November 2008
It has been a while since we published a newsletter
on the units review but now that Phase One has
started, we intend to publish them more often.
We want to make them helpful and informative to
all readers, whatever their relationship to children
and young people, whether they are family,
professionals or friends.
We are interested in your views and would like to
hear from you if there is anything you think we
should include in future newsletters or should leave
out or, indeed, if you have other ideas about
improving how we communicate. If you want to
comment, you can do so by emailing us at:
UnitsDesignReview@kent.gov.uk
When does it start?
Phase One started formally on 1 September 2008.
The first phase covers the areas of Ashford,
Shepway and North-West Kent. The mainstream
schools with specialist provision in these areas are
now called ‘Lead Schools’.
Children, Families and Education
In this issue:
 When does it start?
 What is a lead school?
 Unit provision and lead schools
 Access to lead schools
 Are all Phase One lead schools up and
running from September 2008?
 What happens for a child in a unit when it
becomes a lead school?
 Who decides a child’s placement?
 How do lead schools fit in with the other
services?
 How are lead schools funded?
 Can all children access lead school
provision?
 Can a child attend a school outside of
their lead school catchment area?
 When does Phase Two start?
 Further information
 Remind me, what is a Lead School?

A lead school:
 is a mainstream school with a specialism e.g.
Autism, that provides a service to children,
young people and schools across a defined
area
 provides specialist advice, guidance, support
and training to other schools in the area to help
them meet the requirements of the DDA and
develop the skills to support the children and
young people who attend
 has a reserved number of places for children
and young people with Statements, either with
full-time access or access for a short period of
time as necessary
 may also provide access to children and young
people with the need type but without
Statements for a short period of time.
Will all children living in Phase One areas
have access to a lead school?
Other than two schools, all the current units and
designations in the Phase One areas will become
lead schools. New lead schools are being set up to
cover local gaps in provision, including the two
units that are closing. Phase One lead schools
(that did not have a Unit) are developing the skills
and expertise they need. A list of lead schools in
the Phase one areas can be found on Kent’s
extranet, Kenttrustweb, and on the external Kent
web site. Links can be found at the end of this
newsletter.
How is unit provision different from
lead school provision?
Schools with units admit children to an agreed
number of places in the unit. A few schools
with units provide an outreach service to other
schools but most do not. Lead schools will
admit children with the need type in which they
specialise, and also provide support, training,
advice and guidance to other schools in their
area. The other schools will be supported to
meet the needs of children who are on their
rolls. So, lead schools will develop a specialist
service available to all schools and children in
the locality that need it.
If a child is currently in a unit when it
becomes a lead school, will their place
in the unit be guaranteed?
Any child in a unit when it becomes a lead
school will continue there until such time as a
review of the Statement determines a change of
placement is required or the child transfers from
primary to secondary school or the family
moves. Any change would be based on the
child’s needs and not as a direct result of the
school becoming a lead school.

Does this mean that all lead schools in Phase One are now up and running from
September 2008?

No. We expect that it will take a few years for lead schools to take on their new responsibilities fully.
Each new lead School will need to put a Development or Transition Plan in place. This means that
any lead schools that were not previously units will not be expected to admit children immediately.
When they start to admit children, probably in September 2009, but possibly in April 2009, they will do
so gradually.

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2008
 Who decides what type of placement a
child needs?
Arrangements will be the same as now. The Local
Authority determines the school to be named in the
Statement, taking account of the preferences of
parents and carers and expert advice. For other
children, any specialist support needed will be
determined by the school and, where necessary,
by the Local Children’s Services Partnerships
(LCSPs), which used to be known as Clusters.
Schools and the Local Authority will continue to
work with parents and carers and take their views
into account.
How will lead schools fit in with the other
services in the locality, including services
provided by the special schools?
The lead school will be one strand of an integrated
service provided within the LCSP. The lead school
will work with other services, including mainstream
schools and special schools, to provide a range of
provision to meet the needs of all children. This will
include children with less severe needs and
children with very severe and complex needs. The
development of co-ordinated and integrated
services will aim to ensure that services are not
duplicated, and that there are no gaps where
children can ‘fall through the net’.
How will lead schools be funded?
All lead schools in Phase One have been given
some start-up funding to enable them to get on with
the job of developing the new service. In future
new funding arrangements will need to be put in
place. A funding proposal has been
recommended, which will take account of the
actual needs in each locality, and this will go out for
consultation. We expect that the new funding
arrangements will be in place for Phase One lead
schools in April 2009.
2008
Does every child have access to the
lead school provision?
Provision in the lead school is available to
children and young people who meet certain
criteria. Provision may be a place in the lead
school itself or support to other schools in the
lead school’s catchment area. Schools
already have funding to meet additional and
special educational needs in their delegated
budgets. The lead school service is for those
children and young people whose needs are
severe and complex and for whom schools do
not receive funding currently. Over time, all
mainstream schools are increasing their
expertise and capacity to meet the needs of
most children and young people with
additional and special educational needs.
What if a parent wants their child to
attend a school that is outside their
lead school catchment area?
The current arrangements will not change.
Parents will still be able to express a
preference for the school of their choice. For
children with Statements, there is no change
to the law. However, the Authority is allowed
to take account of costs, including transport
costs. The Authority can refuse to name a
school in a Statement if it costs more.
Alternatively, parental preference can be
named, but the Authority is not obliged to pay
for transport. If the child or young person
meets the criteria for access to the lead
school service and a placement outside the
catchment area where the child lives is named
in the Statement, arrangements will be made
to ensure that the placement is funded.
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 When does Phase Two start?

Phase One will be the subject of evaluation and
will inform the implementation of Phase Two. For
this reason, Phase One needs a reasonable
amount of time to run so Phase Two is not likely
to commence before 2010. We will provide more
advice when the date is clearer to facilitate
preparation and planning.
How do I find out other information
about the review and
implementation?
Information on the review and the lead school
implementation can be found on kenttrustweb
in Additional Educational Needs News.

Or, you can go straight to Kent County

Council’s main web page. Please follow this
link to Special Educational Needs for further
information.

How can I comment on the implementation or any other aspect of the review?

You can do this by emailing:

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Please note: this is a generic email address that is
checked daily for messages. Parents may wish to contact:
Or by contacting:
Nuala Ryder - 01622 694190 Partnership with Parents
Lead School Implementation Project Manager Shepway Centre
Marlene Morrissey - 01622 694190 Oxford Road
County AEN Manager (Resources) Maidstone
ME15 8AW
Supporting schools & local
Office: 01622 350640
partnerships are:
Helpline: 01622 755515
Suzanne Wilkins Email: partnershipwithparents@kent.gov.uk
Specialist Teaching Service Manager with lead
responsibility for Physical and Sensory Impairment
Andrea White
Specialist Teaching Service Manager with lead
responsibility for Communication & Interaction and
Cognition & Learning

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2008