OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CHILDCARE PROVISION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS A Report for the New Opportunities Fund

Jo Hutchinson SQW Limited

Enterprise House, Vision Park Histon Cambridge, UK CB4 9ZR July 2003

OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CHILDCARE PROVISION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS A report for the New Opportunities Fund

Copyright: New Opportunities Fund 2003 Published by: Evaluation and Research Team New Opportunities Fund 1 Plough Place London EC4A 1DE Tel: 020 7211 1800 Fax: 020 7211 1750 Email: [email protected] Use of material in this report must be appropriately acknowledged.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

PAGE

Forward by Baroness Pitkeathley

1

1

Introduction

2

2

Provider Characteristics

6

3

Children with Special Needs / Special Educational Needs

11

4

Key Issues for Providers

18

5

Summary and Policy Implications

23

ANNEX Results from the survey

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Forward by Baroness Pitkeathley New Opportunities Fund Chair The New Opportunities Fund (the Fund) was set up in 1998 as a UK-wide Lottery Distributor focusing on education, health and environment. We were set up to target Lottery funding more directly on key areas of social exclusion and disadvantage and this remains one of our key values as an organisation. One of the earliest programmes we launched was the out of school hours childcare programme (OOSHC) with £220 million of Lottery money. It was intended to complement the National Childcare Strategy (and subsequent country-specific childcare strategies), which aims to ensure good quality, affordable childcare for children aged 0 –14 in every neighbourhood. The Fund’s programme, which is only one strand of the childcare strategy, set out to address the lack of provision and to fund the creation of 432,500 new childcare places across the UK, by December 2003. I am pleased to confirm that, to date, we have created just over half a million new childcare places. Despite these ambitious targets and time-scales the Fund has always been concerned that the programme should meet the needs of a wide range of children, including those with special needs and special educational needs (SN / SEN). We were pleased that providers who promised in their application to create places for children with special needs have done so. In some cases providers have created more places than they envisaged and information from our monitoring suggests that between 15 and 16% of new places created through the programme are for children with SN / SEN. However, we were concerned to understand more about the issues facing providers of special needs / special educational needs places – both to inform future policy in general and our own equality in grant making strategy in particular. We commissioned this piece of research, which complements the longitudinal evaluation of the Fund’s out of school hours childcare programme, to review our own performance as a grant-maker, and to learn from the experiences of the programme - both for our future programmes and for other funders. We have been helped in this research, by Contact a Family, an organisation which provides support and advice to families and children with special needs and special educational needs. Their expertise and experience has been invaluable both in planning the study, evaluating the findings and compiling the report. Our grateful thanks are extended to them for their support. Baroness Pitkeathley New Opportunities Fund Chair

1

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

1

Introduction Background

1.1

The New Opportunities Fund is providing £220 million of Lottery funding to create 432,500 new childcare places across the UK. The out of school hours childcare programme aims to provide a significant increase in childcare provision for children aged 3 – 14 (16 with special needs).

1.2

The Fund is concerned to ensure that provision meets the needs of disadvantaged groups, and is accessible to all. It is therefore concerned about the level of take up of these additional places by children with special needs and special educational needs (SN / SEN) – a concern reflected in recent research reports. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation1 for example recently published a report on “Combining work and care” which found that “childcare provision was generally inadequate.

There are very few nurseries and childminders with accessible

buildings and with appropriate training and expertise”. 1.3

Whilst the programme does not specifically set out to target disabled children, as part of the application process, applicants are asked to consider the requirements of children with SN / SEN and are encouraged to create accessible childcare places. The table below provides an estimate of the number of places that are applied for children with SN / SEN. It shows that 10% of places should be accessible to special needs and special educational needs children.

Table 1.1 Awards for Special Needs / Special Educational Needs Places No. of Total value (£) No. of No. of new SN Percentage of awards new / SEN places places for places children with SN / SEN 3,624 £217,932,262 468,500 46,262 10% England 263 £11,409,953 14,494 1,646 11% N. Ireland 508 £27,672,297 48,034 3,045 6% Scotland 338 £14,082,291 24,207 3,722 15% Wales 4,733 £271,096,803 555,235 54,675 10% Total

1

£ given to SN / SEN places £21,010,108 £1,091,528 £1,450,089 £1,781,906 £25,333,631

Carolyn Kagan, Suzan Lewis and Patricia Heaton May 1998 “Combining work and care: working parents of disabled children” Joseph Rowntree Foundation, http://www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialcare/scr538.asp

2

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

1.4

For the Fund’s projects, unit costs per childcare place are higher in specialist than in nonspecialist clubs. In the first year, non-specialist clubs' places cost an average of £455 across the UK, while average costs for specialist clubs are: £663 in England, £844 in Northern Ireland, £879 in Scotland, and £981 in Wales.

1.5

The term “special needs” is used widely by the Fund and by applicants, however it covers a plethora of different interpretations and conditions. The Fund identified a need for it to understand better how the OOSHC programme is meeting the needs of children with special needs and also special educational needs. In particular it wanted to research:

x

the impact of the OOSHC programme on children and young people with special needs and special educational needs;

1.6

x

explore the range of children and young people supported through the programme; and

x

inform the Fund’s thinking on disability issues, in particular sustainability of projects that cater for children with SN / SEN.

The research programme to explore these issues brought together a team of in-house staff together with SQW Ltd to guide and manage the process. SQW are currently undertaking a longitudinal evaluation of the out of school hours childcare programme which has involved extensive case study based research. This provides both the context, and a benchmark for this current research. It will be referred to in this report as the main OOSHC evaluation. Definitions

1.7

Throughout this report we are using the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) definition of Special Educational Needs (SEN) which is that a child is defined as having special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty which needs special teaching. A learning difficulty means that the child has significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age. Or, it means a child has a disability which needs different educational facilities from those that schools generally provide for children of the same age in the area.

3

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

1.8

The children who need special educational provision are not only those with obvious learning difficulties such as those who are physically disabled, deaf or blind. They include those whose learning difficulties are less apparent, such as slow learners and emotionally vulnerable children.

1.9

In Scotland, with the introduction of The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament in October 2003, there has been a move away from the term ‘special educational needs’ towards the broader term ‘additional support needs’. Children or young people will have additional support needs if they are unable to benefit from school education provided, without the provision of additional support. This report does not use the wider term, but the use of ‘special educational needs’ here may generally be considered transferable to the concept of ‘additional support needs’.

1.10

Under the term Special Needs (SN) we are using the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (October 1996) as “A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.”

1.11

It is important to note that not all children with special needs have special educational needs and vice versa. Method

1.12

The research was designed to provide an exploration of the issues facing providers who work with children with SN and/or SEN. A survey was needed to offer a wide range of perspectives and, because the issues are both exploratory and complex, a telephone survey was chosen as a way to provide both quantitative overview and qualitative insight.

1.13

A telephone survey instrument was designed by researchers at SQW with the Fund. Valuable insight to the research and the survey design was provided by Contact a Family.

