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Education Authority review
report education and skills First Education Authority review deems authority ‘not effective’
The body responsible for the spending of the vast majority of the education budget has been deemed “ineffective” and “probably underfunded” by the first independent review of the Education Authority.
Decision making in the Education Authority can be characterised by process-driven inflexibility, the independent review, commissioned by the Department of Education found, noting that the most stringent of criticisms came from head teachers and teaching staff who felt as if the Education Authority had left them to work with little guidance other than the following of process. The report found a “general sense that process is more important than supporting a school or principal”.
Serious concern was also expressed within the report about the levels of funding received by the authority, with an overall budget of £2.322 billion for 2021/22 and a funding gap of £155 million due to a projected spend of £2.477 billion, which would account for 98.95 per cent of the Department of Education’s annual budget. “Ongoing funding gaps and a reliance upon monitoring bids to close these gaps indicates that the organisation is either underfunded or inefficient,” the report states. “It is our view that the EA is probably underfunded for the scale of what it is expected to deliver but that the organisation still has not fully established agreed baseline costs to deliver those services nor the associated resourcing requirements for those services.” The report found there to be confusion on the part of principals and teachers as to solving problems not covered by official process, but also confusion in the sector at large surrounding the Education Authority’s role as a nondepartmental public body employing over 60,000 people and the broader remit of the authority.
The report does, however, also note that the Education Authority, in its current form is “well aligned with the Programme for Government and the strategic priorities and delivery model are more consistent and sustainable than under the legacy organisations”, that the regional unitary delivery model is “more focused as a service delivery organisation than the legacy education and library boards ELBs”, and that “there is clear evidence emerging of improvements in scope, practices, and culture around governance”. In all, 13 recommendations are made by the review, chief among them the conduction of both internal and external reviews to better define the scope and remit of the authority and for it to become a more child- and pupil-centric organisation.
Decision making
Decision making in education is seen as “cumbersome and a burden”, with the Education Authority adjudged to be “afraid to make a mistake” and consequently “risk adverse, passive and not progressing at the pace required to effect radical change in the system”. The report notes that the Authority has now put in place a decision-making framework that provides transparency, a “significant improvement”, although the process is noted to be too slow, moving through “innumerate” groups and processes and holding up final decisions.
The decision making within the Authority has also been found to follow these processes to a fault, creating a culture that “provides assurance around the process but not the outcome”, a situation that is further hamstrung by the fact that the Education Authority has not produced fully realised data or information that satisfies tests for currency, appropriateness, or timeliness “to provide assurance that the process in itself is delivering on effective decisions”.
Teachers and principals
Surveys conducted as part of the report found teachers and principals to be unclear as to the role of the Education Authority, with 59 per cent answering that they “do not understand the role or function of EA”, a majority rate but one well below the 92 per cent recorded by parents and pupils. Further, 94 per cent of school principals disagreed when asked if the authority was effective in carrying out maintenance on time, with 76 per cent strongly disagreeing.
A lack of corporate governance was also attested to by principals, with a “transactional not transformational” approach to the Education Authority’s dealings with schools and a lack of clarity as to what was happening outside of senior circles. Principals and the wider education system stated that they found both the authority and the Department of Education to be too far removed from the delivery of education at the coalface and thus “too siloed into their own thinking” and “despite the best will in the world, not child- or pupil-centric because the bureaucratic models created actually take effort and energy away from the child”.
Funding and resourcing
Of the £155.3 million funding gap for 2021/22, £27.7 million will be offset by underspends on schools. The EA’s current budget position is said to be heavily reliant on in-year allocations to manage financial risk, with block grant allocations of £59.7 million, £36.3 million, and £55.2 million given in 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 respectively through monitoring rounds and internal department exercises. This dependence means that the financial strategy is “unsustainable”.
The report points to more overarching failures of funding for education as a whole, stating that the budget allocation for the sector “does not seem adequate to prioritise the additional learning and wellbeing support needed”. Exacerbating this problem is the finding of the report that the Education Authority is “not currently resourced, financially or with staff, to be able to effectively deliver all the duties and expectations placed on it by stakeholders”.
The Education Authority employs 60,153 staff: 8,212 teachers in controlled schools, and 51,941 support staff posts in controlled and Catholic maintained schools and authority services. The report finds that, despite the authority progressing through transformational activities, gaps in the workplace planning function and remnants of legacy culture remain.
