Q:
What is classed as a 'specialist setting' ?
In my sons ehcp in section f it states he 'will receive access to the support allocated by his specialist setting' . What is a specialist setting ? Do 'resourced provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder' (unit attached to mainstream) count as a 'specialist setting'. Thank you
A: SenseCheck
- 2 Yes
- 0 No
- 0 Other
- 08 Jul 2023
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Yes
Simple
Aaron provided an excellent response as usual. From my experience, the term 'specialist' is commonly used to describe school and post-16 provisions that have a specific focus, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It may be worth bearing in mind that a unit attached to a mainstream school is often part of the school and not a separate provision but it may not be depending on factors such as how it is managed. The following from the Noddy Guide explains the point:
09.045 Can a “unit” within in a school be treated as a separate school in its own right for the purposes of a placement request?
However, like Aaron, I am not aware of any officially prescribed legal definition for this term.
One thing I would like to mention, even though you did not specifically raise this point, is the meaning of the phrase 'will receive access to the support allocated by his specialist setting'. I find this phrase rather vague - meaning that it is not clear what and how much special educational provision your son should receive. Perhaps all of this is made clear in the rest of section F - but if it is not, maybe the way your sons EHCp is drafted needs a further look.
The following resource from the Noddy might provide clarity as to why I raised this point:
08.14 Does the SEP in section F of an EHCP have to be set out in detail?
08.15 Does section F have to specify things like how much provision a child or young person requires, and how often?
If you son is a pupil at a mainstream school (see above) then one would expect to see more detail in section F than would be the case if he was in a special school.
Sean Kennedy
Talem Law - 27 Jun 2023
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Yes
Simple
Yes they do.
I'm not sure there's a legal definition of specialist setting (though there may be case law on it that I'm not aware of). If you use a rule of thumb of 'not a typical mainstream school' you're probably on the right lines.
Specialist settings include:
- Special Schools
- SEND units (typically have small number of learners, can be on a mainstream site, but learners don't normally access mainstream classes)
- Pupil Referral Units
- Hospital schools specialising in social emotional and mental health needs
Some Alternative Provision might also be able to be deemed specialist provision for pupils who have SEND.
Resource Provisions (similar to a SEND unit in that they typically have a small number of learners, but different because learners typically have more access to mainstream provision). In some areas, Resource provisions have different names (but tend to be broadly the same thing as a Resource Provision): Integrated Resource (IR), Additionally Resource Provision (ARP), Communication Resource Base (a resource specialising in autism and/or speech & language SEND) and, in your case, Resourced Provision for Children with Autism.
Aaron King
9000 Lives SEND Consultancy
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