The

schedule of telephone questions was piloted by SQW with two childcare clubs who had participated in the main evaluation of OOSHC and who, we knew, had some active provision for children with SN / SEN. 1.14

As part of the main OOSHC evaluation SQW undertook a postal survey of all Childcare Partnerships in the UK. As part of this survey it was possible to “piggy back” some questions about SN / SEN provision on to the main questionnaire. The aim of this was two-fold: firstly to get some background data as to the general level of provision, and secondly to gather contacts for the telephone survey. It was successful in the latter, but less so in the former.

4

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Many partnerships who responded did not attempt to complete this section (only 53 of the 79 respondents), and of those 53, very few were able to answer all questions. Nevertheless, 50 partnerships thought that a total of 1553 mainstream providers had provision for children with both SN and SEN, but that only 712 (46%) were currently caring for children with SN / SEN.

1.15

The survey did however provide 101 contacts, from which a sample of 47 was drawn – one per Childcare Partnership responding. The contacts were those who offered provision but not necessarily those who had received recent support from the New Opportunities Fund. In total 40 telephone interviews were completed (28 in England, 2 Northern Ireland, 9 in Scotland and 1 in Wales). They were undertaken in March and April 2003. Data was input and analysed by a team at the Fund.

1.16

The tables in Annex One provide the results from the survey. In some instances the response to identical questions asked of 74 clubs which are part of the main evaluation research are also provided to offer a comparator.

In terms of representativeness, the 40 clubs who

participated in this element of research can be divided into two groups – specialist providers (15) and non-specialist providers (25). The latter have similar characteristics to those of the clubs participating in the main research, which are thought to be typical of the type of provision which currently operates in the UK. Report structure 1.17

The next chapter sets out the characteristics of providers, and draws attention to the split between specialist and non-specialist providers.

The following chapter outlines the

characteristics and needs of children with SN / SEN who take up the opportunity for out of school hours childcare. The next chapter outlines the key issues reported by providers who work with these children. Finally a section is provided offering a summary with policy implications.

5

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

2

Provider Characteristics Introduction

2.1

The research contacted both specialist and non-specialist providers - respondents to the telephone survey were asked to say whether or not they were specialist providers. Specialist providers offered support which is tailored to the needs of children with special needs / special educational needs – some worked mostly with children with a particular condition. In some places and particularly those with high populations concentrations, there are some quite complex networking arrangements in place where providers can call upon specialist skills from the voluntary or the statutory sector to assist their service. The case study below provides a good example of such an arrangement. Case Study One This not for profit club has been running since 1996 and offers out of school hours provision for children between the ages of 3 and 14 at four sites, running before and after school as well as during the school holidays. They have links with 26 local schools. Attendance at the clubs varies from site to site with one being 100% full and others experiencing less than full capacity. Before school provision tends to be less popular than after school. The club is not a specialist provider, but they work in close association with a voluntary organisation who provide inclusive play opportunities for children with disabilities. There are eight children with special needs and special education needs attending one of their sites, with conditions ranging from learning difficulties to cerebral palsy and epilepsy. The club has a registration process which includes specific queries of parents about their children’s needs. The voluntary organisation also refers children to the club. The clubs are based in various buildings from a community hall to a school. One site is not accessible to wheelchair users and this therefore restricts which children can attend. The clubs have found it hard to recruit staff with specialist skills, but have overcome this by offering a comprehensive induction programme for general staff that includes working with children with special needs and special educational needs. The club is very aware of ensuring the children attending the club fit in and are happy. An example of this is was when a child with autism joined a club. Alongside a voluntary organisation that has experience of autism, the club ran an autism workshop for the children who were already attending to prepare them for their new joiner and pre-empt any issues that may otherwise have arisen. The club has received three grants from the New Opportunities Fund, which has enabled them to expand the clubs and enhance the service they were already offering. Other funding comes from fees, Childcare Partnerships and social inclusion funding.

6

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Volume of provision 2.2

The survey contacted 40 providers who between them offered 1552 childcare places for a total of 3669 children, of whom 1074 had either SN or SEN. Table 2.1 sets out a breakdown of this by specialist and non-specialist providers.

Table 2.1 Specialist Providers (N = 15) Number of childcare places

445

Non-Specialist Providers (N = 25) 1107

Number of children enrolled

1052

2617

3669

Number of children attending with SN

855

146

1001

Number of children attending with SEN

580

102

682

Number of children with either SN or SEN2

890

184

1074

2.3

Total 1552

Part of the remit of the research was to try to generate an understanding of the number of children with special needs and special education needs who are able to access out of school hours childcare. There are a number of individual pieces of evidence we can use to build up a picture of this:-

2.4

x

Just taking non-specialist providers who participated in this survey – the 25 managers we spoke to cared for a total of 184 children with either special needs or special educational needs (a mean of 7 per provider). This gives an estimate of 17% of places being taken by children with either SN or SEN.

x

78% of case study clubs in the main evaluation had at least one child with SN / SEN who regularly attended the club - this gives an estimate of 2%3 of places being taken by children with SN / SEN.

x

The Fund’s monitoring returns report that 15 – 16% of places are actually taken by children with SN / SEN.

The Childcare Partnership survey yielded limited insight into this issue – one third of Childcare Partnerships could not provide any information on the provision or take up of places for children with special needs and special educational needs. Of those that did, it was reported that 1553 mainstream clubs had provision for children with SN / SEN, but that only

2

SN / SEN are not mutually exclusive. Some children may have SN but not SEN, some may have both, whilst others may SEN but not SN.

3

Clubs have a minimum of one place per provider being taken by children with SN/SEN and an average club size of 48 places (from telephone survey)

7

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

712 clubs actually had children attending (46%). Nevertheless it is then reported that those 712 clubs provide care for 3716 children with SN / SEN – an average of 5 children per provider. This gives an estimate of 5%4 of places for children with SN / SEN. 2.5

The evidence for take up of non-specialist out of school childcare places by children with special needs and special educational needs remains imprecise – at worst fewer than 2% of places are taken by this group – and at best this could be up to 17%. It is probable that in reality the proportion of places taken by children with SN and SEN is towards the lower end of this spectrum – this is because the sample that gives the 17% figure used in this survey is both small and self-selected. Specialist Providers

2.6

The 15 specialist providers that responded to the survey cared for 890 children with SN / SEN (an average of 59 children).

2.7

Specialist providers are:

x

all not-for-profit organisations;

x

as likely to be based in schools as in community facilities;

x

providing care for greater numbers (per provider) of SN young people with an average of 57 children for specialists compared with 6 for non-specialists; and

x

providing care for greater numbers (per provider) of SEN young people with an average of 39 children for specialists compared with 4 for non-specialists.

2.8

Given this difference, some of the analysis breaks out specialist provision from non-specialist for greater clarity of message.