“We can see evidence of change within the EA,” the report states, “but it is slow and not moving at pace and there needs to be more emphasis on, and commitment to, common values throughout the system by all within it.”
Recommendations from the Landscape Review of the Education Authority
1. Conduct an internal review to revisit key aspects of the authority to understand clarity of purpose.
2. Identify the correct budget for the authority and address resourcing issues.
3. Conduct an external review in order to determine the future structural model of the authority.
4. The Education Authority must become more child- and pupil-centric in its approach.
5. Establish a consistent and effective approach to communication.
6. Conduct reviews, testing, and refreshment of all front-line services to ensure they are properly resourced.
7. The Authority must ensure that it has effective and integrated data collation approaches in place.
8. The Education Authority must embed the emerging organisational development strategy to become a learning organisation.
9. Roles defined by the new partnership agreement between the Authority and Department should be made as clear as possible.
10. The Department of Education should seek the views of the Education Authority chairperson and board on how the Department manages its relationship with the authority and how the authority manages its relationships with the
Department and Minister.
11. The Authority should have a well-developed performance framework that is defined as clearly as possible.
12. The Department should review capacity and capability to ensure its relationship with the Authority is managed well.
13. Conduct a full review of the Education Authority board to determine the appropriateness of the current model.
Skills shortages impacting profitability, growth and staff wellbeing in Northern Ireland
Lynsey Quinn Lisa Nappin
Employers in Northern Ireland are currently being faced with a skills gap, with more than three quarters (83 per cent) reporting a shortage.
The Open University’s Business Barometer report (2022) was published in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce and surveyed 144 key employers across Northern Ireland. This statistic has seen a dramatic increase year-on-year, with just over two thirds (69 per cent) of respondents from the 2021 report claiming to have a skills shortage within their organisation.
The Open University’s annual report which provides a temperature check on the UK skills landscape reported that the ongoing skills shortage has worsened over the past year because of factors related to the pandemic, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, and rising business costs. To resolve the issue, upskilling the workforce is a key solution, with 60 per cent of organisations in Northern Ireland planning to increase investment in staff training over the next year. The talent crisis is set to hit micro-organisations with less than 10 employees the hardest, with only 51 per cent planning to increase investment in staff training in 2023.
John D’Arcy, Director of The Open University in Ireland, says: “The skills shortage in Northern Ireland has seen a significant increase over the past year, making it vital for organisations to invest in their workforces through upskilling. This will help with staff retention, as well as the overall output, profitability and growth of businesses.”
The impacts of the skills shortage
As well as impacting the productivity, growth and profitability of an organisation, the increasing skills shortage is also having a detrimental impact on employee wellbeing, with 75 per cent of Northern Ireland organisations highlighting that the issue is causing an increased workload and having a knock-on impact on the mental health of existing employees. In response, nearly three quarters (73 per cent) of organisations in Northern Ireland have implemented some form of written plan around recruitment, training, addressing skills shortages, environmental, social and governance, or diversity and inclusion.
Lynsey Quinn, Senior Manager, Skills and Partnerships for The Open University in Ireland says: “Our Business Barometer report highlights the need for employers to take a long-term strategic approach to addressing the skills gaps and that it's more important than ever to take a proactive view on employees’ skills.
“The report also shows that recruitment is tougher than ever, placing a focus on growing talent from within and opening up opportunities for hidden talent both inside and outside the organisation. Critically, staff seem to be under more pressure than ever looking at last year's report, an increased number of employers admit that the skills shortage is increasing their teams’ workload and impacting wellbeing.”
Lisa Nappin, Head of Business Enterprise, The Business Development Unit adds: “Our survey shows that economic and political factors have had an increased impact on the skills shortage in Northern Ireland. Education plays a vital role in providing a solution to this by relieving pressures on an overstretched workforce.”
How The Open University can help: Microcredentials
To help alleviate the skills shortage, The Open University is offering alternative options, given the increased demand for upskilling and reskilling, to meet employer needs in a flexible and timefriendly way.
The Open University’s microcredentials are university level online professional development short courses – allowing learners to quickly build in-demand career skills and knowledge to help them get ahead in their career.
