<p class="xmsonormal">Does your local authority have resourced PD Centres and are their occupancy rates at an acceptable level?</p>
<p class="xmsonormal">Hounslow has a task and finish group looking at our PD Centres which are funded places in mainstream schools (we have one Infant, one Junior and one Secondary PD Centre) where the pupils access mainstream classes for their learning but require some additional physical support (eg therapy rooms, hoists, plinths, accessible minibuses, trained staff) .</p>
<p class="xmsonormal">I have been asked to find out if this type of provision is also to be found in other Local Authorities.</p>
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Jun 30, 2022 11:32 am
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Jun 30, 2022 11:43 am
Many years ago in Manchester we used to have this type of resourced provision.
We moved away from this because under the Equality Act 2010, it is clear that ALL schools should be able to meet the needs of learners with physical disabilities (this includes anticipating and planning to meet the needs of learners they have not yet encountered). Schools are given advice, support and training from a multidisciplinary outreach team with this specialism. The team is led by teachers and TAs but has dedicated time from an occupational therapist, a physiotherapist and a SaLT, enabling join visits and coordinated support. This means that children with PD can attend their local school within their community. I can honestly say this worked extremely well.
Jun 30, 2022 12:29 pm
We're a school in Leicester City for children and young people with complex PD and medical needs. As far as I'm aware I can't think of any resourced PD centres in our Leicester/Leicestershire locality.
We do offer support to mainstream provisions to meet the needs of these learners if required - really an informal PD outreach.
We also run moving and handling training for our local area.
Jun 30, 2022 12:55 pm
Peterborough has approximately 13 schools with SEND "hubs", each with a focus on a different type of SEND, with the idea being that they are a centre of expertise to support other schools (mainly with training and offering advice - some have equipment loan libraries for books and small equipment).
Some have places, including the hubs for PD (one primary and one secondary), which sound similar to your PD Centres, ie pupils access mainstream lessons and have additional support for their physical needs. Secondary numbers are currently pretty constant but primary numbers have fallen in recent years.
Jul 01, 2022 12:14 pm
Thank you Ann- that's really helpful.
Sue
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