FOI Request - Specialist School Placements 2024-25

Request 101003546099

Please find below nine questions regarding children entering into primary 1 from early education in the academic year 2024/25.

In Q5, I refer to staged intervention plans, this may not be the terminology used in your local authority, please contact me if you are unsure of your local authority’s equivalent.

With reference to Q8, ‘‘mainstream with support’, this refers to children with ASN who will be supported to learn in a mainstream environment.

1.  How many specialist school placements were funded for academic year 2024/25 for primary 1 pupils?

2.  What is the figurative amount of funding provided for specialist school placements for 2024/25?

3.  What was the figurative amount of funding provided for specialist school placements for 2023/24?

4.  How many children entering into primary 1 in the 2024/25 academic year were put forward for specialist school placement?

5.  How many children were classed as high tariff (staged intervention plans 3 and 4)  in early education and are now moving into school?

6.   What support is offered to children put forward for specialist school placements who were not granted a placement?

7.  Is there an Appeals process in place for parents or early education providers who disagree with the outcome of the specialist schools placements?

8.  What does ‘mainstream with support’ look like within your authority? (Ie average hours per child with a learning assistant etc.)

9.  If an appeals process is in place, how many appeals have been submitted up until 11/04/2024?

Response 02-05-2024

1.-4. Not held. We do not have special schools in Moray so there are no specialist school placements. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.

5. We have 6 children classified as "high tariff" moving into P1 next session.

6. Moray is an inclusive authority where children are educated in their local school or, if their needs are more complex, in their Associated Schools Group Enhanced Provision school.

7. We do not have special schools in Moray so there are no specialist school placements.

8. Moray is an inclusive authority where children are educated in their local school or, if their needs are more complex, in their Associated Schools Group Enhanced Provision school.  Where a child has significant needs, they can be supported within the enhanced provision where there is a mixture of 1:1 and group work, dependent on need.  Support staff hours are allocated to the schools based on level of need and the school provides support accordingly with a mixture of teacher, additional support needs teacher and support staff.

9. Not applicable. We do not have special schools in Moray so there are no specialist school placements and therefore no appeals for this.