Implementation of The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004: report to Parliament 2013

Transitions for children and young people with additional support needs

Transitions - young people from Woodlands School

Children and young people go through many transitions when changing schools, with changes that happen in school and when moving on from school. In all cases it is a critical stage, and the way it is guided and supported can have a major bearing on the rest of a young person's life chances. Building directly on prior learning, transitions are effective when they are planned well and implemented in good time. The Getting It Right For Every Child ( GIRFEC) integrated-service approach, the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 (amended 2009) and the forthcoming Children and Young People's Bill (2013) are central to effective transition planning.

Partners who plan in a joined-up way are more likely to ensure that young people can access the support they need to make effective transitions. This means having an effective multi-agency approach and the involvement of universal services, with clearly defined responsibilities. Equally important is how well they involve parents and young people themselves directly in the planning process to ensure that individual needs, interests and people's aspirations drive all decisions. It is important that the planning process is joined up and tailored to individual needs in order to deliver positive progression pathways. This will include planning any extra support that needs to be in place before a young person moves through a transition.

The Supporting Implementation of Additional Support for Learning in Scotland 4-year plan produced in November 2012 identified a long-standing concern expressed by stakeholders about the effectiveness of transitions in relation to post-school and within this a concern about the transition from children's to adult's services in relation to health and social care. A sub-group was established to consider issues impacting on young people's progress from school to post school and ongoing participation within the post-16 system; and to make recommendations for action - both strategic and operational - required to improve local service delivery.

Transitional Duties

Starting Nursery School

No later than 6 months before the child is due to start nursery school the education authority must seek and take account of information and advice from appropriate agencies

No later than 3 months before the child is due to start nursery school the education authority must provide information to appropriate agencies

Primary to Secondary School Transition

No later than 12 months before the child is due to start secondary school the education authority must seek and take account of information and advice from appropriate agencies.

No later than 6 months before the child is due to start secondary school the education authority must provide information to appropriate agencies or others.

Getting Ready for Adulthood

No later than 12 months before the pupil is due to leave school the education authority must seek and take account of information and advice from appropriate agencies or others

Evidence gathered found the existing legislation and policy landscape offers a positive framework to improve young people's transition experiences leading to improved outcomes. In particular the Post-16 Transitions Policy and Practice Framework, supported by the Post-16 Transitions Data Practice Framework clarifies the Government's expectations for delivery, and the roles and responsibilities for the partners involved in supporting young people into further learning and training which in turn will help them to progress towards the world of work. They provide multi-agency partnerships with a useful framework to guide their strategic and operational planning and to establish formal agreements across and between services to ensure improved and sustainable local delivery which supports young people.

The sub-group concluded that whilst there have been improvements in post-16 learning transition planning particularly as young people move on from school more needs to be done to support young people with additional support needs, In particular there should be clearer coherence between legislative and policy landscapes; young people and parents need clarity on the services and support they should receive at the post 16 transition and beyond; assessment and planning should ensure effective and timely coordination of transitions support between services at a local level; improving data and the monitoring and tracking of young people with additional support needs; and improved access to post school opportunities and provision.

Smithycroft Secondary School Young Parents Support Base, Glasgow City Council

The Young Parent Support Base ( YPSB) project at Smithycroft Secondary School is four years old. It is part of Glasgow City Council's strategic approach to supporting vulnerable young people to remain in education across the city, under its young people's sexual health strategy. Education, Social Work services, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Community Planning Partnership work together to provide an individualised programme of care for girls of school age who become pregnant. Research has shown that the longer expectant girls remain in education, the better their start to motherhood and adult life. Expectant parents may also access support at the base even if they choose to remain at their own school. The school provides help with developing parenting skills and personal development including keep fit, smoking cessation, healthy eating. The YPSB also works with young people, including fathers, who have left school, up to the age of 19. It also offers 'Drop in' support for parent and toddler groups. The team of key workers, working alongside Smithycroft School staff has very successfully supported young mothers from across the city to remain engaged with education and move on to positive destinations. Key workers support young mothers from entry to the school and base and continue supporting young people until they are 21 years old. All young people who moved on from the support base in 2013 achieved a positive destination including apprenticeships, college and university places. All young people felt that the support base and its staff was raising their aspirations significantly both as learners and as parents.

