The A&I Service contains 5 teams and 4 Networks. These are:

• Access
• Special Educational Needs Team (SEN)
• Virtual School/Education of Looked After School (ELAC)
• Educational Psychology and Early Years
• Business Support Service (BSS)
• Behavioural Emotional and Social Difficulties Network (BESD)
• Cognition and Learning Network (C&L)
• Communication and Interaction Network (C&I)
• Sensory, Physical and Medical Network (SPM)

The Aims of the Service

On an annual basis, A&I produces a Service Performance Plan which sets out its key activities and goals for the forthcoming year. These are then developed into team plans which are carried forward into clear targets for individual staff within the performance appraisal process. The activities are fundamentally based on five service objectives, listed below. These link back to the Directorate actions within the Children and Young Peoples plan, the North Yorkshire Strategic Partnership, and the Corporate (Council) Plan.

• To secure access to quality and inclusive education, leading to positive outcomes for children and young people
• To meet our statutory duties/obligations and safeguarding responsibilities
• To effectively communicate and consult with our clients and staff
• To take responsibility for the effective management of A&I assets
• To successfully manage change and invest in our staff.

A&I keeps staff informed of developments via the A&I Leadership e-bulletin. Feedback on developments is also sought and provided by Managers at Team meetings. An SEN/BESD Newsletter is published twice a year.

Teams/Networks - Role, Function, Purposes and Personnel

Access

Roles in the Access Team include:

• Access Manager
• Access Support Manager
• Client Transport Manager
• Client Transport Officer
• Admissions Appeals Officers
• Team Managers - Transport and Welfare Team Leader, Admissions/Selection
• Team Leaders - School Transport / Welfare & Benefits, Post 16 Transport / Permits & Licences, Admissions/Selection
• Administrative and Clerical Posts
• Payments Officer

The above posts are based at various locations across Northallerton, Harrogate, Selby, Skipton and Catterick.

The overall purpose of the Access Team is to carry out the Local Authority's statutory duties in relation to admissions, transport eligibility and education welfare benefits.

The key services provided by the Access Team are:

• the provision of access to school places in line with published admission procedures at primary and secondary schools;
• decisions relating to eligibility for home to school transport;
• administration of the provision of welfare benefits for children in education including: eligibility for free school meals, administering the clothing grant scheme and the administration and issuing of performance licences, work permits and CRB clearance for chaperones;
• Administrative support for A&I networks in the local offices;
• Consultation on school term dates;
• Publication of the Guide for Parents

Special Educational Needs Team (SEN)

Roles in the SEN Team include:

• SEN Assessment and Review Manager
• SEN Finance and Admin Manager
• SEN Central Admin Officer
• SEN Data/Procedure Officer
• SEN Finance Support Officer
• SEN Admin Support Officers
• SEN Clerical Support Officers
• Principal Special Educational Needs Officers
• Special Educational Needs Officers (SENOs)

Staff are mostly based in Northallerton. SENOs cover six areas across North Yorkshire.

The key purposes of the SEN Team are to carry out, within the prescribed time-scales, the LAs statutory duties in relation to:

• the identification and assessment of children and young people with special educational needs
• the making and maintaining of statements of special educational needs; targeting resources according to the greatest need and risk.

Virtual School for Looked After Children (ELAC) and the Youth Offending Team (YOT)

Roles in the Virtual School for Looked After Children (ELAC) include;

• Head of Virtual School
• ELAC Co-ordinator
• 3 way support and supervision in line with YOT protocols
• Youth Mentors
• 1:1 Support and Supervision Education Support Teacher Treatment Fostering Programme
• Education Support Workers
• Clerical Assistant

The service aims to monitor, promote and positively intervene in the education of, and help safeguard, Looked After Children and Young People in the care of North Yorkshire. The service is keen to celebrate the success of young people. The Virtual School works with all those children and young people in the care of North Yorkshire, whether educated in North Yorkshire or not. For those in the care of another authority but attending a North Yorkshire school, it is an aim of the service to assist in the first instance by contacting colleagues within the 'home authority'. This is to assist with provision and outcomes for all Children in Care.

