Corseford School. Mainstreaming and Equality Progress Report. Reviewed June Next Review June 2019

Transcription

1 Corseford School Mainstreaming and Equality Progress Report Reviewed Next Review June 2019

2 Contents Foreword Page 3 Page 4 What Corseford Does Capability Scotland Strategic Vision and Mission Corseford School Vision and mission Statement Aims and Objectives What we want to achieve in Equality Page 5 Corseford School s Equality Outcomes Page 5 How we will Achieve our outcomes Page 7 Progress Report Page 12

3 Foreword The equality act 2010 gives employers and businesses greater clarity about their responsibilities. It set out a clear expectation that public services must treat everyone with dignity and respect. Capability Scotland and its schools share a long history of commitment to dignity and respect, including learners and of careful consideration as to how best to ensure our visions and aims become reality. Capability Scotland s Corseford School is committed to a culture that respects difference. We believe as a third sector organisation, we can play our part in promoting equality and diversity. We recognised that equality of access to education is crucial in unlocking many significant opportunities in life, and we are very much aware of our responsibility to uphold both equality in learning and the credibility of the Grant Aided Special Schools Additional Support Needs Division of the Scottish Government s Schools Directorate. The public sector equality duty, created by the equality Act 2010, replaces the race, disability and gender equality duties. It is supported by the specific duties contained in the Equality Act 2010 Specific Duties) Regulations 2012 Corseford School s Equality Strategy explains our commitment and actions to meet, and go beyond, our statutory obligations. It articulates the equality outcomes that all Scottish public bodies were challenged to develop by the specific duties published in May It explains how we develop these, and how we will monitor our progress towards them. We aim to ensure that out equality strategy is driven by consideration of the diverse needs of individuals served by Capability Scotland s Corseford School. Sean Donachie Interim Head of School Corseford School

4 Corseford School is 1 of 7 of Scotland s Grant Aided Special Schools (GASS) receiving a substantial proportion of funding from the Additional Support Needs Division of the Scottish Government s Schools Directorate. Corseford School is operated by Capability Scotland, one of Scotland s largest charities working with people with disabilities. Corseford School was established to provide services for children and young people age between 5-18 years, affected by disorders of movement or coordination, including reductions in communication, caused by cerebral palsy or other conditions, the term motor impairments being the collective term to describe the problems affecting such children. As a national and government funded organisation the schools are required to meet the needs of children with complex, physical and cognitive support needs through a range of specialised support, including Education, Care and Allied Health Provision. The independent nature of the school means that it operates out with local authority educational and NHS structures and is solely responsible for the delivery of all its educational, therapeutic and other responsibilities using progressive educational methods. However, the school addresses the educational needs of children and young people in the same framework as all other Scottish children eligible for school provision and through the multidisciplinary team mention above. Further information can be found on Capability Scotland s website Capability Scotland s Vision and Mission is: Capability Scotland strives to be a major ally in supporting disabled people to have full equality of opportunity and participation as citizens Corseford School s Vision and Mission Statement To aim to provide a safe, secure and stimulating environment in which pupil s needs are met in a holistic manner by access to integrated programmes of individualised education, therapy and health and personal support. promote in the community a sense of awareness and understanding of the needs of the children and the work of Capability Scotland extend, in co-operation with other agencies, the outreach, training and research services presently offered to individual children, families, students and to professional visitors, both specialist and mainstream, who support children with a disability support inclusion, by designing holistic programmes which meet pupils needs in the school and in the community. The curriculum reflects current thinking and practice in: the education of pupils who have Cerebral Palsy and/ or other associated complex health needs

