SENCology

An Optimus Education blog

Category Archives: SEND Code of Practice


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SEN and EHCPs: the law STILL trumps all

Understanding the legalities involved can make the transition to education, health and care plans much easier for schools, parents/carers and the young person. Gareth Morewood explains why.

Just under a year ago I wrote ‘The Law Trumps All’ in SENCology.  A year on, and the messages are still as important, if not more so.

Important aspects for the new school year

Over the last few weeks I have met with many parents/carers at individual meetings and in groups, and this week at our open evening. Most of the conversations centred around supporting the processes for reviewing statements, requesting needs assessments or the development of new EHCPs.

The Year 7 students who started with us a few weeks ago have settled into school life exceptionally well. From their EHCPs we have gained much more information and detail about them as individuals and their aspirations than we could ever gain from statements. However, three of our students from neighbouring local authorities arrived with old and outdated statements which has made our ability to understand, offer the right provision and ensure the best packages of support much more difficult.  Now we are working with parents/carers to ensure a needs assessment is undertaken and the transition review set-up to ensure appropriate provision through an EHCP instead. This will be time-consuming but vital to ensure appropriate provision for the young people at our school. Working jointly with parents/carers is really important – regular meetings and clear communication avoid misunderstandings and uncertainty (see Morewood & Bond, 2012).

What information can help?

From further discussions with parents/carers, SENCo colleagues and parent/carer support networks around the country, the variance in provision is massive; never has it been more important to understand processes and the law.

I often recommend (as I did last October) IPSEA’s on-line legal training – again this year we will be supporting some of our parents/carers in undertaking the e-learning course.

Navigating the SEND-world can be isolating for parents/carers, for SENCos and for young people.  Support in getting factual information, and personal guidance is vital, perhaps more so now than ever.

This post serves as a reminder about where to find support and how to ensure you have key information to hand. Knowing the law is quite simply the most important part of navigating the new arrangements. Below are links to support your knowledge and to assist in finding the factual information that is so vital.

Please do add comments with additional links/information to support readers.

Links:

1441-SEND-WEB-banner-v3The SEND Framework: Compliance & Best Practice 2015 conference on 26th November in London has sessions on the transfer of statements to EHCPs,
co-production as well as engaging parents, personal budgets and the responsibility of teachers.

Related content


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Personal budgets: what are the possibilities?

Personal budgets have been a feature of the SEND reforms from inception, yet national statistics show they are relatively unused. Perhaps the KIDS project has the answer.

There were 1,360 new educational health care (EHC) plans issued in 2014 and 2,765 EHC plans transferred from statements or LDAs between 1 September 2014 and 15 January 2015. Of the EHC plans issued in 2014, 165 had taken up personal budgets, according to recent national statistics.

Whilst many see personal budgets as something to be unsure about, and even possibly threatened by, I see them as a really positive opportunity to get more direct, bespoke provision for young people and families. In fact, I am very excited about the possibilities.

In order for parents and carers and young people to have more choice and control over the services they use, they have an option of a personal budget as part of the provision in their EHC plan.

A personal budget can be delivered in one of four ways:

  1. Notional budget: in this circumstance the individual/family does not receive the money directly but is allocated a budget and participates fully in the planning and decision making around how the money is spent.
  2. Actual budget held by a third party: a different organisation holds the money and helps the individual/family decide how best to meet their EHCP outcomes.
  3. Direct payments: money is transferred directly into the individual’s bank account, which has been opened for the purpose, to meet the identified outcomes.
  4. Any combination of the above.

KIDS project

Recently, I was thrilled to have been asked to be part of the Strategic Advisory Group for the DfE-funded ‘Making It Personal 3’ (MIP3) project with the charity KIDS.

KIDS are looking to build on the successful Making It Personal 2 project (MIP2) in order to deliver MIP3, which will:

  • explore innovative solutions to unlock the potential of using funding to develop personal budgets
  • improve engagement and understanding of young people with personal budgets
  • produce guidance on personal budgets for educational establishments and young people.