The Virtual School is not a teaching institution. It is a model by which the authority can provide services and support for the education of children in care. The service aims to ensure that all children in care are placed on a school roll and have access to an appropriate education. The service aims to provide short term teaching support at times of transition, specific vulnerability, or when a young person's attainment is falling behind their peers and national expectations. This is a significant challenge for the service.

Educational Psychology and Early Years Services

Roles in the Educational Psychology and Early Years Services include;

• Principal Educational Psychologist (EP)
• Senior EPs
• A Team of EPs
• Early Years Team
• Portage Home Visitors

The Educational Psychology Team provides consultation, assessment, intervention, research and training to schools and other organisations on behalf of children, young people and their families. Its primary intention is to support the fullest possible inclusion of children and young people in their local mainstream school or setting. Educational Psychologists (EPs) work at whole school/setting, group and individual level.

The Early Years Advisory and Portage Team work closely with other services, in particular with EPs, who are part of the same service. They also work with the Autism Spectrum Outreach Support Service (ASCOSS) and the Sensory, Physical and Medical Service.

Business Support Services

Roles within in the Business Support Services include;

• Business Support Manager
• Secretary to the Assistant Director
• Secretaries
• Administrative Support Officer
• Administrative Officers

All roles are based at County Hall, Northallerton.

The key purpose of the Business Support Service is to provide a wide range of managerial, administrative and secretarial support for the Access and Inclusion Service and have a responsibility for complaints, commendations and issues relating to Access and Inclusion. It is made up of two teams, the secretarial service and the administrative and clerical team.

The secretarial service provides a range of functions such as word processing, arranging meetings, responding to telephone calls, maintenance of the NYCC website, learning net and intranet (along with managers), assisting with the administration of interviews and setting up staff on the LA email account. The service also undertakes HR administration and maintains the following corporate databases:

• OLAM (On-line staff absence management)
• Pathlore (continuing professional development)
• DAS2 (HR devolved access to services)
• Service Continuity

The administrative and clerical team provides general support to A&I managers and staff including processing of orders and invoices, postal duties, equipment maintenance, maintenance of an asset management file, photocopying and collation of documents, liaising with the County Print Unit relating to the design and printing of documents and training materials, filing and record retention, administrative support for the implementation of the SEN and Behaviour Review and Short Breaks Pathfinder Project.

Training and Development - staff working within this team are encouraged to take NVQ level 2/3 City and Guilds qualifications in Business Administration. Administrative, secretarial staff and clerical staff are continually undertaking Microsoft on-line training relevant to their person specification. Training in the use of the NYCC website, OLAM, DAS2, Pathlore and reporting is undertaken by relevant staff with on-going training to be provided by HR for DAS. Training in the various Health and Safety and risk management assessments is carried out for designated A&I staff.

A&I networks

A&I has four SEN/BESD Networks. These work with schools, advisors and health colleagues to enhance mainstream provision within schools across the county. This model has developed the capacity of special schools, outreach support services and centrally employed services to fully meet the needs of pupils with special needs; and support schools to make provision for those pupils at school action plus/delegated statements. A comprehensive programme of training and development is in place to support staff within these roles.

Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD) Network

BESD is an overarching term for children who demonstrate withdrawn or isolated, nervous/anxious or depressed behaviour as well as those who act out their anger and frustration with very poor social conduct. The BESD Network provides a flexible range of specialist provision which is able to meet the needs of children and young people with complex BESD needs and also to develop the capacity of its community of local schools, by sharing expertise in BESD and breaking down the preconceptions associated with BESD.

Roles in the Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties Network include:

• Network Co-ordinator
• Behaviour Support Manager
• Lead for Out of School Provision
• Exclusions and REOTAS officer
• Admin Support BESD/Anti-bullying
• Teachers in Charge, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of BESD
• Specialist Teachers in our Enhanced Mainstream Schools, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of BESD and associated learning
• Home Teachers to specifically support children and young people with medical needs who are unable to access school

Local Authority roles are based at County Hall, Northallerton. Teaching roles are based in the relevant schools.

These staff also participate in relevant national networks e.g. Social, Emotional, Behavioural Difficulties Association (SEBDA).

There are 8 Enhanced Mainstream Primary Schools (EMS) across the County which have additional resources and physical provision to support the education of children or young people exhibiting BESD. These schools also contribute to and provide support and outreach to other schools. There will be two additional resources for outreach based in Whitby and Scarborough.