Scottish Government is working with National Agencies and key stakeholders to deliver on these findings. There are good examples of effective practice in transitional planning for young people with additional support needs and it is important to build on these.

Transitions - young people from Woodlands School

Woodlands School, Edinburgh City Council

This school makes provision for young people of secondary age who have a range of additional support needs. A key aim is to ensure that each young person leaves school equipped with the skills they will need for life, learning and work. In order to achieve this, staff have developed a robust whole school approach to transitions. Planning for each transition, including primary to secondary and moving on from school, is highly personalised and designed to ensure that young people's learning needs are clearly identified and met. A strong feature of their approach is partnership working, especially with parents. This is highly developed with responsibilities and timeframes clearly defined. Young people benefit from access to a wide range of innovative programmes of learning and support, that help them to develop their confidence, communication and employability skills. Many of these programmes are delivered by a wide range of community based partners. The school regularly asks for the views of young people, their parents and other partners in order to improve its approaches to transitions and ensure success. All young people leaving this school over the past few years have achieved positive post school destinations.

Examples of Good Practice

Two projects based in North Lanarkshire aim to ensure that all young people have appropriate transition plans as well as a curriculum which will meet their needs.

The Flexible Learning Initiative, which is co-ordinated and delivered from the Inclusion Support Base in North Lanarkshire, has been set up to enable mainstream schools to support young people with additional support needs, including those arising from social or emotional difficulties. Every year the project supports 50 young people from S4 and S5 by identifying their needs and providing each with an individual package of support.

The young people who are involved in the project are those for whom mainstream education has not been successful. The young people are usually referred to the project at the end of S3. The approach typifies the promotion of a staged intervention model designed to ensure that all appropriate supports have been utilised before referral to the project.

In line with current legislation and policy the aims of the project are to:

• support the young people in obtaining a range of qualifications and experiences throughout S4 and S5
• develop resilience and coping skills in the young people
• ensure that early transition planning is in place for the young people
• ensure a seamless transition six months prior to moving onto post-school destinations
• support the young people beyond their leaving date to ensure that the transition has been successful.

Expanded Learning Opportunities ( ELO) is a transition programme based in three North Lanarkshire special schools: Fallside and the New Park Centre, Willowbank and Portland. The pupils attending these schools have additional support needs arising particularly from social and emotional factors.

ELO is a partnership programme with Skills Development Scotland which involves building and developing unique programmes for individual pupils. The programmes bring personalisation, relevance, choice and flexibility into the learning. As well as programmes which allow vocational and academic progress, specialist interventions, such as counselling, are also available for the pupils when required.

Full details on both these good practice examples can be accessed on the Education Scotland website at:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/supportinglearners/additionalsupportneeds/supportingtransitions.asp

Doran Review

The Doran Review Report set out the strategic vision for provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs in Scotland. The report made 21 recommendations for the future provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs. Recommendation 11, was accepted by the Scottish Government.

Stakeholders consistently express concern in relation to practice in transitions across children and young people's learning experiences, but particularly in relation to post-school transition.

Transitional arrangements were also highlighted by the Advisory Group for Additional Support for Learning as an area where practice could be improved. A subgroup of the Advisory Group considered this issue in 2013, recommendations were made which will form part of work to be carried out in 2014.

Recommendation 11

The Scottish Government should provide leadership and where appropriate direction to local authorities and health boards and consider the adequacy of existing legislation to ensure that the transition from children's to adult services for young people with complex additional support needs is properly coordinated, managed and delivered.

Supporting Implementation of Additional Support for Learning in Scotland

On 13 November 2012, the Scottish Government published "Supporting Implementation of Additional Support for Learning in Scotland". This long term plan of support for implementation set out the areas for action across 2012-2016 to further support implementation of additional support for learning legislation.

The plan aimed to address four broad areas;

• the support available for particular groups of children or young people and areas for
• further support in implementation,
• building capacity in staff to provide support, information, and
• law and guidance.

