Care and support

Opportunity classes - a guide to services

Introduction

The service delivery programme for the Opportunity Class Services has been developed within the framework of the DfES Code of Practice and Hertfordshire’s strategies for early intervention, raising achievement and for meeting Special Educational Needs (SEN).

Key features of the service:

• 11 opportunity classes each covering an identified area of the County
• Equity of resourcing across the County
• A developmental curriculum based on play experiences
• Services delivered within the framework of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice
• A clearly defined referral procedure
• Working in partnership with parents and carers
• Liaison with other agencies
• Parent/Toddler Groups for 0 to 2 year olds
• Home visiting opportunities for families of 0 to 2 year olds and some older pre-school children.

Entitlement of Children

When a child is offered a place at an opportunity class s/he will be offered a maximum of two sessions weekly.

Each session runs for a maximum of two and a half hours but there is some flexibility of attendance for parents and carers where they have other family commitments.

All children are entitled to:-

• Access to a full educational curriculum as defined within the opportunity classes’ curriculum statement.
• Staff working in partnership with parents and carers
• Have their needs assessed and met at the appropriate stage of the Code of Practice, with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) planned, monitored and reviewed on a regular basis
• Liaison between professionals involved, linking closely to parents and carers

For children under the age of 2 years:-

• Attendance at a fortnightly parents and toddlers group and/or
• Fortnightly home visits

For children aged between rising two and rising four:-

• Attendance for two sessions a week when not attending other pre-school provision e.g. preschool
• Opportunities to learn through play individually with an adult and in both small and large groups within the class session
• Up to a maximum of 12 children attending any session
• Having volunteers working with them who have been trained and given guidance by the teacher on appropriate strategies, activities etc
• Regular home visiting if there are cultural or geographical reasons why attendance at the class is difficult

Cost: This service is provided by Hertfordshire County Council’s Children, Schools and Families Department. There is no additional cost to families.

Admission Arrangements

Referrals can be made by any personnel from any of the principal agencies (Health or Children, Schools and Families). All referring agencies are advised of the admission criteria and the procedures for referral.

Referrals are made, with parental agreement, to the Children, Schools and Families Client Services on the new Referral Form (CSF3155).

The LEA is the Admitting Authority and is represented by the opportunity class’s link advisory teacher at a half termly admissions meeting at the class to consider new referrals using the admissions criteria which are:-

Children eligible for attendance at a parent/toddler group and/or home visiting will have either:-

• A recognised or suspected syndrome which will have a significant long term impact on their learning

or

• Children between the ages of 0 to 2 years who have a significant delay in two or more areas of their development (of at least 1/3rd their chronological age).
• Children eligible for the services of an opportunity class will have a significant difficulty in learning combined with a significant delay in one or more areas of development.

The Opportunity Class Service will then either -

• Offer a place at the group or class and invite the parents or carers to visit and then offer a placement at the group or class if appropriate

or

• Suggest that the child’s needs may be more appropriately met in a different way, for example attending a preschool.

Parents and carers are informed in writing of the outcome of the referral with a copy of the letter sent to the referrer.

Opportunity class compliance with the Code of Practice

Opportunity classes must have regard to the Code of Practice for children with special educational needs.

All children are placed at Early Years Action Plus on registering with the opportunity class.

Each child will be assessed using the Hertfordshire Development Profile and targets set on an Individual Education Plan.

Early Years Action Plus is characterised by the involvement of support services who can provide more specialist assessments and give advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials. These include opportunity class teachers and advisory teachers.

If Statutory Assessment is requested the opportunity class teacher will either:-

• Provide a written report and assist the advisory teacher in completing the educational advice for the child’s statutory assessment

or

• provide the educational advice for a child’s statutory assessment if there is no advisory teacher involvement.

Once the Statutory Assessment is completed the opportunity class teacher will determine IEP targets based on the objectives within a child’s Statement of Special Educational Needs within the timeframe given to complete these.Reviews of statements The opportunity class teacher will, with the assistance of the advisory teacher, carry out an annual review following the procedures laid down in the Code of Practice.

Quality assurance

Staff: Opportunity class teachers and nursery nurses are appointed by the Local Authority. The opportunity class manager has responsibility for the management and professional development of the teachers and nursery nurses.

Services will be delivered by qualified teachers and nursery nurses who have experience of working with pre-school children with special educational needs and their families.

Annual appraisal and performance management are linked to training.

All staff participate in programmes of professional development to keep up to date with developments in the education of pre-school children with significant special educational needs.

Service quality
Services are delivered within an agreed countywide framework that is consistent with the Code of Practice and Hertfordshire’s policies for Special Educational Needs and raising achievement.

Complaints or concerns about service quality should be addressed in the first instance to the person concerned in delivering the service. If the difficulty remains unresolved then a complaint may be made to the link advisory teacher or the opportunity class manager. Complaints will be listened to and action taken where necessary to implement improvements. A copy of the service complaints procedure is available from the Early Years Manager.

Go to the "Opportunity classes near you" link to the right of this page to find information about the classes in your area.