4

Mean number of places being 48, 46% of clubs having an average of 5 children each (from Childcare Partnership survey)

8

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Inclusivity 2.9

Inclusive service provision is being developed in a number of spheres and out of school childcare is no exception. The central theme is to treat children as children first, with equal rights to access play, learning and care opportunities. Other principles are that5:

2.10

x

key partners work together;

x

children are consulted when planning the service as a whole;

x

children are supported to be as independent as they are able or want to be when participating in activities; and

x

service providers are able to meet the requirements of current legislation.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of all the providers who participated in the survey had an inclusion policy in place. Unfortunately the same question was not asked of Childcare Partnerships or as part of the main OOSHC evaluation, so we are unable to assess whether this is exceptional (and partly explained by the nature of the sample), or whether the inclusiveness agenda is being adopted extensively at a grass-roots level – and if so, what the drivers are behind this development.

2.11

Nevertheless there were interesting approaches being developed by clubs to respond to the inclusiveness agenda. These include:

5

x

One club found it very important that all children felt included – they make sure ALL children can do ALL activities (see case study two).

x

A specialist provider was very keen to encourage a range of children into the club so that children with SN / SEN had the experience of playing with other children and to try and encourage inclusiveness.

x

One club was not a specialist provider but had very close links with ‘Partners in Play’ who are a voluntary organisation who aim is to provide inclusive play opportunities for disabled children and young people in their local community. ‘Partners in Play’ ran workshops with all the children before they had a child with autism starting at the club to prepare the children (and their parents).

Bolton EYDCP, Inclusive Playcare Model

9

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Case Study Two This out of school hours provision has been running for eight years providing a holiday club for children between the ages of 4 to 15 years. Based in a local school they have about 120 children enrolled. The club is able to have 75 children attend on a daily basis, but they never have more than 45 children attending each session. They have four children enrolled that have special needs or special educational needs. Their conditions range from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to autism. Employing qualified staff is always an issue for the clubs, especially when they need extra staff to be able to take children with special needs or special educational needs. This club has two staff that work at a special needs school, as well as receiving funding that pays for an extra member of staff to provide the one-to-one care needed for the child with autism. This club has an inclusion policy to ensure that all the children feel part of the club. No activities or games take place that the children with special needs or special educational needs can’t take part in, but they also don’t do any games that just these children can take part in thus excluding all the other children. ALL children take part in ALL activities. The club is funded through fees (one large commercial company pays 10% of the fees for their staff who have children attending the club) and the Childcare Partnership.

10

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

3

Children with Special Needs / Special Educational Needs Introduction

3.1

Special Needs and Special Educational Needs are complementary but not mutually exclusive terms. Some children may have Special Needs but have no Special Educational Needs, some may have both, whilst others have Special Educational Needs but not Special Needs. Whilst the terms have legal standing, in practice there are some difficulties with using them – in particular children may have either SN or SEN but may not have completed the tests or the procedures to have them recognised. Local Education Authorities in England & Wales and Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland can make an assessment of a child’s educational need, if they then decide that the child has a special need a statement of special educational need must be made – usually called statementing. This process for SEN can take some time and many children may not be statemented before they reach the age of 7 or 8 years (although this does vary between areas and dependent upon individual circumstances). In Scotland the Education Authorities establish whether a child or young person has additional support needs. Co-ordinated Support Plans (CSPs) are for children and young people with additional support needs arising from complex or multiple factors. The aim of a CSP is to plan long-term for the achievement of a child’s or young persons’ educational outcomes.

3.2

The research needed to find out further detail about the range of conditions which providers of out of school hours childcare cater for. A list of conditions, drawn from the DfES consultation on Special Educational Needs and Sure Start documentation was compiled (and tested as part of the piloting process). The results from this question should be taken to be indicative of the range of children’s needs and the frequency with which some conditions are catered for. We need to be cautious about extrapolating these results to a national scale for two key reasons: they are based on the recall of managers over the phone without access to detailed notes; and they report the number of children with one of a range of conditions, rather than the number of children who have a particular set of conditions – in other words a child who has more than one condition will be counted more than once. Conditions

3.3

Table 3.1 sets out the needs and conditions of children with SN / SEN who are attending out of school hours childcare provision, split between specialist and non-specialist providers. 11

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Unsurprisingly it shows that specialist providers offer care for many more children (890) compared with non-specialist (184). It demonstrates that non-specialist providers are most likely to care for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, moderate learning difficulties and some long term health conditions. It is rare for them to have children with severe learning difficulties or multi-sensory deprivation. 3.4

The table also demonstrates a clear split between the probability of specialist providers catering for certain conditions compared to non-specialist providers. In particular the former care for many more young people with severe learning difficulties (30% of children), autistic spectrum disorder (41% of children) and physical difficulties (23% of children). However, this is not to say that non-specialist clubs do not care for children with these conditions – merely that it is less common.

Table 3.1 Needs and conditions of children with SN / SEN (Specialist Provider = 890 children and Non-Specialist Provider = 184 Children) Specialist Provider Non-Specialist Provider Per cent Number Per cent Number 3

29

8

15

Moderate Learning Difficulty

16

146

14

25

Severe learning difficulty

30

263

5

9

Profound and multiple learning difficulty

21

188

2

3

Behavioural, emotional and social difficulty (including mental health problems)

24

214

27

50

Speech, language and communication needs

21

191

10

19

Hearing impairment

4

37

3

5

Visual impairment

4

34

0.5

1

Multi-sensory impairment

11

94

2

3

Physical difficulty

23

201

9

17

Long term health conditions (inc. HIV/Aids, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy)

17

147

13

24

Autistic spectrum disorder

41

362

9

17

8

15

Specific Learning Difficulty (dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia)

6 32 Other NB Have used number of children rather than number of responses. Will not add up to 100% because there has been multiple responses.

12

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Autism

3.5

The table shows that the most frequently reported condition among the specialist providers contacted was autism (41% of children in specialist but also 9% of children in non-specialist settings). Contact a Family6 offer the following definition of autism: the ‘autistic spectrum’ (also known as ‘pervasive developmental disorder’) is the term used for a range of disorders affecting the development of social interaction, communication and imagination. This triad of impairments may be due to severe problems in making sense of experiences, especially the complicated, constantly changing social world. This results in a lack of imaginative understanding of other people's thoughts, feelings and needs and difficulty in acquiring the subtle, unspoken rules of social interaction. Instead of the usual wide range of social interests, those affected have a narrow, repetitive pattern of activities that absorb most or all of their attention.

3.6

There is great variation in the way the triad is manifested and attempts have been made to define subgroups. The best known of these are ‘typical autism’ and ‘Asperger syndrome’. The former term is usually used for those who have no interest in social interaction, little or no language, and who tend to live in their own world of stereotyped activities. Asperger syndrome is usually used for those who are more able, who have better language development and who try to make social contacts but in naive and inappropriate ways. In clinical practice, all suggested subgroups, including Asperger syndrome and typical autism, overlap with each other and the boundaries are unclear. A small proportion of individuals with the triad have remarkably high levels of ability in one or two specific skills in contrast to their impairments in other areas - the so-called ‘autistic savants’.

3.7

As the needs of autistic children vary tremendously, the response taken by providers has to be tailored to the individual child.