As part of the plan, the following suggested actions on transition were identified:

• In 2011-12 a range of sharing practice events were held to promote good practice in post school transitions for children and young people.
• Highlight the wide range of examples of transition planning case studies and resources available from Education Scotland.
• Create a brief of roles and responsibilities in transition planning within additional support for learning, across the stages of learning, linked to information by Enquire on transition planning for parents and information on transitions in curriculum for excellence.
• Signpost examples of good practice in transition planning centrally alongside other advice, information and resources on additional support for learning.
• The Scottish Government will create a practice framework for practitioners working across the range of additional support needs to help them to better support young people to progress from school to further learning, training or employment - in 2012-13.
• Through the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability, the Scottish Government will continue to support development and delivery of Project Search, an employability programme for young people with complex learning disabilities - in 2012-13.
• The Scottish Government will consider the evaluation of The Coalyard in South Lanarkshire, to assess the feasibility of this employability model, including the social return on investment, and possible extension of the model to other areas - in 2012-13.
• In 2012-13, through the £3M Third Sector and Social Enterprise Challenge Fund, the Scottish Government will support 24 different initiatives aiming to improve the employability of more than 2000 young people across Scotland.
• Skills Development Scotland is further developing the content of My World of Work, its web service. This will provide more opportunities for young people with additional support needs to develop their career management skills as well as supporting parents and partner organisations to help develop the career management skills of young people at transitions points.
• Skills Development Scotland thorough the modernising of its Careers Information, Advice and Guidance Services will offer targeted face to face support to those young people at risk of not making a successful transition from school.

Key features of successful transitions at all stages

Education Scotland have considered as part of the preparation of this report the practice that is evident across local authorities in Scotland. This has identified the following key features of successful transitions at all stages:

A whole school/service approach to transitions at all stages.

Schools usually have a policy statement on transitions which make clear what they were trying to achieve at each transition. Practice is usually a reflection of the policy.

Mossvale Nursery School, Renfrewshire Council.

Children with language and communication difficulties, who attend the Snowdrop Unit within Mossvale Nursery School, are very well prepared for moving into and on from the nursery. The majority of children go on to attend local special schools, with which staff have built close working relationships. Some children will attend a mainstream school. During their pre-school year nursery staff have regular discussions and meetings with parents and other professionals about the most suitable primary placement. Working in partnerships, the team around the child share the responsibility for identifying and addressing learning needs. Parents are very well supported by nursery staff, including a clear transition calendar of events, early visits to possible placements and opportunities to meet with other parents. Once the placement is agreed arrangements are made for reciprocal visits between school and nursery. The transfer of information is rich with important information of ways to support the child. Parents and staff use individual photograph albums, containing a social story about the new people and school building which helps prepare children for their new environment.

Policy and practice are coherent.

It is clear that stakeholders understand the process and purpose of planning for transitions and that they have confidence in the process.

Positive relationships with parents and carers

Positive relationships between parents and carers and schools is one of the strongest factors in achieving successful transitions. Parents have trust and confidence in staff and consequently in other stakeholders that they know less well.

Effective partnership working

There is a sense of the school or service having built up a network of partners who work together effectively to deliver successful transitions for learners. Staff take time to build strong relationships with their partners and value their contributions equally.

Quality communication

Effective schools/services have well-established, clear and transparent communication systems, which they tailor to the needs of families. Parents often report that they know well in advance what each step in the transition process will entail.

Effective planning and organisation

Successful transitions at any stage require effective planning and organisation at individual, class and school/service level to ensure continuity. Schools demonstrate this as appropriate to their context. In schools which support effective transitions, the roles and responsibilities of staff and timeframes for transition activities are clearly defined. The process ensures that staff, parents and carers and partner agencies and, where appropriate, children and young people are very clear about their contribution to the process

