Head of Service is kept informed of the progress of the placement.