6

x

One club who has a child attending with autism had a care policy for him which included one to one support.

x

One of the sample was a holiday club specifically for children with autistic spectrum disorders. The severity of autism varies from one child to another. Specialist toys and play equipment such as adapted computer hardware and software are provided by the club. Because the club is solely for children with autism it gives them the opportunity to feel safe and comfortable within their peer group and other children with autism.

http://www.cafamily.org.uk/Direct/a84.html

13

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

x

Another club includes a total of 17 children with SN or SEN and two of those children have severe autism. Each child is provided with a one to one staff ratio on outings.

x

A club with children with severe autism has a one to one worker provided via social services.

Learning Difficulties

3.8

Learning difficulties also feature strongly among the responses. In several cases it was difficult for respondents to distinguish between “moderate”, “severe” and “profound and multiple” learning difficulties. Figure 3.1 provides the DfES definition of these conditions. Figure 3.1: Learning Difficulties Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD) Moderate Learning Difficulty is used to describe developmental delay across a number of areas. Pupils with moderate learning difficulty will have attainments below expected levels in most subjects across the curriculum. Pupils have difficulty in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in many cases will have speech and language difficulties associated with intellectual delay. A few may also have low self-esteem, low levels of concentration, under-developed social skills and have behavioural, emotional and social difficulty and/or physical disability that affect their learning abilities. Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD) Severe Learning Difficulty is used to describe pupils who have significant global delay. Pupils with SLD may also have mobility and co-ordination difficulties, sensory difficulties, communication difficulties and challenging behaviour. Pupils with SLD have difficulty with all areas of the curriculum and find it difficult to develop social skills. They often require support in learning self help and social 7 skills. Their attainments may be within the P scale range for much of their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum). Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty (PMLD) Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulty have more than one significant disability. In addition to severe learning difficulties, pupils often have more severe physical difficulties and a greater degree of intellectual impairment. Pupils require a high level of one to one support, both for their learning needs and also for their personal care. Their attainments are likely to remain in the P scale range throughout their school careers.

3.9

The type of condition will affect the care needs of individual children. In some mild cases their abilities and the type of play activities which clubs provide mean there are few additional care requirements. In other cases the more profound learning difficulties are associated with other conditions which in themselves require additional or specialist support.

7

A scale of performance criteria which has been developed to support schools by providing a common basis for measuring the progress of pupils for whom the early levels of the National Curriculum are not appropriate

14

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

x

One club explained that a child who attended had problems with Maths. For general activities the child did not need extra support, however when any activities involved Maths the staff were aware of the child’s needs and supported that child accordingly.

x

Another club noted that a child with SEN needs one to one assistance to do his homework and to focus on activities.

Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

3.10

Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (including mental health issues) were experienced by a quarter of children with SN or SEN. This was either associated with another condition, or, very often ADHD was cited.

3.11

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is amongst the most commonly diagnosed behavioural

disorders

in

children

and

young

people8.

Core

symptoms

include

developmentally inappropriate levels of activity and impulsivity and an impaired ability to sustain attention. Affected children and young people have difficulty regulating their activities to conform to expected norms and as a result are frequently unpopular with adults and peers. They often fail to achieve their potential and many have co-morbid difficulties such as developmental delays, specific learning problems and other emotional and behavioural disorders. The reported prevalence of ADHD in school age children varies from 1.7% to 17.8% depending on the criteria used. Most estimates lie between 5% and 10%. 3.12

8

Clubs commented: x

A child suffering from ADHD had a mild version of the condition and didn’t need one to one assistance when in the after school club.

x

One project mentioned that children with ADHD have poor concentration skills and sometimes the child’s behaviour was disruptive to the rest of the club. Extra staff were employed to support and work with these children.

x

Clubs that had children attending with ADHD found they needed additional monitoring and close attention, especially when children took their medication.

Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, Website address: http://www.sign.ac.uk

15

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Other conditions

3.13

Physical difficulties were reported of 20% of children (23% in specialist provision and 9% in non-specialist). Again this encompasses a range of needs from wheelchair users and those with special medical equipment to aid mobility, to children with conditions which affect their balance and movement skills.

3.14

Speech, language and communication needs also affected 20% of children (21% in specialist provision and 10% in non-specialist). We can assume that of these, half (97 children) had multi-sensory impairment (including affecting hearing and vision). Support Needs

3.15

Table 3.2 summarises the provision which clubs currently have in place. Specialist providers were able to offer a wider range of facilities for children with SN / SEN than others – this was particularly the case when the provision was linked to a special school which may have been purpose built or specially adapted, and would have access to a wider range of equipment, facilities and staffing expertise (see case study three). Table 3.2 : Q4.12 What provision do you currently have in place (n=40) Per cent Number Wheelchair access 75 30 Fire evacuation chairs 23 9 Portable rampage 10 4 Other 8 3 Toys and play equipment 75 30 Adapted Computer hardware 35 14 Adapted computer software 38 15 Other 10 4 Adapted transport 28 11 Additional transport 18 7 We don’t have transport needs anyway 15 6 Other 18 7 Child brings own medical equipment 70 28 Child brings own other equipment 23 9 Intimate care requirements 20 8 Additional general staff 25 10 Additional specialist staff 48 19 Parent provides staffing resource 3 1 Additional training for staff 35 14 Parents provide training for staff on their child’s needs 15 6

16

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

3.16

Beyond this however, three factors come in to play. The first is that children who need special equipment take it wherever they go – so in 70% of clubs there are children who bring their own medical equipment while in 23% of clubs they will bring other equipment.

3.17

The second key factor is that although clubs may provide toys and play equipment that are specially designed, they will also use existing “ordinary” equipment which all children can use. Consequently, in some cases the provision of specialist play equipment (such as soft rooms, multi-sensory rooms, or hydrotherapy pools), or indeed other specialist equipment such as changing facilities, or physical hoists, are desirable for some conditions. However in many cases clubs are able to use their existing equipment, or purchase or borrow new equipment which is appropriate for all children.

3.18

Finally, the key additional resource which almost all clubs identified was staffing time and expertise. Twenty-five clubs had either additional general staff or specialist staff or both in place. Others (35%) had additional training in place for staff (while many more commented they would like to access additional training). Case Study Three This specialist club first opened for use in 1993 and has 35 children enrolled aged between 5 to 15 years. The club is run at a community facility and currently operates after school during term time and during school hours in the holidays. The club has a high attendance rate and due to this operates a waiting list. All the children attending have either special needs or special education needs and the conditions range from severe learning difficulties to physical difficulties and multi-sensory impairment. The club learns about the children’s needs through specifically asking parents at registration and they also receive referrals from social services. The club provides totally adapted provision for the children, which include wheel chair access, changing facilities, specialist toys and equipment and fully trained staff. A staff meeting before every session is held for half an hour to discuss who is attending that day and to plan what activities will be available for the session. The club charges a fee to parents and also gets funding from charities and social services. Although the club understands that it will always have to apply for funding, it feels it will be financially sustainable for at least the next three years.