5 educational standards in mainstream schools the provision, for some children of an alternative, highly differentiated structured curriculum, highly individualised to suit their needs, aims and aspirations The school moto is: Seek the Challenge What we want to achieve in equality Corseford School is committed to equality and to making it an integral part of the life of the school and the service it delivers to the children and young people who attend it. It s Equality Strategy explained our commitment and actions to meet, and go beyond, our statutory obligations. It presented Corseford School s equality outcomes and explains how we developed these, and how we would monitor our progress towards them. This mainstreaming report is a description of the implementation of the Public Sector Equality Duty which is a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010 which covers the period from May 2013 April The report focuses on the actions Corseford School has taken to embed equality in its work within the provision of the General Duties. It focuses on the progress towards the equality specific duties of the Equality Outcomes for particular protected characteristics. Mainstreaming equality is a systematic integration of equality perspective into our everyday work and aims to ensure that regard is paid to the needs and experiences of people with protected characteristics, make sharing and use of information more transparent, address under-representation of specific groups and address any structures that contribute to inequality or discrimination. Corseford School s Equality Outcomes Corseford School s equality outcomes are statements of the results we aim to achieve in promoting equality, tackling discrimination and fostering good relations across each of the protected characteristics for: Age Disability reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or belief Sexual orientation Marriage and civil partnership Outcome 1: Protected Characteristics:- Age and Disability Advance equality of opportunity by Improving the transitional experiences of disabled pupils by working with external agencies including social work departments and further and higher education establishments to tackle existing barriers to successful transition.

6 Equality Outcome 2: Protected Characteristics :- Disability, Religion and Belief To eliminate unlawful treatment, and advance equality of opportunity for disabled pupils through an increase awareness and understanding of Assistive and Augmentative Communication in the wider community. By working with pupils, families, members of the Capability Scotland allied health team and external agencies including NHS Education for Scotland, CALL (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning) Scotland and SCTCI (the Scottish Centre of Technology for Communication Impairment) to ensure that people who use AAC have their voice listened to and understood. Equality Outcome 3: Protected Characteristics:- Corseford School takes appropriate action to address any discrimination, potential to promote equality in practices of appointment in relation to protected characteristics. To address the gender imbalance of staff working at Corseford School. Equality Outcome 4: Protected Characteristics:- All As part of Capability Scotland, Stanmore House School is committed to the creation and implementation of a factor-weighted Job Evaluation system. Equality Outcome 5: Protected Characteristics:- All Recognising and identifying the Equality Strategy as a key and proactive area for development through the integration of the Equality Mainstreaming Action Plan with School Improvement Plan and ongoing self-evaluation work to ensure it is embedded in the work of the school. Our actions and progress towards these outcomes are detailed in the tables below.

7 These outcomes are subject to consultation with everyone within the school as part of our commitment to self-evaluation. How we will achieve our outcomes - Equality Outcomes Action Plan Outcome 1 Transitions Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Linked to context Protected Characteristics Identified Barriers Age Transference from children to adult social work and allied health services Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Schools Improvement Plans Marriage and Civil Partnership Tasks Lead Timescale Resources Success Criteria Monitoring Evaluation Highlight the need for early identification of adult social worker and relevant allied health professionals at first transition meeting Head of School or Chair of Transition First transition meeting as identified on review planner Personnel attending review Adult social worker and relevant AH professionals identified early in the transition process for all leavers Transition and minutes Identification of suitable adult placements including further education To be placed as a fixed agenda item for all transition Head of School or Chair of Transition 3-6mths before leaving date Young person, Parents, Professionals Identification of suitable placement Transition and minutes SDS/ direct payments not reflective of adult requirements Awareness training for staff, Leavers and parents/ carers surrounding SDS and direct Payments Allocated Social worker, School leaver and parent/ carer Final year of young person s transition Relevant personnel e.g. social work, advocacy etc. Appropriate funding in place by the end of the young persona transition. Transition and minutes Guardianship To be placed as a fixed agenda item for all transition Head of School or Chair of Transition First transition meeting as identified on Young person, Parents, Relevant Professionals Guardianship timeously in place if required. Transition and minutes