St. Peter the Apostle Secondary School, West Dunbartonshire Council

St. Peter the Apostle is a large denominational secondary school which places great emphasis on children with additional support needs and their parents experiencing a successful P7 to S1 transition. A whole school commitment to inclusion, quality information gathering and sharing, personalisation of the curriculum, ongoing flexibility in meeting learners' needs and a highly effective pupil support department are the key elements of their approach. Transition planning begins at P6/7 with information sharing across both schools and with involved agencies, parents and the child. A number of enhanced transition visits, including school/department tours, sample timetables, treasure hunts, canteen and break experiences, visits to the pupil support area and introductions to key staff including pupil support assistants help share expectations, allay anxieties and address emerging issues. These run in parallel to joint Assessment team meetings, and focused discussions within the Pupil Support Department. For a few children this will result in a referral to the Intensive Support Team which supports the most vulnerable learners. A pupil profile and passport are shared with subject teachers both at the start of S1 and following the post- placement review. The school has developed an exceptionally flexible approach to meeting the learning needs of all young people. This includes flexibility in timetabling that allows for a few vulnerable young people to have some of their lessons delivered in groups of four. One to one sessions are provided as are opportunities for quiet time. All staff and pupils benefit from high-quality awareness raising presentations on aspects of additional support needs and equality and diversity.

Effective identification of learning needs

The focus throughout transitions at all stages is on the individual learner. Planning is based around ensuring that learning needs are effectively identified and shared across of all the stakeholders so that each is well informed and able to contribute effectively to meeting those learning needs.

Involvement of the parents and child/young person

Parents, carers and children, including those who have left school are clear about what makes a transition successful for them. Children and their parents wish to be consulted, listened to and actively involved in the decision-making process. Some were able to contrast previous experiences of transitions which had not been so successful with their current placement experiences. Often the lack of some or many of the key themes identified had been the reason for poorer experiences of transition.

Effective systems for the transfer of information

In the best examples, placing and receiving schools/services/providers work together on an agreed timeline for transition. There is scope for improvement particularly at the Primary 7/S1 transition where attainment information about Curriculum for Excellence levels was not sufficiently detailed.

Leuchars Primary School, Fife Council.

This small primary school serves the RAF base at Leuchars. As a result, the school roll fluctuates throughout the session as children join and leave. Many of the children whose parents are stationed at RAF Leuchars experience many more school transitions compared to their stage peers. For most Forces' children and their families, especially those with additional support needs, transitions can be a stressful experience. Staff at this school recognise this and work very effectively with a range of partners including the National Transitions Officer for children of Armed Forces' families in Scotland and the Children's Education Advisory Service ( CEAS) for children of Forces' families to ensure continuity and progression. As soon as the family make contact, they receive a "Welcome Pack" containing very helpful information, including a comparison of the different school stages across the UK. These differences can be very challenging for the school to manage as parents can view the later entry to Primary 1 and Secondary 1 in Scotland as "stepping back". A clear set of procedures, combined with good communication between the receiving and sending schools help allay anxiety and ensure that families do not feel that they are "starting again" in the identification of their child's additional support needs. The children's transition committee welcome new children and provide "buddy support" to help them settle in to their new school.

Robust systems and processes

Systems for transition need to be rigorous and transparent. When systems are applied and adhered to rigorously, all stakeholders work hard to achieve a successful outcome for children and young people.

St. Sylvester's Primary School and Elgin High School, The Moray Council

St. Sylvester's Primary School works with its feeder nurseries, Elgin High School and the Moray English as an Additional Language ( EAL) Service to ensure effective support at transition for bilingual learners and their parents who may be unfamiliar with the Scottish education system and require support to access information and to be involved in their children's learning and the life of the school.

Transition visits for the nursery children during the summer term are supported by a Bilingual Assistant. Baseline assessment is carried out with bilingual support so that the child can show their skills in their first language, allowing the teacher to gather a more accurate picture of the child's development, have appropriate expectations for their learning and plan accordingly. Early in the first term of Primary 1, there is a meeting for the parents of all bilingual learners led by the Head Teacher and EAL Teacher, with interpreting support. Parents have the opportunity to learn and ask questions about the school, the school day, policies (including Equality) and expectations, the curriculum and pedagogy in P1 and support for their children's learning and language development. Information packs in English and in translation are also available. During the first term, there is a further workshop for parents to introduce the reading scheme and suggest how they can help their child's language development, including an emphasis on the importance of a strong foundation in the first language for learning English. There are also designated parent-teacher liaison times, supported by interpreters where needed, to facilitate good home-school communication and parental involvement.