3.19

Given the range of conditions and needs of children with SN / SEN there are, of course, exceptions to these generalisations. In some cases clubs do go to great lengths to acquire the appropriate equipment, adapt facilities and recruit additional staff to meet the needs of children. These will be discussed in greater detail in the next section.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

4

Key Issues for Providers Introduction

4.1

The previous two chapters have been descriptive in presenting the results of the telephone survey to establish the nature of provision and that of the needs of children with SN / SEN. This section discusses some of the key issues which arise from those findings, in particular those relating to staffing, additional requirements (including transport and facilities), and the issues of funding and club sustainability. Case Study Four highlights how these can combine and generate challenges for a young organisation. Case Study Four This Wales based childcare club, which only opened in January 2003, provides after school care during term time and a play scheme during the holidays. Based in a local school it has 11 children attending with special needs or special educational needs, aged between 8 and 16 years. The club is a specialist provider and the children attending have a wide range of conditions from down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, and autism, to learning difficulties. The club is linked to a special school and therefore only accepts children who attend that school. The club learns about the children’s needs from both the school and by specifically asking parents in the registration process. The club has excellent facilities as a result of being based at the school. These facilities include, fire evacuation chairs, portable ramp, adapted computer hardware and software. There are five staff currently working at the club although one-to-one staff is provided when required. At present the club charges parents quite high fees to cover staffing requirements, however it is looking into gaining more funding to enable them to reduce these fees. They have found it difficult to recruit staff with experience, skills and qualifications as the job is low paid and part-time and qualified staff prefer a full-time position. The club reports that general staff find it more challenging than expected to work with children with special needs or special educational needs, and this unfortunately lead to a high turnover of staff. The club received funding of £49,300 for three years from the New Opportunities Fund and this will be used to purchase equipment and employ staff. For the future the club will need additional funding and donations to be financially sustainable.

Staffing 4.2

Two thirds of clubs reported that they needed additional staff to be able to care effectively for children with SN / SEN. In many cases, additional specialist staff were not required, it was more a matter of ensuring that either the staff: child ratio was higher, or that a child could have a dedicated carer to offer one to one attention. In some instances a lack of staff numbers has limited the amount of support which a club is able to offer:

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

x

4.3

one club with limited resources and staffing is unable to have more than two or three children with physical difficulties attending the club at the same time. This sometimes led the club to turn children away from particular sessions.

Many providers face similar staffing issues to those who offer regular out of school hours childcare. These issues include problems recruiting general staff (reported by over half of providers in this survey). Recruitment is difficult because the role has a number of inherent drawbacks which make it less attractive: short hours (which are difficult for parents), low rates of pay, lack of defined career progression and temporary contracts. This is particularly true in areas of high employment and low unemployment. Consequently several clubs relied on using students (particularly those taking medical, nursing or child development qualifications), and others who saw it as a way of gaining work experience.

4.4

However, 19 clubs also had additional specialist staff. This figure may have been higher were it not for the fact that over two thirds reported difficulties in recruiting staff with skills for working with children with SN / SEN (and delays in some cases due to the problems with staff getting a criminal records check).

4.5

Problems recruiting general staff will merely be exacerbated when trying to recruit specialist staff. Clubs have developed a range of responses:

4.6

x

Those attached to special schools may offer staff there extra hours.

x

If a child has a special needs worker in school then that worker may be willing to continue that role in the out of school setting.

x

Six clubs reported that they encourage parents to train staff on the requirements of their child.

x

Some clubs may recruit parents – going through the normal recruitment procedures.

x

To help with staff recruitment one club invited those interested in working for them to visit the club and spend the day with them prior to interview. This helped give candidates a chance to find out more and meet the children they would be working with. Prior to encouraging this visit the club had quite a high turnover of staff.

The most common response however is to secure specialist training for general staff. Fourteen clubs reported that they had this in place already.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

x

One club had a very good introduction programme once staff started which included specialist training.

x

One club had received funding from the New Opportunities Fund to train their staff to work with children with SN / SEN.

x

4.7

Staff training is available for another club through good working links with the Play Association.

Several clubs did, however raise problems with training – notably:

x

The availability of suitable courses.

x

Access to training – where courses were only available at times which raised barriers to participation (evening classes for parents for example).

x

One club noted that additional training was rarely available to all staff due to lack of resources and time.

x

One club reported that after paying for their training to NVQ Level 3, staff tended to leave shortly after getting their qualifications.

Additional Requirements 4.8

Providers are generally very keen to ensure that they can offer provision for everyone and will explore many avenues to ensure that the needs of potential users can be met. In some cases this does generate certain obstacles which need to be overcome. For example one club wanted to put in wheelchair access but found that because their building was owned by the Local Authority, they had to submit plans to them first before they could engage builders – something that can be a lengthy process.

4.9

In other cases, at the application stage the club will discuss the needs of children with their parents, and what additional facilities or resources are required.

Some clubs have the

resources, or access to funds from the Childcare Partnership for example, to provide different equipment or facilities, but many struggle with the additional costs. 4.10

Resources required also include the energy and commitment of staff. Two clubs specifically pointed to instances where they wanted to provide facilities that ensured that all children can do the same activities. One club had taken all their children ice-skating but they found that it

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

had involved a great deal of planning and support from volunteers, staff and parents. They would like to do this more often but had found it difficult to provide the resources for the children. Sustainability 4.11

A main source of income for all providers was parental fees (93%). Other sources include the New Opportunities Fund (60%), the local Childcare Partnership (43%) and charities and trust funds (40%). Two thirds of clubs thought that they would at least break even in a years time (the same as in the main evaluation), while a marginally higher proportion (75%) thought they would break even or make a surplus in three years time.

4.12

As with the main evaluation, these assessments of sustainability are often qualified by the providers ability to attract project or grant funding from the range of charities, trusts, local, regional and national government funding pots. Anecdotally, it appears that the specialist providers have good and well established relationships with some of the major charities who are better able to offer support year on year.

4.13

Half of the clubs we surveyed had recently received funding from the New Opportunities Fund. The levels of award were generally slightly higher than in the main OOSHC evaluation (where 47% of awards were for less than £20,000 compared with 35% in this survey), although this does not tell us much about whether the awards recognised that higher staff ratio’s mean higher cost per place, or whether this simply reflects higher number of places per award. As in the main evaluation clubs noted that the award had primarily enabled them to set up provision in the first place, to buy equipment, and to pay for staff.

4.14

Specialist providers were far less likely to be assured of their future funding than non specialist as the tables 4.1 and 4.2 below show. In fact, 6 of the 15 (40%) specialist providers think that they will be making a loss in three years time compared with the general figure from the main evaluation of 9%. Clearly, they are acutely aware that they will never be selffinancing and will always need additional grant support to offer their services.