8 Young person s capacity/ incapacity and understanding of the transition process To provide an accessible transition programme for all leavers that is individualised to each leavers needs and aspirations Head of School School Staff Social Work / advocacy Leader review planner Senior phase Curriculum 16yrs plus Multi-disciplinary team time AAC training for the Multidisciplinary team All leavers can fully engage in their transition programme Transition and minutes Curriculum IEP/ IPP External cancelation of causing slippage affecting transition timescales rights To ensure that annual planners for review/ transition meeting are communicated to all attendees at the beginning of the school year. Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin To meet the timescale of 12 months transition entitlement form the date of starting. Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. Transition and minutes Educational rights timescale variable across Local Authorities Any cancellations are re scheduled as close to the original meeting. To ensure that annual planners for review/ transition meeting are flexible to accommodate leaver dates as set by the local authorities. Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin To meet the timescale of 12 months transition entitlement form the date of starting. To meet the timescale of 12 months transition entitlement form the date of starting. Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin Head of School or Chair of Transition School admin All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. Transition and minutes Transition and minutes

9 Outcome 2 AAC and communication in the wider community Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Schools Improvement Plans Linked to context Protected Characteristics Identified Barriers Age Parents/ carers, Staffs and wider communities understanding of the diversity of AAC and how it can support learning. Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Marriage and Civil Partnership Tasks Lead Timescale Resources Success Criteria Monitoring Evaluation Using IPAACS for staff self-evaluation and development needs Using IPAACS for parent self-evaluation and development needs To deliver and support ongoing training for parents and staff in a variety of AAC To explore the feasibility of rolling out IPAACS across Capability Scotland Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Child and young people s allied health and nursing Professional lead Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager June 2015 June 2016 April 2017 April 2017 Professional time and additional resources as dictated by the project ICT technician support C.O.D.E.S TOMS IPAACS Talking Mats Board Maker/ Symbol sets Objects of reference All school staff have achieved foundation level of IPAACS Parents/ carers staff have achieved foundation level of IPAACS Appropriate training has been provided Report on IPAACS feasibility study will be completed and reported to the Learning Provision Leadership team. Training records APR/ PRD records CPD records Parent attendance sheets Minutes of Feasibility study and reports Other ad hoc documentation

10 Explore outreach opportunities to share and develop good practice in AAC. Child and young people s allied health and nursing Professional lead Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager April 2017 Report on outreach opportunities will be completed and reported to the Learning Provision Leadership team. Participate in the Scottish Government s Right to Speak campaign Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Ongoing until 2017 Evidence of engagement in the Right to Speak campaign Participate in any Capability Scotland research projects which promote this outcome Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Ongoing until 2017 Evidence of engagement in research projects Participate any other external research or project which promote this outcome Child and young people s allied health and nursing Professional lead Speech and Language Lead Clinical Manager Ongoing until 2017 Evidence of engagement in external projects/ research

11 Outcome 3 Address staffing gender imbalance Linked to context Protected Characteristics Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Age Disability Reassignment Accessibility Strategies Pregnancy and maternity Capability Scotland mission Race Schools visions, values and aims Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Schools Improvement Plans Marriage and Civil Partnership Identified Barriers Predominance of female staff employed within Corseford School Currently no data available on applicant gender balance No system in place to store and monitor this data Tasks Lead Timescale Resources Success Criteria Monitoring Evaluation To a system for collecting, collating and producing data in relation to this outcome To work Capability Scotland s HR Department to review recruitment process e.g. placement of advertisement and applicant s pack Business Manager Ongoing until 2017 Application Pack Professional time for A system is embedded which provides the relevant data on gender An increase in the number of male applicants for posts Recruitment paperwork Minutes of