For learners making the transition from Primary 7 to S1, in addition to a comprehensive programme of transition activities, particular attention is given to inviting the parents of bilingual learners to the P7 information evening and interpretation is provided if needed. During the summer term, bilingual learners from all feeder primaries meet each other and EAL staff, facilitating supportive friendships and addressing any particular questions or anxieties the learners may have. This is followed by a joint visit to the high school to explore the school and ask questions with bilingual support. EAL Teachers work with high school colleagues to ensure that bilingual learners are appropriately placed in classes and groups with appropriate cognitive challenge and support.

Sustained monitoring and support, post transition

Where systems are in place to continue to support young people moving to post school destinations such as college, university or work, young people are significantly more likely to maintain their positive destination. While there is clearly scope to further develop systems for tracking and monitoring post school destinations more closely, many schools/services had developed their own systems for supporting young people to move on from school by continuing to keep in touch through regular invitations, contacts and links with post-school providers and employers.

Ongoing evaluation of systems including tracking the outcome for the young person.

Schools/services regularly adapt their policies and approaches to transitions on an ongoing basis as a result of feedback from a range of stakeholders including parents and young people. They are clear that the systems change and adapt over time as a result of improvements made through self-evaluation.

Kersland School, Renfrewshire Council.

Kersland School is an all-through special school for children and young people with complex additional support needs, Parents have confidence that they will be provided with comprehensive information on all the services they can expect and are entitled to as their child prepares to move on from school. Planning is personalised to the individual needs of young people and ensures that parents feel they are partners in the process, on an equal footing with staff from other agencies. Staff from West College Scotland, Adult Services, work experience providers, parents and other professionals work closely with school staff to ensure that all young people move on to and sustain a positive post school destination. The school has a strong record of working with partners to provide all young people with challenging learning experiences, including work placements and college links courses that develop their self-esteem, confidence and skills for learning, life and work. The school and its partners continue to track young people's progress in their post school placement to ensure that it is sustained and successful.

Commitment to a positive post school destination for all young people

A clear commitment by all stakeholders to ensuring that all young people, regardless of their difficulties or level of need, are entitled to a positive and sustained post-school experience which will continue to develop their skills, confidence and wellbeing.

Western Isles Psychological services

Almost all children and young people with additional support needs attend mainstream schools, with a few attending specialist provision on the mainland. Two educational psychologists serve all of the islands that make up the Western Isles. A number of primary schools and all secondary schools have an enhanced provision that offers the higher level of support needed to meet the learning needs of some children. An Area Principal Teacher of Learning Support works closely with schools, partners, parents and young people to plan and coordinate transitions. Planning for transitions at all stages is highly personalised to the needs of the individual child and the family. The educational psychologist works closely with the family during transitions, especially where there is uncertainty or anxiety about a proposed placement. There is a strong commitment to inclusion across the islands and teams have worked very effectively together to create highly tailored support plans for a few young people with more complex needs. Improved information sharing at an earlier stage (S1) is bringing greater coherence to planning post school transitions for young people with additional support needs. However, transitions to positive post school destinations have been very challenging for all young people, including those with additional support needs, as the population and job opportunities across the islands have declined over the years. Many young people leave the islands for further and higher education education, training and employment. A "Strategy for Vocational Education" (2008) is in place to address this. A key principle is to ensure that both academic and vocational opportunities, linked to national qualifications, are available to all young people on a basis of "parity of esteem". New courses, such as Traditional Boatbuilding and Maintenance, Rural Skills (Crofting) and Skills for Work in Construction have been developed to match the interests of young people and the economic demands of the island communities.

Conclusion

Between August and December 2013, HM inspectors visited a range of nursery, primary, secondary, special and independent residential special schools from across Scotland in order to identify best practice in supporting effective transitions of children and young people with additional support needs. The vignettes of best practice above identify particular features of practice which are leading to successful transitions for many children and young people, from different settings and services perspectives. While the schools and services have been drawn from a wide variety of contexts and provide for a broad range of additional support needs, inspectors were able to identify important features of best practice. These include having clearly stated and transparent processes which are well understood by parents and carers, children and partner agencies; building positive and trusting relationships with parents and carers, having clear and well understood communication channels; systematic and rigorous organisation and planning for effective transitions; effective and clear identification of children and young people's learning and care needs and sustained monitoring and support for children and young people post transition.