What this consultation is about
Context
Whitfield St James’ C of E Primary School is a school for 3 to 11-year-old children.
Currently the school has 303 children on roll, with 282 of these pupils being of school age.
The school has a capacity of 315 for school age children and has a 43-place nursery.
The school operates an inclusive ethos and is currently informally running an Enhanced Resource School (without ERS Status) for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Children who are preverbal or non-verbal with Developmental Delay or Autism attend the ERS Provision which is known as the Sunflower Room within school. The school is also informally running a SEND Unit (without SEND Unit Status) for children in Key Stage 1 with an EHCP. Children who are pre-verbal or non-verbal can access the SEND Unit, known as the Bluebell Room within school.
At the end of Key Stage 1, children who access the SEND Unit are then able to transfer to the Enhanced Resource Unit, or if they are not able to access this, a Special School place is sought. We work closely with the school, and parents seek school places at the school due to its positive atmosphere and the support that the staff offer to children and their families.
Proposal
We've proposed that Whitfield St James’ C of E Primary School should have a designation as an Enhance Resource School status and of a SEND Unit status to reflect the existing practice of the school.
The school are already running these provisions but without the status.
Staff
The school has excellent expertise among the staff, both teaching and non-teaching, in working with and supporting the pupils with special educational needs who attend the school. The designation as an Enhanced Resource School and a SEND Unit would enable the school to plan for the training and development of these staff on a more secure basis and with a longer-term perspective.
Funding
Enhanced Resource Schools are funded via the High Needs Block based on a commissioned number of places at the start of each financial year, plus a top up, allocated monthly, based on actual occupancy.
Top up values vary depending on the type of ERS or SEND Unit and the key stage of the pupil.