Table 4.1: To what extent will the club, in its current form, be financially sustainable in one years time? (N = 40) Specialist Provider (15) Non-Specialist Provider (25) OOSHC eval (73) Bands Per cent Number Per cent Number Per cent Number Break even 40 6 68 17 52 38 Make a loss 47 7 20 5 37 27 Make a surplus 0 0 12 3 11 8 Club now closed 13 2 0 0

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Table 4.2: To what extent will the club, in its current form, be financially sustainable in three years time? (N = 39) Specialist Provider (15) Non-Specialist Provider (24) OOSHC eval (73) Bands Per cent Number Per cent Number Break even 40 6 54 13 60 41 Make a loss 40 6 8 2 9 8 Make a surplus 7 1 38 9 29 20 Club now closed 14 2 0

4.15

For the third of clubs who were concerned about their financial viability within the year, there are a range of exacerbating circumstances.

x

The unit costs for the childcare for children with SN / SEN was much higher, sometimes up to four times as much. Clubs are unable to charge parents the full unit cost for the place (up to £50 per day). So for the club to be sustainable they will be reliant on funding from other sources (eg local authority or charities).

x

One club was extremely dependent on the fees charged to parents. They found that if parents were unable to afford to use the club then problems around sustaining the project will occur.

x

A couple of clubs have expressed concern in the delay of receiving tax credits from the Inland Revenue. This has resulted in late fee payments which means that some parents are sending their children but cannot pay yet (leading to cash flow problems), while other parents are being cautious and not sending their children at all (leading to loss of capacity).

x

One club expressed the view that people’s general perceptions of playschemes are that they are not needed. People fail to recognise that the playschemes act as crucial role in children development. As a result of this funding is difficult to obtain.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

5

Summary and Policy Implications

The impact of the programme on children with SN / SEN 5.1

The main evaluation found that the out of school hours childcare programme had been very influential in setting up new provision and expanding existing provision. The evidence from that evaluation in terms of the impact of that new provision for children with special needs and special educational needs is limited. It reported that 78% of case study clubs did have at least one child with SN / SEN attending – which translates to a minimum take-up of 2% of places.

5.2

This research has found that in terms of provision by mainstream providers, we can expect the maximum number of children to be supported by a provider to be about seven – although the range is quite broad. Taking just the non-specialist clubs who participated in this survey, of a total of 1107 places, 184 were for children with special needs and special educational needs – 17% of the total. We would treat this as the upper end of the spectrum of provision, simply because the sample is both small, and specially selected.

5.3

Some providers reported that they would be happy to take more children if parents would bring them forward, and that in some cases the real challenge is to persuade parents that their children will be well looked after and will be able to integrate and to participate in the activities that are on offer.

5.4

Greater clarity in terms of the take up of provision by children with special needs and special educational needs is still needed to assist policy makers. It would be helpful if Childcare Partnerships could report on this consistently and comprehensively – in our experience while two thirds of partnerships could provide some information, their responses were often partial.

The range of needs 5.5

The respondents to the survey demonstrated that they cared for children with a wide spectrum of special need and special educational need. However, non-specialist providers were more likely to care for young people with conditions such as behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, those with learning difficulties or with long term health conditions than other conditions.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

5.6

Specialist providers reported working with a full range of conditions, most often children with autism and severe learning difficulties.

5.7

Many of the conditions which are presented by children, and are discussed briefly in the report, can have a range of severity and so it is difficult for respondents to generalise about the needs of children with a particular condition. Support has to be tailored to the needs of each individual child. However a number of general factors regarding facilities and resources required by providers did emerge. These are:

x

Children who have specialist medical or other support equipment often bring it with them.

x

There is a continual need for staff who are either specialist, or who are willing to be trained.

5.8

x

Training that is appropriate, accessible and affordable is not as widely available as it needs to be.

x

Special play resources are not needed in all cases, but care should be taken to ensure that toys, books and software are reflective of the experiences of all children.

Training appears to be a particular concern – the need for more accessible and appropriate training was often referred to and appears to be widely recognised among providers, but there is little research or overview available on how widespread the shortfall is. This could be taken by the relevant training organisation or the Sector Skills Development Agency. Sustainability

5.9

As in the main evaluation, short and medium term concerns about sustainability are evident among this group of providers. Specialist providers were more certain than average that they will never be able to make a surplus and will always need additional funding – anecdotally these are also the types of providers who are very knowledgeable about alternative funding sources and who (through links with national charities) may have slightly more options for funding sources than others.

5.10

The lack of funding sources is clearly a concern for clubs whose unit costs are higher because of the staffing and other resource implications of caring for children with special needs and special educational needs. Clubs reported that parents of children with SN /SEN may want to access the provision for reasons other than to enable them to work – it might give them some

24

Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

respite (time to themselves or to focus on their other children), or it might be to encourage greater social skills or interaction with other children.

The New Opportunities Fund’s

economic model of childcare provision (that is to remove barriers of childcare to encourage parents to participate more fully in the labour market and for clubs to become self-sustaining by charging market fees to parents) does not fit happily with this rationale for out of school hours childcare. 5.11

There is a need for funding which clubs who do cater for these children are able to access – both contingency funding (for example to pay a worker to offer one to one support for a newly enrolled child) and for higher level general funding (to enable the provider to plan and offer staff training, and improve their facilities). Clubs may be able to benefit from new legislation (in operation since April 2003 in England and Wales, June 2003 in Scotland and likely to be implemented in Northern Ireland by the end of 2003) which requires social services to hand support payments directly to parents to enable parents to chose what support they want to access. This may make out of school hours childcare more affordable for some and it might be sufficient to pay for an extra worker to care for their child in some sessions.

5.12

The other alternative source of funding is the Childcare Partnership. For example each partnership in England gets a proportion of the Children’s Fund specifically for special needs children. Further investigation on how such funding is used, and the extent to which out of school childcare is able to access funding would be helpful. Inclusion

5.13

The research found high awareness of inclusion and inclusion policies among both specialist and non-specialist providers (to ensure equality of access of all children to all provision). Partnership wide inclusion policies can be a helpful framework within which to encourage take up of opportunities by children with SN / SEN, and to ensure that providers are supported in their efforts to ensure that all children have an equally valuable experience of play at their club.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Annex A: Survey Responses Sample characteristics

The providers who participated in the telephone survey were nominated by local Childcare Partnerships as schemes which offer provision for children with special needs – they were not randomly selected. It is therefore helpful to offer a comparison between their characteristics and those of the participants in the main OOSHC evaluation (a selection of 73 typical cases) where this is appropriate. The table below outlines some of the key characteristics of the sample compared with the main OOSHC evaluation sample. There are broad similarities between this sample and that of the main evaluation in that similar proportions charge fees, have business plans, most offer after school care and holiday provision is also important. However it does show that rather more of the SN / SEN sample are not for profit organisations run from schools and with less “wrap around” provision than the main evaluation sample. This may be a reflection of the fact that they include 15 specialist providers who have stronger links with local authorities and schools, a different client base and market.

