Expectations of schools
Essex is collaborating with schools, colleges and Early Years settings to produce an Ordinarily Available offer. The Ordinarily Available will help to ensure all pupils have the same high quality standard of universal and targeted provision, regardless of which Early Years setting, school or college they attend.
The Ordinarily Available comprises two distinct layers:
- Ordinarily Available: Inclusive Teaching Framework (for all pupils)
- Ordinarily Available: Targeted Support (for some pupils with SEND)
Together, the two frameworks set out a common set of expectations about the provision and practice that is expected in all Early Years settings, mainstream schools and Post 16 providers for children and young people with SEND in Essex. It is what a young person, parent/carer or family can expect to be “normally” or “ordinarily” available to their child without the need for involving specialist support.
The content of the OA: Inclusive Teaching Framework was piloted with Early Adopters during the academic year 2022/3 and revised in response to feedback. The content of the OA: Targeted Support framework is being reviewed in July 2023. Updated frameworks will be available on the Schools Infolink website in late summer 2023.
Ongoing collaboration is important to ensure the ambition of the Ordinarily Available. All educational settings are asked to use the OA frameworks from September 2023 as part of their inclusion work so that they can give an informed response in July 2024 to the question: “Does the OA set the correct ambition?” Responses will be amalgamated and shared to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of expectations at universal and targeted levels of support that are met equally across all educational settings.