12 Outcome 4 Create and Implement a Job Factor Plan to Address Fair Pay Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Linked to context Protected Characteristics Identified Barriers Creation and implementation of a factor-weighted Job Evaluation system. Financial impact on the organisation. Non-effective and poorly planned Job Evaluation and Job Factor Plan bringing risk of inadvertent discrimination. Age Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Schools Improvement Plans Tasks Lead Timescale Resources Success Criteria Monitoring Evaluation Seek expert input to creating and building a suitable factor plan. Partnership with our finance team in ensuring we can financially sustain implementation of a job evaluation scheme. Using a systematic approach in order to operate a fair pay system. HR Director Finance Director EMB 2 years from April 2015 Continuously Ongoing Race EMB Job Evaluation Committee ACAS Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Successful implementation of job evaluation where job roles are valued for the role undertaking, bringing parity, equality and consistency. Continuous review of job roles through the job evaluation committee and HR resources. Appeal process available for reevaluation. Details of the factor plan published on our intranet for transparency. Marriage and Civil Partnership Job roles agreed by employees and new system implanted. Evaluation of job functions through the JE committee. Evidence of appeals being heard and outcomes delivered. Job Evaluation fully implanted across the organisation. All job roles up to Operations Manager evaluated against the job factor plan.

13 Outcome 5 Continuous Evaluation of Progress on Corseford School s commitment to Equality Strategy Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Linked to context Protected Characteristics Age Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Schools Improvement Plans Marriage and Civil Partnership Identified Barriers Poor strategic planning increasing risk of the School not meeting statutory requirements Tasks Lead Timescale Resources Success Criteria Monitoring Evaluation Identifying action to review and continuously update the Equality Strategy for Corseford School as part of the over-arching strategy of development for the school. Strategic approach to improvement in this area to ensure commitment and values are embedded in practice and planning. HOS - Ongoing School senior management team. Professional time for. Consultation and time with HR partners Continuous review of legislation and organisational practice and approach in order to meet statutory obligations. Values and ethos of the school exceeding expectations of legislative guidance. Evidence indicators evaluated and new outcomes being set. Staff, team, staff feedback, customer feedback, organisational feedback.

14 Progress as of There are a total of 19 actions divided amongst the General Duties. Each action has been assessed as one of the following: Progress is as expected. It is estimated that the agreed action will be achieved by 2017 or earlier. There are some areas of slippage in targets and /or timescales or there is currently limited information available by which to monitor progress. Progress does not appear to be as originally agreed in the action or there are circumstances that have prevented delivery of the action. Summary Over half of the actions have been addressed and good progress made in half of the remaining actions. The School Improvement Plan will help address some of the remainder. This progress as of June 17 is as presented below: Part of the General Duty: Total 1 Eliminating Discrimination, Harassment and Victimisation Advancing Equality of Opportunity Fostering Good Relations

15 Progress Towards Equality Outcomes Outcome 1 Transitions Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Linked to context Protected Characteristics Age Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Schools Improvement Plans Marriage and Civil Partnership Output Actions Success Criteria Further Work Evaluation Transference from children to adult social work and allied health services Highlight the need for early identification of adult social worker and relevant allied health professionals at first transition meeting Adult social worker and relevant AH professionals identified early in the transition process for all leavers Continue to ensure this happens Identification of suitable adult placements including further education To be placed as a fixed agenda item for all transition Identification of suitable placement Continue to highlight the need for earliest identification SDS/ direct payments not reflective of adult requirements Awareness training for staff, Leavers and parents/ carers surrounding SDS and direct Payments Appropriate funding in place by the end of the young person s transition. Continue to work with parents and local authorities to ensure earliest identification Guardianship To be placed as a fixed agenda item for all transition Guardianship timeously in place if required. Highlight this to families prior to Transition starting Young person s capacity/ incapacity and understanding of the transition process To provide an accessible transition programme for all leavers that is individualised to each leavers needs and aspirations All leavers can fully engage in their transition programme Continue to seek opportunities for this and work with all agencies throughout the process External cancelation of causing slippage affecting transition timescales rights To ensure that annual planners for review/ transition meeting are communicated to all attendees All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. Monitor and address issues, when required

16 at the beginning of the school year. Any cancellations are re scheduled as close to the original meeting. All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. Monitor and address as required Educational rights timescale variable across Local Authorities To ensure that annual planners for review/ transition meeting are flexible to accommodate leaver dates as set by the local authorities. All transition work is carried out within the 12 months time allocated. Monitor and address as required