The Network also has oversight of Reintegration and Education Other Than at School and Pupil Referral Units. These provide vital tuition to youngsters who have come out of school for a variety of reasons. This allows those children to have a chance to gain the same standard and levels of education as those children who attend normally. The Network also leads on all aspects of the exclusions process and anti-bullying.

BESD staff have additional qualifications and experience in SEN, and specifically in Behaviour Management. The majority have been in receipt of Post Graduate qualifications via Birmingham University or the National Professional Leadership course in Behaviour and Attendance (NPLBSA).

Cognition and Learning Network

Specific Learning Difficulties is an over-arching term for a number of associated learning difficulties which may manifest across all ability ranges and with variable severity or significance. Children and young people with specific learning difficulties may experience particular difficulties in learning to read, write, spell or manipulate numbers to the extent that their performance in these areas is below their performance in other areas, despite appropriate learning assistance.

Roles within The Cognition and Learning Network include:

• Network Co-ordinator
• Lead for Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
• Lead for Severe Learning Difficulties / Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) and complex Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
• Teachers in Charge, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD).
• Specialist Teachers, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of SpLD and associated learning

Local Authority roles are based at County Hall, Northallerton. Teaching roles are based in the relevant schools.

There are 7 Enhanced Mainstream Schools for SpLD across the County which have additional resources and physical provision to support the education of young people with SpLD. These schools have additional specialist staffing and will receive support from the LA, both in making specialist provision within the school and in providing support and outreach to other schools. The EMS SpLD will form part of a flexible range of specialist provision which is able to meet the needs of children and young people - both in outreach and in the school provision - with high need SpLD, and also develop the capacity of its community of local schools by sharing expertise in SpLD and breaking down the preconceptions associated with SpLD.

The Cognition and Learning Network offers specialist advice and support, teaching and staff development to parents, carers and schools within the community of North Yorkshire. We offer these services to improve standards, promote inclusion and enable schools to fulfil their role and responsibility effectively, thus enabling children and young people to make best possible progress and access as broad and balanced a curriculum as possible. The Network is committed to Early Intervention.

Communication and Interaction Network

'Communication and Interaction difficulties' is an over-arching term for a number of associated learning difficulties which may be manifest across all ability ranges and with variable severity or significance. Communication and Interaction (C & I) can be broken down into two specific areas: speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), although the two are intrinsically linked.

Roles within the Communication and Interaction Network include:

• Network Co-ordinator
• Speech Language and Communication Needs Consultant
• Lead for Autism
• Teachers in Charge, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of Communication and Interaction
• Specialist Teachers, who will have qualifications, training and have undertaken professional development in the field of Communication and Interaction and associated learning

Local Authority roles are based at County Hall, Northallerton. Teaching roles are based in the relevant schools.

The Communication and Interaction Network offers an integrated approach to ensuring the provision of high quality specialist services to children and young people, schools, and families to ensure positive outcomes. We provide services to improve standards, promote inclusion and enable schools to fulfil their roles and responsibilities effectively. Current provision within the C&I Network includes the Autism Spectrum Condition Outreach Support Service (ASCOSS), five Enhanced Mainstream primary schools for Communication and Interaction and five Enhanced Mainstream secondary schools for High Functioning Autism / Asperger syndrome.

Sensory, Physical and Medical Network

Roles within the Sensory, Physical and Medical Network include:

• Sensory, Physical, Medical, Network Co-ordinator
• Lead for Vision
• Lead for Physical and Medical Needs
• Lead for Hearing Support
• Support Team Co-ordinator
• Teachers
• Moving and Handling Facilitator
• Skills Facilitators
• Curriculum Support Officer

Roles are based across the county. The staff have additional specialist qualifications, knowledge and experience gained over many years. This informs the support, advice, training and choice of resources we recommend.

The Network works in partnership with schools and settings, parents/carers and other agencies to raise the attainment and aspirations of children and young people in our target groups. Our clients have disabilities of varying degrees (sensory, physical & medical). They each have unique barriers to overcome to enable them to access education and participate fully in a mainstream society. Our role is to identify the barriers to all round achievement and help those involved in their education and other aspects of their life to overcome them. In addition, we provide opportunities outside of schools for children and young people and their families from across the county to meet with others with similar additional needs.

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