Secondary Schools/Academies
1. What is the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) that follows a pupil into a mainstream secondary school/academy within your local authority?
AWPU for the 2023/24 financial period is (Maintained Apr23-Mar24; Academies Sep23-Aug24):
• * Primary – £3,394.00
• * Secondary KS3 – £4,785.00
• * Secondary KS4 – £5,393.00
AWPU for the 2022/23 financial period is (Maintained Apr22-Mar23; Academies Sep22-Aug23)
• * Primary – £3,217.00
• * Secondary KS3 – £4,536.00
• * Secondary KS4 – £5,112.00
Learning Support Assistants/LSA
2. Within the local authority, what pay bands apply to teaching assistants (TA) /learning support assistants (LSA)? Please list the entire pay scale for this profession within the local authority (based on levels of experience and seniority). Please list the bands and pay scales in monetary terms, without reference to a separate band/scale document or scheme. (When outlining the hourly rates, please outline any pension and national insurance contributions, when providing the figures).
The local authority does not pay for TA’s/LSA’s it is the schools and it may differ depending on the school. If the LA fund a TA through an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) we only contribute at a Grade C and term-time only (38 weeks):
Salary £16,010
NI £1,120
Super £3,682
Total £20,812
3. Please list how the rates of pay are allocated for a teaching assistant/learning support assistant (e.g. level of training and experience)?
This is calculated by schools and we therefore do not hold this information
ASD Teaching
4. Does the local authority directly employ any specialist autism spectrum disorder (ASD) advisory teachers?
5. If yes, how many?
6. And if yes, what are the pay bands (in monetary terms, without reference to a separate band/scale document or scheme) for those teachers within the local authority? Please list pay scales of these professionals (based on levels of experience and seniority) in monetary terms, without reference to a separate band/scale document or scheme. (When outlining the hourly rates, please outline any pension and national insurance contributions, when providing the figures).
7. If there is such a service, how frequently did they visit:
In response to questions 4-7, we can confirm that Devon County COuncil do not directly employ any specialist autism spectrum disorder (ASD) advisory teachers.
Glendinning Academy, Sandringham Road, Newton Abbot, TQ12 4HD
in the academic year of 2021-2022? Please outline how much of this was general advice for the school and how much of this was for specific students at the school.
in the academic year of 2022-2023? Please outline how much of this was general advice for the school and how much of this was for specific students at the school.
8. If the local authority has to buy in additional teachers for students with ASD, please provide the average rate of pay per hour that the local authority will usually pay for buying in such services? Would travel costs be additional? If so, how are they calculated?
The local authority does not provide teachers – this is from schools and we therefore do not hold this information.
Speech and Language Therapy
9. Please provide a copy of the service level agreement between the local authority and the local NHS trust in relation to the level of provision of speech and language therapy, provided within maintained mainstream secondary schools within the authority.
Devon County Council have a Section 75 arrangement in place with the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB), which details contributions towards and arrangements relating to the delivery of the Community Health and Wellbeing services contract. NHS ICB are the lead commissioner for this contract. Some occupational therapy and speech and language services can be accessed through this contract.
We recommend that you contact NHS Devon Integrated Care Board for details of contract specifications or data held.
A copy of the Section 75 arrangement between Devon County Council and NHS Devon ICB cannot be shared directly at this time, as this information is considered to be commercially sensitive. Whilst we acknowledge the need for transparency, it is not in the public interest to prejudice ongoing and future contracts. This information is therefore exempt from disclosure pursuant to section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
10. What is the cost to the local authority of maintaining this service level agreement? Are speech and language therapy services under these contracts?
Devon County Council’s annual contribution towards the Section 75 arrangement for 2023/24 is £1.6 million.
11. How much speech and language therapy is provided under the service level agreement within mainstream secondary schools within the local authority for those without EHC plans?
12. How much speech and language therapy is provided under the service level agreement within mainstream secondary schools within the local authority for those with EHC plans?
In response to questions 11-12 and following on from our response above, we recommend that you contact NHS Devon Integrated Care Board for details of Community, Health and Wellbeing services contract and any data held.
13. On average (a rough estimate is acceptable), how frequently will speech and language therapists visit mainstream secondary schools within the local authority to provide speech and language therapy?
We do not hold or manage that information
14. If speech and language therapy to be delivered by an independent speech and language therapist has to be procured by the local authority, what is the hourly rate that the authority will offer (please provide it in monetary terms)? Would travel costs be additional? If so, how would they be calculated?
This is dependent on the individual providers but approx. £110 per hour
15. Does the service level agreement include the therapies being delivered in a academies/free schools?
We refer to our answer above concerning the service level agreement
16. How often has speech and language therapy services visited Glendinning Academy in the last academic year (2021-2022)?
We don’t hold or manage that information
17. How often has speech and language therapy services visited Glendinning Academy in the current academic year (2022-2023)?
We don’t hold or manage that information
Occupational Therapy
The following questions are word-for-word identical to the previous section, but are repeated for the avoidance of doubt.
18. Please provide a copy of the service level agreement between the local authority and the local NHS trust in relation to the level of provision of occupational therapy, provided within maintained mainstream secondary schools within the authority.
Devon County Council have a Section 75 arrangement in place with the NHS Devon ICB, which details contributions towards and arrangements relating to the delivery of the Community Health and Wellbeing services contract. NHS ICB are the lead commissioner for this contract. Some occupational therapy and speech and language services can be accessed through this contract.
Contact NHS Devon ICB for details of contract specifications or data held, using the links above
A copy of the Section 75 arrangement between Devon County Council and NHS Devon ICB cannot be shared directly at this time, as this information is considered to be commercially sensitive.
Devon County Council have historically supported a contract for the provision of 0-25 SEN Occupational Therapy Services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities delivered in educational settings and through Tribunal support.
This arrangement commissioned staffing to provide support based on the following:-
• 1x Band 7 Occupational Therapist (0.8 FTE, 4 days per week).
• 2xBand 6 Occupational Therapists (0.6FTE, totally 6 days per week).
19. What is the cost to the local authority of maintaining this service level agreement? Are occupational therapy services under these contracts?
Devon County Council’s annual contribution towards the Section 75 arrangement for 2023/24 is £1.6 million.
The annual value historically for the contract for the 0-25 SEN Occupational Therapy Services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities delivered in educational settings and through Tribunal support was £145, 893
20. How much occupational therapy is provided under the service level agreement within mainstream secondary schools within the local authority for those without EHC plans?
21. How much occupational therapy is provided under the service level agreement within mainstream secondary schools within the local authority for those with EHC plans?
22. On average (a rough estimate is acceptable), how frequently will occupational therapists visit mainstream secondary schools within the local authority to provide occupational therapy?
In response to questions 20-22, we do not hold a central record of this information and to extract this information would require a review of over 7,000 records maintained for children and young people with EHCP plans and other records. This would exceed the reasonable time limit and we are therefore not obliged to provide this information pursuant to section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
23. If occupational therapy to be delivered by an independent occupational therapist has to be procured by the local authority, what is the hourly rate that the authority will offer (please provide it in monetary terms)? Would travel costs be additional? If so, how would they be calculated?
This would be dependent on any provider used and the packages of support negotiated to meet the needs of individual children and young people.
24. Does the service level agreement include the therapies being delivered in a academies/free schools?
25. How often has occupational therapy services visited Glendinning Academy in the last academic year (2021-2022)?
26. How often has occupational therapy services visited Glendinning Academy in the current academic year (2022-2023)?
In response to questions 24-26, Devon County Council does not hold this information.