Agenda item

To consider and comment on the 16+ provision at the Westminster School.

The Head of Westminster School outlined the work undertaken to improve educational and life-skill outcomes for children and young people at Westminster School and set out how the newly established Specialist College post-16 provision had provided new opportunities and skills for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The Westminster School had been at its present location since 2011, developing its offer and had been able to provide the children and young people with skills and opportunities to enable them to be productive and active members of the local community.

Westminster School had gone from being rated Good in 2014 to Outstanding in 2017, the first internship was in 2015, in 2016 the first students entered an apprenticeship and in 2017 the first student moved into paid employment. In 2019 the school had expanded into its own post-16 centre and 2020 saw a visit from a Government Minster. In 2021 the new 19-25 provision was approved.

The Westminster School provided a holistic approach to the curriculum with the child at the centre, the curriculum was specified across six areas;

·      My Creativity;

·      My Community;

·      My Care and Independence;

·      My Thinking Skills;

·      My Communication;

·      My Wellbeing.

The focus across the learning areas was enabling children and young people to become independent not dependent. The structure of education was to not have learning support continuously attached but rather building the skills and confidence of children and young people, to enable them to move from physical, modelled, verbal and general help to independence and independence across different situations.

The post-16 pathways was an effort to develop a genuine and realistic trajectory into employment for young people with SEND. A pathway for young people with SEND had often taken them from school to college, but then rather into employment, they had been consigned to staying at home and living separate to society.

For adults with a learning disability the percentage in England for those in employment was only 4.8% and in the West Midlands it was only 3.3%. The rate had also decreased over the last decade. Considering the money and effort that went into the education of children and young people with a learning disability, the outcome for the majority was very poor.

The Westminster School Specialist College was an attempt to reverse the trend and enable young people to progress into employment and become a valued member of the community. The Specialist College focused on developing employability pathways. Initially young people would be exposed to taster sessions allowing them to see what was on offer for them, following this the young people would be offered work experience to enable them to get a good understanding of what the job would entail. An internship would then develop the young person's ability to undertake the role with an idea that the young person would then move onto direct employment, an apprenticeship or traineeship.

A work readiness rubric enabled young people to be assessed and enable them and the school to understand their strengths but also areas for improvement, the skills-builder enabled a young person’s development to be tracked overtime and demonstrate their growth and readiness for employment.

Since 2017/18 there had been a year-on-year success with 15-30% of young people moving into apprenticeships, internships and paid employment. Whilst the take up and growth of the post-16 provision had not been as great as was expected, the trend had continued to grow and was expected to increase following the introduction of the Specialist College.

The Westminster School Specialist College had allowed for the expansion and renewed focus on developing the skills and abilities of young people post-16, with a focus on those young people aged 19-25. The internship and apprenticeship programme had allowed young people to enter the workforce, gain the necessary skills to undertake a role and ultimately enter paid employment.

The Westminster College had developed good working relationships across businesses in Sandwell and this had allowed many students to undertake apprenticeships and ultimately paid employment from a wide variety of businesses. It was hoped that the Council would consider building an apprenticeship programme that could incorporate some of the Westminster School Specialist College young people.

Following comments and questions from members of the Board, the following responses were made, and issues highlighted:-

·      the Employment and Skills Team recorded destination data for young people leaving education. Looking at destination data across Sandwell would demonstrate a broad range of outcomes;

·      regeneration and employment and skills was a strategic priority for the Council and more work was required in terms of the cost of living crisis, work was required to look holistically at challenges in order to improve outcomes as a whole;

·      levelling out opportunities for young people with SEND was a priority, recognising that current outcomes were not in line with neighbouring authorities;

·      the Council was one of the biggest employers in Sandwell and it was therefore important that SEND apprenticeship opportunities were offered by the authority and its partners;

·      the corporate apprenticeship levy was a means of funding apprenticeships for young people with SEND and allow the Council to get a return on its investment;

·      the Council received £406 million under the dedicated schools grant, of this funding £66 million was identified with the High Needs Block and maximising the return was priority;

·      as a Sandwell school, residents of the borough were a priority in admissions, however, if the model allowed, places at Westminster School could be offered to those who live out of borough;

·      the Council’s Specialist Place Planning Strategy worked to prioritise the placement of children and young people within Sandwell, however, in some instances necessary provision must be sought out of borough;

·      Westminster School worked closely with the Supported Employment Team to identify those young people with SEND who wanted to move into employment and guide them towards the Specialist College post-16 provision;

·      supporting a sustainable growth strategy and getting young people into employment was the focus, which was not just about employment, but rather, about encouraging young people to be part of wider society, and a positive member of that society.

Resolved that the Cabinet Member for Children and Education be requested to provide a response to the Children’s Scrutiny Board on his plans to increase the number of inclusive apprenticeships offered by Sandwell Council and its contractors.

(Councillor Dunn left the meeting)