Consulting on SEND, Workshops, Exclusions & Dancing (perhaps?) 17th April 2018 Dear All Schools back! We’re back! Here we go again… The serious stuff 1. 1st May – AfC’s SEND Transformation - consultation with parents and carers (what could help schools do better with our children) 2. 10th May - Additional SEN Places in Kingston and Richmond …conclusion of consultation and invitation to follow-up meeting 3. EHCP Transfer Deadline 4. More on EHCPs – good ideas and dealing with unresolved issues The practical stuff 5. Things to do, places to go – sports 6. Things to do, places to go – workshops on wills, sleeping and more 7. Exclusions – our booklet and a national survey In brief 8. Sources of reports 9. Music & Dancing – a night out
1. 1st May – SEND Transformation - consultation with parents and carers From Achieving for Children… the times they are a changing (and there’s very limited funding). However, seeking to understand why schools can struggle to support our children seems to make sense. Tuesday 1st May – 1-am to 12noon Twickenham Training Centre, Grimwood Road, Twickenham, TW1 1BY (easiest parking is in the Waitrose car park in London Road; it’s a 10 minute walk from Waitrose and 7 minutes from Twickenham Station). “Consultation events are taking place with local schools and families to talk about the SEND transformation plans to reinvest in early intervention and understand better the barriers that prevent schools feeling confident and competent to support children and young people with SEND. Families, parents and carers from both Kingston and Richmond are invited to attend this face to face event to have the opportunity to share their views and experiences. Some initial consultation with families has already taken place in Kingston and you can view information about this and comments from those who attended on the SEND Consultation Hub using the weblink provided below.” https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/find-out-more-aboutthe-local-offer/send-consultation-hub-and-resource-bank/kingston-rbk-specific-consultations An online consultation will be live shortly. Please email Julia Hunt at Achieving for Children to confirm your attendance. E: julia.hunt@achievingforchildren.org.uk
2. 10th May - Additional SEN Places in Kingston and Richmond …conclusion of consultation and invitation to follow-up meeting We held the second of the two meetings on 27th March to hear from Achieving for Children on plans to expand Specialist Resource Provisions in Mainstream Schools for Children with SEN. The final report from SEND Family Voices, incorporating feedback from both meetings and any feedback we received through other sources has been sent to AfC and you can read it on our website (see link below), as well as see an annotated version of the slides that were presented in the meeting. The consultation period has now closed and we have arranged with AfC a follow up meeting (see article below). Thank you to all the parents who attended the meetings, emailed us or completed the online consultation. The latest Consultation reports and AfC presentation are on the SFV website here: http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/reports
Invitation to the Feedback Meeting …from Consultation on Additional SEN Places in Kingston and Richmond SEND Family Voices welcome all parents and carers to a feedback meeting, where Achieving for Children will present how they have responded to the information received from parents and others during the consultation process. Please do come along and find out how your feedback has been taken on board. We hope to see you there. Thursday May 10th - 10:00 to 12:00 The Winter Garden, York House, Twickenham, TW1 3AA We will, of course, publish a summary of the meeting afterwards for anyone unable to attend.
3. EHCP Transfer Deadline The deadline for transferring Statements to Education Health and Care Plans was 31 March, so in theory all children and young people should have had their statement transferred and have received a final version of their education, health and care plan. We know this is not the case for all and if you have any concerns about your child’s transfer or about the final document please do get in touch with us and we will try to help. T: 07469 746 145 E: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com
4. More on EHCPs EHCP coordinators in the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) Team We have been notified by the SEN Team’s Post 16 manager that as of the 16th April the PfA Coordinator caseload allocations are changing. If you have a child in year 10 or above, you should have received a letter directly from Achieving for Children. If you have not received this letter, please contact us. E: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com
Threshold Guidance for Schools This is the link to the latest published guidance given to local schools on identifying SEND. It’s not an easy read, but if you want to understand what schools are basing their decisions on – you may find it helpful. You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page.