Created by leading Open University academics and endorsed by high profile industry partners, these courses provide a perfect balance of academic excellence and business, workplace and sector relevance. We currently offer a wide range of microcredentials in key areas such as leadership and management, computing and digital technologies, and health and social care. Microcredentials are delivered at degree and postgraduate level and can be completed within 12 weeks.
John D’Arcy explains: “Lots of businesses in Northern Ireland are taking the first step towards fixing the skills shortage by encouraging staff to engage with microcredentials that allow employees to pick up skills quickly and effectively.”
The Open University’s modular offering gives organisations an informed choice across a wide range of subject areas. As a leading provider of supported distance learning, The Open University is also able to offer a broad and innovative curriculum which includes flexible, focused and accredited short courses that offer value for money.
Developing a skills strategy for the future
As highlighted in our Business Barometer report, the skills gap is growing year-on-year, impacted by factors beyond the direct control of many employers. Therefore, organisations are becoming more aware of the importance of investing in new learning pathways for their staff to help improve staff wellbeing, as well as increasing growth, profitability and output.
The Skills for a 10X Economy Northern Ireland skills strategy highlights three key policy drivers which are key to the development of the skills agenda including: addressing skills imbalances, strengthening digital learning and developing a culture of lifelong learning.
The recent manifesto developed by The Open University in Northern Ireland ‘The Future is Flexible’ supports lifelong learning and widening participation. As one of three universities in Northern Ireland, with specific expertise in parttime, widening participation and online provision, we look forward to developing our outreach through a range of partnerships. We will continue to work with businesses to support the development of our workforces, providing solutions that work for employers and employees alike, for the benefit of wider society.
Key contacts:
Lynsey Quinn, Senior Manager for Skills and Partnerships, The Open University in Ireland: lynsey.quinn@open.ac.uk
Lisa Nappin, Head of Business Enterprise, The Business Development Unit: lisa.nappin@open.ac.uk
For more information visit: open.ac.uk/northern-ireland
New education framework suggests reform of 14-19 qualifications
The “complex” qualifications landscape for 14 to 19 year olds is to be streamlined under plans to better align the education system with the needs of the economy.
Developing a More Strategic Approach To 14-19 Education and Training, a new framework proposing greater integration between the Department for the Economy and the Department of Education. highlights feedback from education stakeholders that “the current qualifications landscape is complex, with too many qualifications which are poorly understood”.
The framework alludes to a ‘new vision’ for the education system which makes it work more in line with the needs of the economy of Northern Ireland, and fill skills shortages.
“Flexibility, information-handling skills, knowing where work is available, and a commitment to lifelong learning are now essential requirements for entering the world of work in the 21st century,” it states.
In a joint statement, Minister of Education Michelle McIlveen MLA, and Minister for the Economy Gordon Lyons MLA, said they were “confident that this joint framework will help encourage a much closer integration between education and training, and economic policies”.
The report acknowledges that implementing the suggested framework is “resource dependant”, with a specific amount not as of yet outlined, although it
states that the framework cannot be implemented with the current level of spending, as “investment will be required”.
“The resource requirements to take forward some of the actions are significant and, in some instances, will require the establishment of dedicated projects or additional staffing resource,” the report emphasises.
Transition points
The framework defines three key ‘transition points’ for people in education:
1. GCSE/Key Stage 4 choices at age 14;
2. Choosing between continuing at school, entering employment, studying an apprenticeship, further education or training at age 16; and
3. Making similar choices with the additional option of higher education at age 18.
Outlining the wide array of options for young people in education, it also notes that “with multiple options and a complex range of qualifications available there is a need to ensure that young people, their parents and their carers understand and are aware of the full range of options in order to make informed choices about their future”.
The framework calls for an overhaul of the qualifications process and a diversification of the curriculum to meet both the educational needs of young people and the skills demands of the economy.
In a joint statement, Peter Friel, 14-19 Project Board Principal, Tony Scullion, Education Adviser, CCMS, and Michael Keenan, Director of Education, CCMS said: “Through a more strategic and integrated approach between education, training and the wider economic environment, we can ensure that our young people have access to a curriculum and range of pathways that meet more fully, their personal, interpersonal and career needs and aspirations.”
Another recommendation is a reform of the qualifications process for the 14-19 age group as, according to the report, “the current qualifications landscape is complex, with too many qualifications which are poorly understood”.
