Team around the school – accompanying notes
Developments over recent years have resulted in the need to alter the P&FS ‘Local Area
Team’ (LAT) model which was in place from 2007-12.
The HQ SCE restructuring conclusion during Spring 2012, was that the concept of a ‘team
around the school’ would be introduced in September 2012.
There are two main points to highlight in this model.
1. P&FS staff are an agency wide resource. While they are located in a variety of offices
it is a practical requirement that all P&FS staff work across geographical areas. Each
school will have one named member of staff from each of the three P&FS disciplines.
Those members of staff will provide a consistent, discipline specific service to the
pupils, families and staff. The ‘team around the school’ may not necessarily be colocated in the same office base as each other, however each school will have a single,
named P&FS office to which to send ‘request for consultation’ forms and within which
records etc will be filed in relation to that school.
2. Each school will have one named P&FS team manager link (from the current three
team managers of Anne Wilson, Acting PEP, Hazel Russell Acting ESW TL and Tim
Nichol Acting IST TL).
The function of the link manager is to provide head teachers with a single point of
contact should any issues not be resolved by the P&FS staff who constitute the ‘team
around the school’.
Examples of specific concerns which can arise are when there are differences of
opinion regarding level or content of the support provided by P&FS to a school. This
link role does not replace normal line management of the P&FS staff, however it does
provide a single, consistent point of contact for the school and removes the need to
approach multiple managers with the same issue. The emphasis in this model is on
simplified lines of communication, and following any contact from school staff it is the
responsibility of the P&FS managers to liaise with each other and to resolve questions
at the earliest level.
The P&FS management link is also available for advice and guidance on one off
issues, such as advice on individual pupil related risk assessments, exclusions, RPI
and critical incidents.
The following bullet points are for information and not intended to cover every issue.
Kathryn Forsyth – Acting Chief Executive
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
The link P&FS manager does not replace the line management responsibility of the
PEP, ESW TL and IST TL. Currently those three posts are covered by acting
arrangements with Anne Wilson (Acting PEP), Hazel Russell (Acting ESW
TL/Safeguarding Manager) and Tim Nichol (Acting IST TL). The link P&FS managers
will liaise with each other as needed, so that the school has one point of contact but
behind that contact the appropriate links are made between the various P&FS staff.
This is to resolve the current challenge for school staff who may be working with all
three P&FS disciplines and do not automatically know which of the various P&FS
managers is the best, first point of contact when they need to raise issues.

The link P&FS manager does not replace the duties carried by the AEO (SEN), Nicki
Williams with regard to SEN enquiries. The link P&FS manager does provide a single
point of contact for each school in order to raise issues in the first instance. The link
P&FS manager can provide the capacity for ‘team manager’ involvement in complex
cases, for example by attending complex meetings in addition to the team members
from the various disciplines of EP, ESW or IST. However attendance at meetings is not
automatic and depends on the appropriateness and availability etc

The link P&FS manager will not automatically attend any school planning meetings,
with the P&FS staff named as the ‘team around the school’, however could be invited if
needed.

The rationale for the links to be from the three discipline specific team managers (as
against also including either the AD or AEO(SENS) posts) is to enable issues to be
resolved and defused at the earliest point.
Historically both of these posts have previously been linked to schools, however that
resulted at times, in confusion. For example, at times issues relating to individual staff
have escalated too quickly and missed the important discussions that are necessary at
team manager level. Other confusion has been if schools relate to the AEO (SENS)
post to resolve case issues with individual pupils, again if this has missed the team
manager level. The AEO (SENS) post is relevant, for example, to involve in discussion
on funding planned support for an individual pupil but is not the right manager to be
responsible for discussing issues involving day to day support being provided from
other P&FS staff.
This document should be read in conjunction with the team around the school grid, which
lists the P&FS staff named for each SCE school for the academic year 2012-13.
Kathryn Forsyth – Acting Chief Executive
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