The main aims of the project are to:

  • identify and stimulate activity around personal budgets and support education providers to identify ways to use their budgets more creatively to personalise opportunities for young people
  • produce guidance for schools and colleges including case studies to encourage others to develop thinking and practice beyond existing examples in relation to the use of personal budgets
  • bring together groups of disabled young people across 3 localities KIDS to enable them to influence and shape information and guidance on personal budgets.

Overall the project will mobilise and engage the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) to influence the education sector with regard to the implementation of personal budgets.

As part of this project the group will work with three schools and colleges and their respective local authorities across the North West, Midlands and the South, and I am delighted to be supporting the North West trials with our families and local authority.

In addition, the project will produce guidance for schools, colleges and local authorities which will include 15 case studies, five of which I hope to be part of our North West cohort – indeed I have some families and young people already in mind.

Young people engagement groups

The regional facilitators will set up three young people engagement groups with a minimum of six meetings in the three localities, including young people from hard to reach groups, with a view to producing guidance for young people on personal budgets.

Whilst we are currently at the start of the of the project and just about to appoint our regional facilitator, I am very excited about the possibilities to work with our local authority and families in delivering EHCP outcomes through a more personalised approach.

Watch out for regular updates in SENCology, including guest posts from those involved as we develop a framework and series of case studies over the year ahead.


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EHCP transition: a parent’s perspective

Jamie, dad of Thomas, Year 11, talks about his experience of the transition from statement to EHC plan with a neighbouring LA.

Thomas’ background

My son, Thomas, was born at 2.45pm on 18th November 1998. In the first hours of his life Tom suffered a bleed to the brain, stopped breathing, his heart stopped twice and he slipped into a coma.

His fight back started three days later when he opened his eyes and pulled out his own ventilator tube and began to breathe by himself. He’s been fighting ever since and, it feels, so have we.

Now aged 16 he continues to suffer with low muscle tone, poor balance and co-ordination and slower reaction times. In addition to that, he has a complex range of cognitive needs including delayed speech development and wide ranging learning difficulties.

Transitional meeting into secondary school

Tom has had a statement of special educational needs since his education began. He has, however, thrived in mainstream school.

For parents, the prospect of trying to make a case to your Local Authority (LA) for provision for your disabled child in mainstream school can feel like a very intimidating one. Even though it’s not supposed to be an adversarial process, it can feel like it.

The LA is a large organisation with a working knowledge of pages and pages of statute. It will need convincing to even begin to commission a report from a health care professional, or investigate a particular need, let alone offer necessary provision. Budgetary constraints and clarification as to whether a need is medical or educational can easily confound and confuse even the most resilient and determined of parents.

Having a school with professionals who not only share the same level of knowledge of SEN responsibilities but also your own passion for providing for any child who walks through their door – no matter what their needs or vulnerabilities – is worth its weight in gold. We were lucky enough to find that support from our chosen school.

Review meetings

Since being in secondary school, we have had termly statement review meetings as well as annually. I cannot state the value of having both.

To simply meet once a year and carry out a retrospective view of what went right and what didn’t would have resulted in lots of missed opportunities.

We’ve found the termly catch-ups where everyone gave feedback on the previous 12 weeks very helpful.

Tom is present in the meetings and is encouraged to give his own feedback.

Regular contact and contact details

In addition to review meetings, there has been regular communication throughout term time.

Tom has been studying ‘Of Mice and Men’ in English. This is ironic because regardless of the best laid plans, things will occasionally go wrong. I think it’s important for schools to recognise that they can’t get everything right and with every plan they will need to test and refine what they are doing.

A statement might be a very formal and fixed document, but the approach to the provision of that plan needs to be very fluid. What works for one child might not necessarily work for the other.

In understanding that plans and support might need to be tweaked, a school needs to set up the infrastructure to be ready to receive feedback and react to it so it can address issues that arise.

Contact by email and regular dialogue with both the schools SENCo, Tom’s teachers and his teaching assistant has been invaluable.