The report continues: “The qualifications landscape needs to be streamlined, accessible and easily understood by young people, their parents and carers and employers.”
Strategic themes
There are five sets of strategic themes outlined in the report which signal “where emphasis and resources should be directed to help address the key challenges identified”. These are:
1. curriculum and qualifications;
2. post-16 provision;
3. careers;
4. awareness and engagement; and
5. 14-19 education and training system.
These themes are underpinned by supporting actions which provide detail as to what activities need to be initiated and progressed over the short-, medium-, and long-term to ensure the overarching objectives and outcomes are achieved.
With regards to the curriculum and qualifications, the framework says that the departments must “build awareness and understanding of the Northern Ireland Curriculum and refresh the focus on skills”.
For careers, there will be a review of the model of careers education delivery and careers guidance in schools, which will include introducing new measures for careers guidance outcomes by developing clear, common, transparent, and accountable quality standards.
The action plan also commits to ensuring “equity of provision and appropriate work experience opportunities are accessible for young people”, as well as investment in the development of a consolidated careers portal, which will make information on the labour market, including skills shortages and opportunities, more accessible.
For post-16 provision, defining the role of post-16 education and agreeing the responsibilities and offer of various institutions is the key strategic action identified, as well as working to identify post-16 and post-19 opportunities for special educational needs in special schools.
The framework identifies coherence between educational and employment sectors as key to success, underpinned by awareness of options and pathways through the 14-19 system.
Finally, establishing metrics for sustained success is perceived to be fundamental. The departments announced that they will “scope the feasibility of a project to address the challenges around the use of data and to agree consistent measures of success for the 14-19 landscape”. It is unclear when this will be done.
There have been four changes in the political makeup of the Education Authority board following May’s Northern Ireland Assembly elections.
The board is made up of 20 members, eight of whom are political nominees. The membership is allocated using the D’Hondt method. This allocated three seats to Sinn Féin (no change), two to the Democratic Unionist Party (down one), two to the Alliance Party – who had previously been unrepresented – and one for the Ulster Unionist Party (no change). The SDLP lost their sole seat on the board.
The remaining are non-political appointees. Twelve members represent other interests like the Irish medium sector, grammar schools, and the main churches in Northern Ireland.
Education Authority: Political board members
Angela Mervyn (Re-appointed)
Nominated by: Sinn Féin
About: Education programmes manager of the West Belfast Partnership Board. She is a director in the Upper Andersonstown Community Forum, a member of the Belfast City Council Community Planning Working and Learning Board and Tackling Educational Inequalities Task Force, and a member of the board of governors of St John the Baptist Primary School, Belfast, St Joseph’s Primary School, Belfast and St Mary’s University College, Belfast.
Mervyn Storey (Newly appointed)
Nominated by: Democratic Unionist Party
About: DUP councillor and former MLA for North Antrim and chairperson of the board of governors of William Pinkerton Memorial Primary School and a member of board of governors of Ballymoney High School. Storey lost his seat in the Assembly in the May 2022 election, and has since been co-opted onto Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.
Rachael Ferguson (Newly appointed)
Nominated by: Alliance Party
About: Alliance Councillor on Derry City and Strabane District Council. She is a member of the Alliance Party, vice-chairperson of NILGA Health, Social and Environmental Wellbeing Network and a member of the board of governors of St Oliver Plunkett Primary School. She is also a trustee of La Dolce Vita Project and a volunteer with the Tiny Tots Community Playgroup and Strathfoyle Women’s Activity group.
John Kyle (Newly appointed)
Nominated by: Ulster Unionist Party
About: Ulster Unionist councillor on the Belfast City Council. Former deputy leader of the PUP. He left the PUP in December 2021 and became a member of the UUP in February 2022, canvassing for them during the recent Assembly elections.
Frank Maskey (Re-appointed)
Nominated by: Sinn Féin
About: Former principal of Corpus Christi College, Belfast and former vice principal of St Patrick’s College, Belfast. Prior to these positions he was a lecturer in mechanical engineering. He is also a member of the board of directors in Newstart Education Centre, Belfast, member of the board of governors of St Genevieve’s High School, Belfast, and member of the Executive Committee and chairperson of the Strategic Steering Group (education) of the West Belfast Partnership Board.
