2008 survey of provision in scotland’s colleges for learners with profound and complex needs ...
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The necessity for a critical infrastructure resources, services, estates and extra- curricular support will be as influential and significant as the curriculum itselfTRANSCRIPT
2008 Survey of Provision in Scotland’s Colleges for Learners with Profound and Complex Needs
100% response 100% response butbut
more questions than answers!more questions than answers!
The complexity of this group of students
not an homogenous group a breadth of support needs a depth of cognitive ability still major challenges for students with
complex needs whose learning difficulties are less profound
The necessity for a critical infrastructure
resources, services, estates and extra-curricular support will be as influential and significant as the curriculum itself
Why college?
strong demand from school leavers and their ‘significant others’
delayed maturity and slower pace of learning of this cohort
very limited post-school options
Transition and needs assessment process
time consuming: no less so for part-time provision
complex: many staff and agencies involved change: withdrawal of in-situ therapies challenging: to manage conflicting
expectations about provision, resources and responsibilities
onward transition from college: often neglected
Partnership arrangements Issues most often arise over arrangements for:• transport • intermittent support around the building• double or occasional personal care• in-class supportFew formalised partnership agreements are in
place.
The curriculum shortage of suitably experienced teaching
staff limited awareness of student group intensity of planning for delivery ad-hoc development of the curriculum restricted knowledge of resources
adds up to major staff training issues
Provision for this group of studentsis expensive because it: is labour intensive requires specialist support requires specialised provision requires bespoke facilities and resources takes time
Quality Assurance This is a distinct student group but
current review and quality assurance arrangements (HMIe) don’t reflect this.
Concerns have been expressed over lack of scrutiny of non-college support.
What could be done now? staff development and training guidance resource allocation information sharing