“The guidance is intended to be used by schools, AfC officers, health professionals, social care professionals and families. It is a guide to the difficulties and challenges that pupils are likely to be experiencing when identified as needing special educational needs (SEN) support or statutory action (that may lead to an education, health and care plan (EHCP). The aim is to ensure transparency and parity between schools in terms of identification and ensuring clear expectations regarding the support provided at each step. Any specific interventions or assessments named in the guidance are intended as examples rather than as endorsements or requirements. Needs and strategies included in this document are not intended as checklists, but as guidance that can be interpreted flexibly according to the needs of the pupil.” https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/assessment-andeducation-health-and-care-planning
How the best schools make use of teaching assistants It seems appropriate to share this article again… https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/how-the-best-schools-use-teaching-assistantseffectively/?utm_sq=fn5ummlmjy&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign =JDMakingMostOfTAs&utm_content=TSL+Evergreen+Blog+post
Dealing with unresolved concerns and decision challenges Single Route of Redress – What is the National Trial The Government are extending the powers of the First-tier Tribunal (SEND), sometimes referred to as the ‘SEND Tribunal’, to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans as part of a two-year trial. The trial will apply to decisions made or EHC plans issued/amended from 3 April 2018. You can read more here: https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/assessment-andeducation-health-and-care-planning/appealing-decisions-concerns-complaints-andfeedback/dealing-with-unresolved-concerns-and-decision-challenges
5. Things to Do, Places to Go - Sports Rise – Open Day RISE events are held to highlight the inclusive and disability specific sports and exercise activities that are available in the Borough and surrounding area. The Open Day is a free event. All are welcome to attend for all or part of the day with friends and family, bringing lunch with you - it is very flexible. Saturday 28th April - 11am to 4pm Teddington Sports Centre, Broom Road, Teddington, TW11 9PJ For more information about the day: E: rise@richmond.gov.uk. http://richmond.gov.uk/services/sports/disability_sports_and_activites/rise_events
Boccia Boccia is a Paralympic sport for people with limited mobility. Hampton YMCA welcomes everyone to this term’s Boccia sessions – for ages 8 to 108 (!). Please contact the organisers for more information. 5th May to 28th July – 11am to 12pm Hampton Youth Project (YMCA White House) E: helenrobinson@ymcalsw.org
T: 05587 034 278
6. Things to Do, Places to Go – Workshops on… Legal Clinic for carers “Local solicitors Gregory White and Tom Lovering are offering individual 15-minute appointments to answer legal questions you may have relating to issues associated with your caring role, such as Lasting Power of Attorney, Wills and Trusts, etc. There is a suggested donation of £5 to Richmond Carers Centre.” Booking is essential Tuesday 24th April 2018 - 9.30am-12noon For more information or to book, call the support team on: T: 020 8867 2380 E: info@richmondcarers.org
“Just a Few More Minutes Please” Sleep Problems with Mark Brown of Special Help 4 Special Needs “Mark will explore the difficulties associated with sleep and children with special needs, as well as some neuro-typical children, and provide some general ideas and approaches toward getting better sleep.” There are a few places left on Ruils Family Matters’ sleep disorders workshop next Tuesday 24th April, you can book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/just-a-few-more-minutes-please-sleep-problems-with-markbrown-of-special-help-4-special-needs-tickets-44665020278
Wills and Trusts Information Morning From MeToo&Co and delivered by Suzanne Mynors of Moore Blatch Solicitors, Richmond Friday 11th May - 10.30am to 12 midday “Many families who have children with additional needs postpone making a will. However, it is these families who need to put particular thought and preparation into how their child will be cared for when they are no longer around.” T: 07946 646033 E: info@metooandco.org.uk
7. Exclusions School Exclusions and SEND – Young people’s rights and the laws that protect This is our (SEND Family Voices) most recent publication. Why? Because recent reports and statistics indicate that children with SEND are much more likely to be excluded than children without SEND. “A child must not be excluded because they have additional needs or disability that the school feels unable to meet, or for which they have not provided appropriate support” http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/booklets
Exclusions review: call for evidence We did this survey – it took 5 minutes – no more. Well worth doing. Children and young people with SEND are excluded more than those without (regardless of ethnicity) “The review will help us to understand how and why schools use exclusion, what drives the variation we see in exclusion rates and, in particular, the disproportionate exclusion of some
groups - including black Caribbean boys, Children in Need, Looked After Children, and those with Special Educational Needs. The review will also explore and identify effective practice, which can be shared across the system. As part of this review, we have published our call for evidence. We are seeking views from parents, children, schools, local authorities and other organisations, to hear about their experiences, practice and evidence. Please submit your responses by 6 May 2018.” The Online Survey button is at the bottom of this page: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-absence-and-exclusions-team/exclusions-reviewcall-for-evidence/
8. Sources of reports SEND Consultations Hub on the Local Offer Achieving for Children have set up a consultations hub on the Local Offer where you can see details of consultations that are currently being undertaken relating to SEND, as well as reports of previous consultations. You can, for example, see the information from the meeting held in March in Kingston relating to SEND. It is very new and a work in progress, but please do let SEND Family Voices know if you have any comments on the format or content and we can feed that back. www.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/local-offer/information-and-advice/find-out-more-about-thelocal-offer/send-consultation-hub-and-resource-bank
SEND Family Voices - Research and Consultations The link below will take you to a page on our website, where you will find research papers and consultation notes written and published by SEND Family Voices. http://www.sendfamilyvoices.org/reports
9. Music & Dancing We have not heard of HfT before, but someone sent through a link to the Michael Jackson celebration event below… “Everyone has a right to the best life possible and that includes people with learning disabilities. Hft is a national charity providing services for people with learning disabilities. We can provide support from just a couple of hours a week up to 24 hours a day.” https://www.hft.org.uk
Hft presents MJ ETERNITY Music and dancing with the fabulous Michael Jackson tribute Friday 11th May - 7:30 to 11pm Kingsmeadow, Kingston £5 On door - Staff free. For further info please contact Melissa on T: 0208 942 9769 E: Melissa.Hulbert@hft.org.uk As ever, if you have any queries at all, please ask and we'll always do our best to find an answer. With best wishes, Romany (for Richmond) and Caroline North (for Kingston) T: 07469 746 145 E: sendfamilyvoices@outlook.com W: www.sendfamilyvoices.org