Jonathan Craig (Newly appointed)
Nominated by: Democratic Unionist Party
About: Former Mayor of Lisburn City Council, a former MLA and member of the education committee. He is a DUP member of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and a school governor in two schools across both the primary and secondary sectors.
Stephen Donnelly (Newly appointed)
Nominated by: Alliance Party
About: Alliance member of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, member of the board of directors of Omagh Enterprise Company, political member of both the Fermanagh and Omagh PCSP and the Omagh Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership and a member of the board of governors of Drumragh Integrated College.
Paul Kavanagh (Re-appointed)
Nominated by: Sinn Féin
About: Currently employed by the Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation and served as special adviser to the former deputy First Minister. He is a member of the board of governors of Lumen Christi College, Derry.
report education and skills Skills supply gap faces ‘stigma’ challenge
Moves to address a predicted annual shortfall of some 2,000 level four and level five qualifications over the next decade are not being aided by a societal ‘stigma’ around vocational qualifications.
Covering things like apprenticeships, higher national diplomas (HNDs), professional qualifications and national vocational qualifications (NVQs), level four and level five qualifications sit between A-levels and an undergraduate degree and have been identified as areas of undersupply in ambitions to rebalance the economy.
In March 2022, the Northern Ireland Skills Barometer 2021 update highlighted that overall demand for skills is set to outstrip supply, with the most significant undersupply to be found at levels three to five and an annual shortfall of 1,900 level four and level five qualifiers over the next decade. Specific fields identified for significant shortages include health, public services and care, engineering and manufacturing technologies, finance, and law.
Declining enrolments, evidently exacerbated by the pandemic, and the forecasted undersupply of labour market skills at levels four and five had prompted a wider review into the higher education provision in further education by the Department for the Economy (DfE). As part of the review, the Department commissioned research looking at perceptions of level four and five qualifications in Northern Ireland.
The review identified a social stigma stopping some young people taking vocational qualifications, instead favouring a university degree.
Despite feedback from current level four and five learners finding courses to
be “attractive, useful and valuable”, outside of the FE/CAFRE sectors, levels of awareness and understanding of level four and five qualifications are “patchy” and “often very low”.
Current learners and tutors highlighted a range of positive experiences ranging from perceived high levels of skills development and strong links to employers to lower costs and greater accessibility of the qualifications. Similarly, employers interviewed about higher level apprentices described a mutual benefit to employers and apprentices, and benefits of a supportive and pastoral learning environment.
However, the findings also reveal the existence of a “culturally perpetuated stigma of failing to get into university”, and wider social misconceptions that level four and five qualifications were not viable options due to the perceptions that they would not get students far enough or were unlikely to be able to lead to secure, future employment. As a result, study in further education college is often seen as a plan B, compared to going to university.
The significance of the existing stigma around vocational education can be seen not only in the need to bridge the skill supply gap for the future, but also by the fact that trends which have led to an imbalance appear to be accelerating further. In 2020 and 2021, Northern Ireland recorded its highest rates of school leavers entering university, coinciding with a fall in the number of school leavers entering further education colleges.
Highlighting a "widespread preference for university-based study (over FE) and an enduring stigma surrounding vocational education and training more generally", the research adds that this less favourable comparison and inevitable societal stigma “appears to be reinforced both at school, by peers and teachers and at home by family or parents”.
The research reveals “limited” knowledge about level four and five qualifications including low levels of awareness and understanding of level four and five entry requirements and the subjects offered by not only prospective learners but also by parents/carers and teachers.
A range of issues identified for this existing lack of awareness and understanding includes:
• the proliferation of qualifications;
• terminology leading to confusion;
• the absence of a centralised application and admissions system, similar to the UCAS system for university admissions;
• inconsistent and inadequate careers information in some schools; and
• Covid-19’s prevention of face-toface work experience. Many of these issues are central to recommendations made by the research, which concludes by highlighting that while many strengths and advantages of level four and five qualifications can be found, there are significant challenges in addressing awareness, knowledge and understanding amongst most stakeholders.
“The time is now ripe for review and there is evidence of a desire among prospective learners and their parents to find out more about these often undervalued vocational qualifications which could offer so much to many more learners than are currently aware of them,” the research states.