The EHC transition

It’s scary to think how lengthy this process can be when compared to just how quickly the winter and spring terms can pass by. Thankfully, Tom’s school looked to start the review process almost as soon as Year 11 began. I recall that the SENCo began setting up meetings to discuss EHC planning as early as September. Those September meetings took place with internal access to professionals who sought permissions from us as parents to begin commissioning reports.

Tom has had:

  • an educational psychologists report
  • a speech and language therapy report
  • an action plan report by Services for Young People
  • a cognition and learning report
  • a pupil portrait; as well as
  • a report from us as parents and Tom himself on his views, interests and aspirations.

Reports were ready for early November, in readiness for the first EHC planning meeting with the LA.

Again, this level of support and planning has been invaluable.

We are now well on with the EHC transition process but it is still not complete. I can’t imagine the position we would be in if we had waited for the first meeting with the LA as the trigger to engage the professionals to report on Tom externally.

As it is, we are now in a position that, with the assistance of the school, we are working closely with representatives of Tom’s college on his transition into the next stage of his education. The draft EHC plan might not be ready yet, but people have a comprehensive understanding of our son’s needs and what will be required to help him going forward.

Tom’s aspirations for the future

Tom’s aspirations for the future are very similar to ours as his parents.

We want him to enjoy life as independently as possible with a meaningful career and be able to build up a network of friends and support.

When we asked Tom he said:

‘I’m looking forward to college but I’m going to miss my friends and worry about making new ones. When I leave college I would like to do something in media; either in computer graphics or film making. I would like to be able to have my own job and flat, perhaps with a mate and a 4K TV.’

His journey through school is nearly complete and I’m pleased to say that it has overall been a very positive experience for him. We’re looking forward to the next chapter in Tom’s education, and eventually the EHCP!


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EHCP Transition Reviews – reflecting on the process

One of the biggest challenges that SENCos face is ensuring the facilitation of multi-agency involvement. Although there clearly isn’t any ‘magic bullet’ here, and local issues are most definitely a significant factor, the following action plan ensured the best outcomes for our reviews.

  • Ensure early initial engagement.
  • Provide timely reminders.
  • Be as positive as possible.
  • Consider engaging parents/carers in ‘chasing’ too.
  • Provide clear time frames and early dates – leave plenty of notice.
  • For essential professionals: arrange around them.

Whilst our reviews were very successful, I am always thinking of how to improve things and make them more efficient.  Some suggestions by staff involved are as follows:

  • Check through documents beforehand, and number them too (I got in a bit of a mess with my first couple as the report format looked similar to SALT/EP etc.)!
  • Make sure the kettle is boiled ready (nothing worse than waiting for 10 mins to brew up – a prompt start is useful)!
  • Always start with the child/young person and keep them central – good reviews have always done this!
  • Give parents/carers time to speak and engage in a discussion. This is very important – poor exchanges don’t give parents/carers time to respond.
  • Management of the meeting is key – maintaining a positive, solution-focused approach is important.

So what went well?

  • Excellent reports – thorough, really impressive and very much in line with the desired ‘outcomes’ for the new Plans. I’ve been really impressed by how these were presented.
  • All students and parents/carers attended the reviews. They were very polite and engaged – a thoroughly positive engagement. We celebrated the Year 11’s and their five years of hard work.
  • Refreshments were available and promptly served!
  • Everyone worked really hard to pull it all together – a great team effort with everyone supporting each other.
  • Good time management – no rushing! We allocated 2 hours for each review meeting.

How could the process be improved?

  • Possibly develop a pro forma so we know what documentation is required for each meeting – not all meetings are the same.
  • To have spare copies of referral forms (just in case need to commission additional assessment as part of the process) – some referrals were commissioned as part of the review meeting.
  • To have packs ready for Travel Training (a very popular provision for our Year 11 students) in supporting independence.
  • To agree on a set order for the packs of documentation to be put together – although sometimes a different approach is required. Be flexible and consider each individual.
  • To identify who needs to receive emails with reports/documentation to ensure nothing is overlooked or misplaced – confirming ‘mailing lists’ and the preferred method of communication is always important.