17 Outcome 2 AAC and communication in the wider community Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Schools Improvement Plans Linked to context Protected Characteristics Age Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Output Actions Success Criteria Further Work Evaluation Parents/ carers, Staffs and wider communities understanding of the diversity of AAC and how it can support learning. Using IPAACKS for staff self-evaluation and development needs All school staff have achieved foundation level of IPAACKS Continue to ensure that all new members of staff receive training Marriage and Civil Partnership Using IPAACKS for parent self-evaluation and development needs Parents/ carers have achieved foundation level of IPAACKS Continue to ensure that parents/carers of new pupils receive training To deliver and support ongoing training for parents and staff in a variety of AAC strategies Appropriate training has been provided Continue to develop this through modules, PODD training, Talking Mats training etc. To explore the feasibility of rolling out IPAACKS across Capability Scotland Report on IPAACKS feasibility study will be completed and reported to the Learning Provision Leadership team. There are circumstances that prevent full delivery of this action Explore outreach opportunities to share and develop good practice in AAC. Report on outreach opportunities will be completed and reported to the Learning Provision Leadership team. Evidence of engagement available

18 Participate in the Scottish Government s Right to Speak campaign Evidence of engagement in the Right to Speak campaign Continued engagement with local partners in place Participate in any Capability Scotland research projects which promote this outcome Evidence of engagement in research projects Evidence of engagement available Participate any other external research or project which promote this outcome Evidence of engagement in external projects/ research Evidence of engagement available

19 Outcome 3 Address staffing gender imbalance Linked to context Protected Characteristics Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Age Disability Reassignment Accessibility Strategies Pregnancy and maternity Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Schools Improvement Plans Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Marriage and Civil Partnership Output Actions Success Criteria Further Work Evaluation Predominance of female staff employed within Corseford School To a system for collecting, collating and producing data in relation to this outcome A system is embedded which provides the relevant data on gender Need to work further with Capability Scotland s HR department to address all of these actions Currently no data available on applicant gender balance No system in place to store and monitor this data To work Capability Scotland s HR Department to review recruitment process e.g. placement of advertisement and applicant s pack An increase in the number of male applicants for posts

20 Outcome 4 Create and Implement a Job Factor Plan to Address Fair Pay Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Accessibility Strategies Linked to context Protected Characteristics Age Disability Reassignment Pregnancy and maternity Capability Scotland mission Race Schools visions, values and aims Religion or Belief Schools Improvement Plans Sexual Orientation Output Actions Success Criteria Further Work Evaluation Transparency and understanding from all staff about job roles, and of the value of Job Evaluation All job roles to be redesigned, agreed and evaluated using the job factor plan All staff being consulted on their job description and. agreeing to their role All job roles reviewed through the agreed job evaluation factor plan Appeals process to be utilised and appeals to be heard where employees feel their job description has not been appropriately scored/ graded. Ongoing review of job roles and functions across the organisation. Meetings with the JE committee and HR colleagues to review systems and agree/ implement necessary changes Marriage and Civil Partnership

21 Outcome Continuous Evaluation of Progress on Corseford School s commitment to Equality Strategy Linked to context Protected Characteristics Scottish Government Legislation GIRFEC Age Disability Reassignment Accessibility Strategies Pregnancy and maternity Capability Scotland mission Schools visions, values and aims Schools Improvement Plans Race Religion or Belief Sexual Orientation Marriage and Civil Partnership Output Actions Success Criteria Further Work Evaluation Strategic overview of the school aims and responsibilities within the context of the legislative framework. Incorporation of this action plan within the overall strategic school development plan Evidence sampled of progress made and/ or completion of actions as part of the SMT Follow up reviews of completed actions to ensure sustainability School Senior Management awareness of responsibilities of following through on actions, and review of outcomes routinely as part of an overall development plan for the school Regular between SMT within the school to review progress in this area and identify new outcomes