Uses 
Special School Implementation Project (SSIP)
Welcome to the Special School Implementation section of ClusterWeb For a brief summary of the Special School Implementation Project, please click here: SSIP SummaryCounty-wide admissions criteria for Kent Special Schools have been agreed following a six-week consultation with schools, KCC staff, KCC elected members, colleagues in health and social services, parents of children with statements and young people attending Kent special schools. The criteria are intended to provide a common framework that can be applied consistently across Kent in all decisions about admissions to Kent special schools. They will also provide clear information for parents and carers, headteachers, governors and practitioners in education, health and social services about how decisions about admissions are made. The criteria link in with the re-designations recommended as part of the Special Schools Review. Each of the seven criterion focuses on a specific type of need, such as communication & interaction or behaviour & learning difficulties, and clarify the age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs that can be provided for by specific Kent special schools. As a result of the responses received during consultation, a number of changes were made to the draft criteria, including:
- The range of special schools available to pupils with severe communication and interaction needs and learning difficulties was amended to include Wyvern School. This meant that Wyvern replaced Foxwood/Highview as the primary provision for Ashford district.
- Grange Park was removed from the list of providers for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and severe cognitive impairment to be in line with the main focus of the school (Severe Communication & Interaction needs and Learning Difficulties). There is alternative provision for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and severe cognitive impairment from all Profound, Severe and Complex schools.
- The projected attainment range of pupils in the criterion for Physical, Sensory and Medical Needs was widened to begin at P at all Key Stages to take account of the inability of some pupils to attain beyond very low levels of measurable attainment due to the severity of their physical or medical needs. The P-scale goes from P(1) - P(8) and is used to record the progress of children and young people working below Level 1 of the national curriculum
Following are links to the recent editions of the Special School Implementation Newsletter, which contain useful information about the progress of the implementation of the KCC's countywide review of its Special School provision:
- Special School Implementation Newsletter November 2004
- Special School Implementation Newsletter December 2004
- Special School Implementation Newsletter January 2005
- Special School Implementation Newsletter February 2005
For some of our Special Schools, it was necessary for the Office of the Schools Adjudicator to be involved. Links to a record of the decisions (which are final) are given below:
- Adjudicator's Decision - Bower Grove & Five Acre Wood Schools
- Adjudicator's Decision - Foxwood & Highview Schools
- Adjudicator's Decision - Laleham & Gap House Schools
Partnership With Parents have recently produced Issue 3 of their Special School Review Newsletter. It is set out in an accessible "question and answer" format, and can be seen by clicking here: Partnership With Parents Newsletter - Issue 3
If you have any enquiries about the Special School Implementation, please contact the Seconded Consultant Headteachers: Alistair P Barwick on 01622 696101, or e-mail Alistair Barwick or Steve McGuinness on 01622 694671, or e-mail Steve McGuinness