Ideas and strategies for getting students and parents/carers fully involved in the process

  • Early discussions – be open and honest about legal requirements, providing information/handouts if necessary.
  • Allow time for consideration and thinking – plan well in advance.
  • Don’t rush discussions – allowing enough time is important.
  • Ensure positive, open communication at all times.
  • Stress that the process is looking for outcomes – what do they want for their child?
  • How can these outcomes be achieved? Be solution focused.

Key Advice


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EHCP Transition Reviews – our experiences and practical advice

During the last week of November, our Year 11 transition reviews took place for 11 of our students with statements of SEN. Although the reviews were planned in advance, and assessments were coordinated to avoid too much pressure on the young people and parents/carers, this was nothing short of some kind of military operation!

I don’t pretend to be able to explain everything through these SENCology posts. However, I do hope that some of our experiences will help colleagues with their planning, ensuring that EHCPs are effective and appropriate in guaranteeing the best possible outcomes for young people with SEND.

‘The needs of the individual child or young person should sit at the heart of the assessment and planning process. LAs must have regard to the views, wishes and feelings of the child and their parent or the young person, their aspirations, the outcomes they wish to seek and the support they need to achieve them.’

(Code of Practice para 9.22)

It is important to remember, unless reports/assessments are an accurate reflection of the young person’s needs at the given time, EHCPs should be part of a reassessment.

Advice and information must be sought* from:

  • the child’s parent or the young person, and wherever possible the child
  • the current educational institution attended, or person responsible for educational provision
  • health care professionals
  • an educational psychologist
  • social care (from children’s or adult services)
  • any person requested by the child’s parent or the young person
  • any other source which the LA considers appropriate e.g. from a youth offending team.

*The LA must not seek further advice if it has already been provided and the person providing the advice, the LA and the child’s parent or young person are all satisfied that it is sufficient for the assessment process. From Year 9 onwards, advice on preparing for adulthood and independent living must be sought. (Code of Practice paras 9.45-9.52)

There seems to be a lot of misinformation out there surrounding the ‘transfer’ of a statement to a Plan. This is not an administrative exercise – it is a child-centred part of a reassessment of need (see The Law Trumps All in SENCology).

As discussed previously in Planning for EHC plan transfers, the planning process was very important – ensuring that the assessments and reports fed into the timescales effectively required careful planning. In the second part of this post, I will explain in detail the challenges we faced and the successes we gained from the reviews themselves!


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An increased focus on mental health…

One of the positive changes to the new Code of Practice from 1st September was the increased focus on mental health. I think few could disagree with the importance of this with regard to children and young people in our schools and colleges. Indeed, this is an area that I and many other SENCos have been on the ‘front-line’ of for a number of years. This is an area of provision that could be seen as a ‘postcode-lottery’ which is simply not good enough (see CAMHS transition for more detail).

In early October, Nick Clegg promised £120m to support mental health waiting time targets; this is something I have been keen to bring to the attention of anyone who would listen during the recent SEND consultation. We cannot have an increased focus on mental health without some mechanisms to back up provision.

It cannot be right for children and young people with urgent mental health needs to be on waiting lists for at least nine to ten months. When dealing with pupil mental health, early intervention and pro-active support is essential.

Delays and distress

‘We also know that the longer people wait for support the more damage a mental health condition can do to their health, their family life, their schooling or work and their social connections. Long waits for psychological therapy, for example, don’t just cause distress among those left waiting and their families but they deter many from getting treatment at all. Untreated psychosis can have particularly damaging effects on a young person’s life that effective EIP services can prevent. And people wait in many parts of the mental health system, from being kept in police cells in an emergency and being unable to contact crisis team out of hours to being made to wait for months for psychological support or for a transfer from prison to hospital. These are all important and will all need to be addressed.’

Why Access Matters, The Centre for Medical Health

Too often schools and colleges complain about an inability to liaise directly with CAMHS and see any progress when their own provisions have been exhausted; there must be better links to ensure more speedy support.

Actions to take

The reality must now lie with action; my suggestions are outlined below.