Parents’ preferred study/employment path for child
Source: Perception of level four and level five qualifications in Northern Ireland. DfE.
DfE careers advisor: “The focus of schools is university. The level fours and fives are generally seen as a back-up, plan B. By the end of it, they're exhausted, they've done UCAS. That's all they've been doing for nearly a year. So, trying to get them out into college is... it's hard for them to consider that.”
FE curriculum lead: “A lot of parents want the prestige of their son or daughter going to university. Whereas, if a student chooses to go to a local further education college, there’s the perception that maybe it's beneath them.”
Non-selective teacher: “Too many people in Northern Ireland still believe only the A Levels to degrees route is acceptable, which is a very 20th century view and totally fails to take account of the changed and changing educational and work landscapes of the 21st century.”
report education and skills
SEN demand outstripping places
Almost 100 pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN) are awaiting re-placement in the education system, as the Education Authority (EA) struggles to meet growing demand of SEN pupils.
As of 5 July, a total of 103 pupils with a statement of SEN were without a school place for the academic year 2022/23 but a further 98 SEN pupils, with a secured place in the new academic year, have been recommended for a change of placement following annual review of their statement, to better suit their needs.
According to an Education Authority strategic area plan for special education provision, the number of pupils accessing a placement in a special school has jumped by 26.4 per cent in the last five years, while in the same timeframe, a 24 per cent increase has been recorded in the number of pupils accessing a placement in specialist provision within mainstream schools. Comparatively, for pupils in mainstream education (without a SEN statement), there are 68 pupils without a confirmed school placement, although 64 of these were due to having not been nominated to a particular school by their parents. This is out of a total mainstream education population of 236,766.
According to the Department of Education, there are 64,486 pupils with special educational needs. This figure includes the 22,198 students with a SEN statement. The EA additionally confirmed that there are 12,840 pupils with a statement who have not enrolled in a special school or have specialist provision in a mainstream school.
Placement challenges
The EA stated that there are 4,411 new pupils with a SEN statement who have sought a school place ahead of the new academic year. These pupils include ones entering school for the first time, and those who have been in education and have only recently acquired a SEN statement.
There are 40 special schools in Northern Ireland, with specialist provision provided in 976 mainstream primary and post-primary schools. The EA projects that the number of SEN statemented pupils could increase by a further 25 per cent by 2030.
The EA’s Planning for Special Education Provision: Strategic Area Plan 2022-27 report has outlined the framework to meet the increasing demands of the special education sector, which will be framed by: increasing parity of access for all to appropriate pathways; promoting cooperation, collaboration and sharing between all special schools and specialist provision in mainstream schools across all sectors; maximising resources and capacity; and informing strategic infrastructure planning and investment.
Increase in SEN pupils
Despite the placement crisis, the Education Authority confirmed that there are “five or less” pupils with a SEN statement who are entering school for the first time or “at a key transition point”.
The pressure in the special education sector is coming amid the sharp increase in pupils with a SEN statement which follows reforms since 2020, when an internal audit found that there had been “unnecessary and undue delays” in the statutory assessment and statementing process, with additional concerns raised about the security of confidential information about children held by the EA.
As a consequence, the number of pupils with a SEN statement has increased by 33 per cent since the 2015/2016 academic year.
Figures from the Department of Education show that there are 57,833 pupils with SEN needs being educated within mainstream schools, 55,128 of which have no specialist provision within these schools.
Additionally, in spite of the fact that pupils with a SEN statement only account for 6.3 per cent of the pupil population, 15 per cent of homeschooled pupils, known to the EA, had a SEN statement in the past academic year.
The Planning for Special Education Provision: Strategic Area Plan 2022-27 report outlines that: “In the last five years, there has been a 26.4 per cent increase in the number of pupils accessing a placement in a special school and in the same period there has been a 24.1 per cent increase in the number of pupils accessing a placement in specialist provision in mainstream.” The report further states that, based on the Department of Education projections, this trend is expected to continue.
“There is a changing profile of pupils, often with a multiplicity of needs. The complexity of pupil need and the profile requires a special school to be adaptable to meet the multiplicity of need. This has a direct impact on the type of accommodation, teaching and ancillary support, the size of classes as reduced pupil: adult ratios are required in many circumstances have an impact on special school provision.”
