In Barnsley we want to make sure young people with special educational needs and disabilities are prepared for adulthood and are able to:
- Stay well and healthy
- Be a part of the community and have friendships
- Achieve paid employment
- Live independently and have housing options
Some students with SEND may be on study programmes focused on helping them achieve stretching qualifications. Others may be more suited to a traineeship, supported internship or other study programme that helps them prepare for employment and adult life.
We are opening a consultation about the hours of education for learners over 16 (p16) who have SEND at the EHCP level, and what that should look like.
Why are we doing the consultation?
There’s around 550 young people over 16 with an EHCP in Barnsley, and we are at a point where we need to review the way in which we approach p16 education so that we can:
- Make sure the way we allocate funding for p16 learners is fair, simple, consistent, transparent, and helps us to plan how we meet the needs of the increasing number of young people with SEND within the resources available.
- Make sure that we are meeting the needs of all learners here in Barnsley.
- Keep delivering on the priorities outlined in the SEND strategy and SEND Improvement Programme.
Your responses will help us to shape the future model for p16 learners.
What happens at the moment?
At the moment hours vary from 16 hours up to 25 hours of education, depending on where learners attend and not necessarily their needs.
What are the options?
Option A: Continue with the current way of allocating p16 placements.
Option B: Move to a three-day week across all p16 providers, with the option for more hours if needed. More hours will be determined through a local authority decision making panel. This will depend on the needs of the learner and not the setting type.
How do I share my views?
We want to make it as easy as we can for you to share your views.
You can either come to one of our face-to-face drop-in sessions:
- Tuesday 11 October, 9.30am-12.30pm, in Barnsley Town Hall (meeting room 1)
- Monday 17 October, 3pm-6pm, at Greenacre
- Friday 21 October, 9am-12pm, at Dearne Family Centre
- Tuesday 1 November, 11am-2pm, at Athersley Family Centre
Or complete the online survey: https://surveys.barnsley.gov.uk/s/V5P7XV/.
You can ring 01226 773966 for any queries and if you need to request a paper or braille copy of the survey and/or consultation. You can also contact the SEND service on SEESupport@barnsley.gov.uk.
Outcomes of the consultation will be published in December 2022 and will be available on the Local Offer and Council website, as well as social media.