Key characteristics of providers SN / SEN Sample (n=40) Profit? Club is run for profit Club is run not for profit Premises School Private sector Community Other Operation times Before school After school In holidays – school hours In holidays – out of school hours Saturdays Fees charged? Yes No Business Plan Yes No

OOSHC sample (n=73)

10 90

19 81

57.5 5 30 7.5

49 Not asked 45 6

30 80 78 30

47 93 68 63

15

1

95 5

96 4

75 25

85 15

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Provision was also for children of a broader age range in this sample than in the evaluation sample. Here ranges regularly extended up to 16 and even 19 years of age compared with the more general range of 4 – 11 years found in the main evaluation study. One project explained that they encourage children with special needs to stay on at the club for as long as possible so they can receive support and help with their disability. They recognise that once they become adults the help and support they still need is not as easy to receive as it was when they attended the club. Survey responses Q1.6 Total number of registered places (SP = 15 and NSP = 24) Specialist Provider Non-Specialist Provider Bands Per cent Number Per cent Number 0 – 16 47 7 17 4 17 – 24 20 3 8 2 25 – 32 13 2 17 4 33 - 40 0 0 17 4 41 – 56 0 0 21 5 57+ 20 3 21 5 Specialist: Non-specialist: Range = 0 – 144 Range = 0 - 200 Mean average = 30 Mean average = 46

Q1.6 Total number of places split by when the club operates Holiday only No of Holiday included places (7) no of places (27) Band (places) 0 – 16 4 5 17 – 24 1 3 25 – 32 0 4 33 - 40 1 3 41 – 56 0 5 57+ 1 7 Holiday only Holiday included Range = 0 - 75 Range = 0 - 200

Q1.7 Number of social service places (N = 39) Per cent Yes 85% No 15%

Q1.8 Number of children enrolled (N = 40) Band (children) Per cent 1-40 45 41-80 17.5 81-120 22.5 120+ 15 Range = 11 to 500 Mean = 92

Holiday not include no of places (5) 2 1 2 0 0 0 Holiday not included Range = 15 - 28

Number 33 6

Number 18 7 9 6

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q1.9 Age range of children involved (N = 40) Range of age is from 3 – 19 years old. Ranges go from 3 – 11, 4 – 16, 5 – 19, 8 – 19 and 11 - 18

Q2.2 How many months has the club been open (N = 40) Band Specialist Providers (n=15) Non-Specialist Providers (n=25) Per cent Number Per cent Number Up to 1 year 27 4 12 3 2 – 5 years 47 7 24 6 More than 5 years 27 4 64 16 Specialist Non-specialist Range = 4 months – 10 years Range = 6 months – 20 years Mean = Mean =

Q2.3 is the club run for profit or not for profit (N = 40) Specialist Provider (15) Per cent number Not run for profit 100 15 Run for profit 0 0

Q2.4 In what premises is the club run (N = 40) Specialist Provider (15) Per cent number School – based 40 6 Private sector 7 1 Community facility 40 6 Own by LA 13 2

Non-Specialist Provider (25) Per cent number 84 21 16 4

Non-Specialist Provider (25) Per cent number 68 17 4 1 24 6 4 1

Q2.5 How many feeder schools (N = 39) Band (Schools) Per cent 1-5 69 6-10 15 11-15 8 16+ 8 Range = 1 to 26 Mean = 5

Number 27 6 3 3

Q3.1 When does the club currently operate (N = 40) Per cent Before school during term-time 30 After school during term time 80 During ‘school hours’ in the holidays 78 Before and after ‘school hours’ in the holidays 30 Saturdays 15 Sundays 0 Figures add up to more than 100% due to multiple responses

Number 12 32 31 12 6 0

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Q3.2 Which of the following sessions run at full capacity and which run and less than (n = 40) Not Full Full Per cent number Per cent number Before school during term-time 25 10 5 2 After school during term time 35 14 45 18 Holiday provision at Christmas and New Year 28 11 20 8 Holiday provision in Summer 25 10 65 26 Holiday provision at half terms + Easter 30 12 43 17 Weekends 8 3 8 3 Other services 0 0 0 0

Q3.3 What was the average attendance for the last full term (n=37) Band Per cent 0-49% 5 50-89% 49 90%+ 46 Range = 15 – 100%

Number 2 18 17

Q3.4 is that better or worse than you anticipated (n=38) Per cent Better 50 Worse 16 As expected 34

Number 19 6 13

Q4.1 Do you have provision for children with SN (n=40) Per cent Yes 90 No 10

Number 36 4

Q4.2 Do you have provision for children with SEN (n=40) Per cent Yes 100 No 0

Number 40 0

Q4.3 are you a specialist provider (n=40) Yes No

Per cent 37.5 62.5

Number 15 25

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q4.4 Do any children with SN regularly attend (n=40) Specialist Provider Per cent Number Yes 100 15 No 0 0

Non-Specialist Provider Per cent Number 80 20 20 5

Q4.5 If yes how many (n=40) Band (children) Specialist Provider (15) Per cent Number 0 0 0 1-10 0 0 11-20 33 5 21-30 20 3 31-40 27 4 41-50 0 0 50+ 20 3 Specialist: Range = 11 – 284 Mean = 57

Non-Specialist Provider (25) Per cent Number 20 5 60 15 16 4 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 Non–Specialist Range = 0 – 50 Mean = 6

Q4.6 Do any children with SEN regularly attend (n=40) Specialist Provider (15) Per cent Number Yes 93 14 No 7 1

Non-Specialist Provider (25) Per cent Number 92 23 8 2

Q4.7 If yes how many (n=40) Band (children) Specialist Provider (15) Per cent Number 0 7 1 1-10 13 2 11-20 33 5 21-30 7 1 31-40 33 5 41-50 0 0 50+ 7 1 Specialist: Range = 0 - 284 Mean = 39

Non-Specialist Provider (25) Per cent Number 8 2 84 21 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Non-Specialist: Range = 0 - 17 Mean = 4

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q4.8 so we are talking about (n=40) Band (children) Specialist Provider Per cent Number 0 0 0 1-10 0 0 11-20 27 4 21-30 13 2 31-40 40 6 41-50 0 50+ 20 3 Specialist: Range = 11 - 284 Mean = 59

Non-Specialist Provider Per cent Number 0 0 84 21 12 3 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 Non-Specialist: Range = 1 - 55 Mean = 7

Q4.9 learning about the children’s needs (n=40) We specifically ask parents in the registration process We rely on parents to volunteer information We get referrals from service providers (eg. social services) We get information from the school

Per cent 82.5 20 40 37.5

Number 33 8 16 15

Q4.10 needs and conditions (SP= 890 children and NSP = 184 Children) Specialist Non-Specialist Provider Provider Per cent Number Per cent Number Specific Learning Difficulty (dyslexia, 3 29 8 15 dyscalculia and dyspraxia) Moderate Learning Difficulty 16 146 14 25 Severe learning difficulty 30 263 5 9 Profound and multiple learning difficulty 21 188 2 3 Behavioural, emotional and social difficulty 24 214 27 50 (including mental health problems) Speech, language and communication needs 21 191 10 19 Hearing impairment 4 37 3 5 Visual impairment 4 34 0.5 1 Multi-sensory impairment 11 94 2 3 Physical difficulty 23 201 9 17 Long term health conditions (inc. HIV/Aids, 17 147 13 24 cystic fibrosis, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy) Autistic spectrum disorder 41 362 9 17 Other 6 32 8 15 NB Have used number of children rather than number of responses. Will not add up to 100% because there has been multiple responses.

