Hertfordshire County Council
Proposal to close the Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) Base located at: Windermere Primary School, Windermere Ave, St Albans AL1 5QP
Notice is given in accordance with section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 that Hertfordshire County Council intends to make a prescribed alteration to The SpLD Base located at Windermere Primary School, Windermere Ave, St Albans AL1 5QP by 31 March 2019.
Currently services for SpLD pupils in the primary sector are delivered from 10 primary schools across the county. The specification for these bases originally included placements for a small number of pupils with SpLD but no pupils have been placed at the SpLD bases for many years. Pupils with SpLD remain educated in their local school and where it is necessary for specialist advice and support, this is provided from specialist SpLD staff employed at the 10 primary schools with the resource bases.
The SpLD Bases were established 20 years ago to increase the knowledge, skills and awareness of educational settings in respect of understanding a range of Specific Learning Difficulties. Over the years, schools have been empowered and enabled to increasingly identify and meet the needs of young people with SpLD. The skills and expertise for SpLD in mainstream schools has increased over time through advisory teaching support, central funding for accredited training courses, and increased expectations on all schools to meet the needs of students with SpLD on roll at their school.
A review of existing SpLD provision in Hertfordshire was carried out in 2015 and identified that services were being delivered differently across the County. It concluded that support could be enhanced by reconfiguring the way it was organised. The County Council will continue to provide outreach services, increasingly targeting resources to support complex needs where it would not be expected that a school might have the necessary level of expertise. To ensure that services are provided effectively and consistently it is proposed to close the bases and reconfigure staffing into four teams as part of the SEND Special Advice and Support Service under the overall line management of the County Lead for Complex Needs. This will enhance the current offer with additional expertise from within the Central Services.
This Notice is an extract from the Complete Information. Copies of the Complete Information can be obtained from: Hertfordshire County Council, Children's Services, School Planning, Room 138, County Hall, Pegs Lane, Hertford, SG13 8DF, marked for the attention of SpLD Bases - Windermere Primary School, or via the Hertfordshire County Council website at:
www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/windermerejmi
or email: educatJon.plannlng@hertfordshlre.gov.uk
Anyone can provide comments or objections but you need to ensure that they are received by Hertfordshire County Council by 25 July 2018 by sending them by post, marked for the attention of SpLD Bases - Windermere Primary School, to: Freepost RTHH-LXSL-BYYR, Hertfordshire County Council, Education Department, County Hall, Hertford, SG13 8DF, or by email to: education.planning@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Signed: Jenny Coles
Director of Children's Services
Publication date: 26 June 2018