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q4.11 What provision do you have in place (n=38) Per cent Use existing equipment that able-bodied children use 21 One to one support from staff 47 Based in special schools so equipment available / 11 specialist centre Support from parents 8 Purpose built premise for SN/SEN / adapted 13 Changing facilities / nurse 13 Try and involve with able-bodied children 3 Specialist training 5 NB Will not added up to 100% because there has been multiple responses.

Number 8 18 4 3 5 5 1 2

Q4.12 So which do you currently have in place (n=40) Wheelchair access Fire evacuation chairs Portable rampage Other Toys and play equipment Adapted Computer hardware Adapted computer software Other Adapted transport Additional transport We don’t have transport needs anyway Other Child brings own medical equipment Child brings own other equipment Intimate care requirements Additional general staff Additional specialist staff Parent provides staffing resource Additional training for staff Parents provide training for staff on their child’s needs

Per cent 75 23 10 8 75 35 38 10 28 18 15 18 70 23 20 25 48 3 35 15

Number 30 9 4 3 30 14 15 4 11 7 6 7 28 9 8 10 19 1 14 6

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Q4.13 Key issues (n=38) Need one to one support generally or for outings Providing safe and comfortable environment Funding for Resource – staff & equipment Problems with the venue Transport problems Including SN/SEN children in all activities Providing training for staff Combating parents anxieties

Per cent 13 21 45 8 13 8 21 5

Q 4.14 Do you have an inclusiveness policy in place? (N=40) Band Per cent Yes 72.5 No 27.5

Q 5.1 Number of staff currently working at the club (N = 40) Band (staff) Per cent 0-10 60 11-20 30 21-30 5 31+ 5 Range = 2 to 85 staff Mean average = 12

Number 5 8 17 3 5 3 8 2

Number 29 11

Number 24 12 2 2

Q 5.2 Have you been able to easily recruit general staff with the appropriate skills? (N=40) Band Per cent Number Yes 47.5 19 No 52.5 21

Q 5.3 Have you been able to easily recruit staff with skills for working with children with SN / SEN? (N=40) Band Per cent Number Yes 32.5 13 No 67.5 27

Q 5.3.1What are the recruitment, retention and training issues? (N=39) Band Per cent Difficult working hours 18 Difficulties in training staff 21 Usually rely on general staff/ or difficult to recruit 21 specialist staff Use job as a stepping stone into other jobs 3 Staff don’t want to work part time 13 High staff turnover 5 NB figures add up to more than 100% due to multiple response Q 5.4 Main sources of income (N=40)

Number 7 8 8 1 5 2

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Band

Yes % No 92.5 37 10 4 42.5 17 40 16 7.5 3 60 24 30 12 27.5 11

Parental contributions/ fees Local employers (private sector) Childcare partnership Charities/ trust funds European funding New Opportunities Fund Local authority Other

Q 5.5 If YES to NOF funding how much was awarded? (N = 20) Band (£K) Per cent 0-10 25 10-20 10 20-30 30 30-60 20 60+ 15 Range = £5k - £290 Mean average = £44,949

Q 5.6 Over how many years does the award apply? (N=23) Band Per cent 1 year 74 2 years 4 3 years 22

No %

No

7.5 90 57.5 60 92.5 40 70 72.5

3 36 23 24 37 16 28 29

Number 5 2 6 4 3

Number 17 1 5

Q 5.7 What has / did the Fund award enabled you to do, which you otherwise might not have been able to do? (N = 23) Band Per cent Number Help to set up the club 65 15 Buy specialist equipment/ resources 30 7 Pay for more staff 30 7 Expand number of places available 17 4 Provide training for staff 9 2 Time to raise other funds 9 2 NB figures add up to more than 100% due to multiple response

Q 5.8 do you charge a fee? (N = 40) Band Yes No

Per cent 95 5

Number 38 2

Q 5.9 Basic fee, per hour, per child Range per hour = £1.30 - £4.80 Average hourly rate = £1.90 Q 5.10 Fee per session Fee per session converted to fee per hour

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q 5.11 How long is the session? Range of hours = 2.25 hours – 4 hours

Q 5.12 Do you operate concession fees? (N = 40) Band Per cent Number Children with SN / SEN 2.5 1 Second child (or more) from the same family 55 22 Parents with low income 17.5 7 Frequent attendance 2.5 1 Advance payment/ block booking 0 0 Other 5 2 NB figures don’t add up to 100% due to some recipients not offering concessions. Of those that did operate concession (26) there were multiple responses

Q 5.13 Do you have a business plan? (N = 40) Band Per cent Yes 75 No 25

Number 30 10

Q 5.14 Has the scheme leader ever received any training in management skills? (N = 39) Band Per cent Number Yes 69 27 No 31 12

Q 5.15 Do you receive any other external management or business planning support? (N = 40) Band Per cent Number Yes 52.5 21 No 47.5 19

Q 6.1a To what extent will the club, in its current form, be financially sustainable in one years time? (N = 40) Specialist Provider (15) Non-Specialist Provider (25) OOSHC evaluation (73) Band Per cent Number Per cent Number Per cent Number Break even 40 6 68 17 52 38 Make a loss 47 7 20 5 37 27 Make a surplus 0 0 12 3 11 8 Club now closed 13 2 0 0

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Out of School Hours Childcare Provision for Children with Special Needs and Special Educational Needs

Q 6.1b To what extent will the club, in its current form, be financially sustainable in three years time? (N = 39) Specialist Provider (15) Non-Specialist Provider (24) OOSHC eval (73) Bands Per cent Number Per cent Number Break even 40 6 54 13 60 41 Make a loss 40 6 8 2 9 8 Make a surplus 7 1 38 9 29 20 Club now closed 14 2 0

Q 6.2 What are the main problems which you have experienced/ are experiencing in achieving sustainability? (N = 38) Band Per cent Number Recruiting staff/ keeping staff 11 4 Funding 58 22 Unit costs for SN / SEN are high 8 3 Maintaining staff costs 11 4 Difficulties in providing one to one support 8 3 Part of local authority so able to be sustainable 5 2 Training for staff 3 1 Parents not paying on time 8 3 NB figures add up to more than 100% due to multiple response

Q 6.3 Are there any issues which you think we should have been talking about and so far haven’t? (N = 21) Band Per cent Number No or limited specialist training 29 6 Funding problems 19 4 More children than available places 5 1 Premise no longer available / problems with premises 5 1 Greater community involvement 5 1 Support by the LA so don’t have any funding problems 0 0 Club provides respite for parents 14 3 Unit costs for SN / SEN higher than for able-bodied children 10 2 Transport 14 3 WFTC 14 3 Staff eg rural area 5 1 NB figures add up to more than 100% due to multiple response

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