  1. Ensure that each school or educational setting has a named CAMHS link.
  2. Ensure that each school or educational setting also has a named person for mental health (similar to designated child protection lead).
  3. Ensure these requirements are part of statutory requirements (i.e. part of the Local Offer).
  4. Enforce minimum waiting time targets for children and young people in accessing support.

Whilst some may argue that wider priorities are more pressing, I am raising these points as initial ways to make more of an immediate impact. The shift needs to happen now, starting with improving access and communication, building into increased accountability and resulting in a truly accessible and transparent system across the country. I am certain that SENCology will have more on this as the year progresses!

Useful websites for young people

More information


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However tough the SENCo role can be – remember the law trumps all!

One of the most effective things I did early on as a SENCo was to volunteer for IPSEA, as part of which I received legal training. Ultimately, whatever systems or ‘evolved protocols’ develop with the new SEND arrangements, the law trumps all (a favourite quote of Jane McConnell’s, CEO IPSEA, duly referenced).

As a SENCo, learning the law is one of the most powerful things you can do. Check IPSEA’s website regularly as a useful place for support and, if possible, get appropriate legal training too. IPSEA offers a range of SEND Law training on their website which could prove invaluable, especially as the new arrangements ‘bed in’ and misinformation evolves.

Also, take a look at Douglas Silas’s excellent website for additional information and useful pieces about specific areas of SEND, as well as Irwin Mitchell’s excellent factsheets and template letters. Ultimately, until some case law is tested under the new arrangements, or a few Tribunals clarify regulations, some specifics won’t be clear immediately. However, as a lay person, using the links above will support knowledge and understanding at this time.

Some rough guidelines

Under the new Children’s & Families Act there is a renewed emphasis on:

  • the wishes and feelings in participation and decision-making
  • the aspirations and goals and improving outcomes for children and young people and transition through to adulthood
  • proper and effective joint planning / commissioning of services (co-production)

A good understanding of the law is one of the most important things a SENCo should have in order to support these new emphases, and is often one of the things that many SENCos don’t possess. So, as we move forward under the new arrangements, it’s useful to remember that:

  • LAs are as responsible for EHCPs as they are for statements
  • the Local Offer is a LA responsibility
  • the most direct route to request an assessment is via a parent/carer request – you can get model letters from IPSEA’s website (I often write them for parents/carers and get them to sign when we discuss the application)
  • there is no legal requirement for evaluated IEPs or anything like that – despite what some LAs may say. So if an LA insists and refuses statutory assessment based on their own requirements from a checklist, simply explain that there isn’t a legal requirement.

Ultimately, I hope that the new legislation provides a good opportunity to put some myths to bed once and for all. New issues will arise, as with any new system, but being informed as a SENCo should keep you well-placed for when they arise!

My final tip: keep evidence and base decisions on fact and truth. Uncertainty and emotional reactions make things increasingly difficult; keeping honest, open communication is essential. Our initial planning meetings with parents/carers have been just that; using all the documents from the sites above to ensure clarity. So far the response has been extremely positive, despite the challenges of the new systems and the need to clarify understanding.

Resources:

More information:


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Planning for EHC plan transfers

From September 2014 the Children and Families Act 2014 became law. A key element of this is the replacement of Statements of Special Educational Needs and Section 139a Learning Difficulty Assessments with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

Main differences

The main differences are that the EHC plan:

  • is more person centred with more engagement and involvement from parents, carers, children and young people in the process
  • has a more co-ordinated assessment process across education, health and care services
  • is focused on outcomes to be achieved for each child or young person
  • can run from birth to age 25
  • applies equally to all schools including academies and free schools.

Key requirements when writing an EHC plan

Paragraph 9.61 of the SEND Code of Practice sets out the key requirements and principles which apply to local authorities and those contributing to the preparation of an EHC plan. Two key points to note are that EHC plans should be:

  • clear, concise, understandable and accessible, and written so they can be understood by professionals in any local authority
  • forward looking – for example, anticipating, planning and commissioning for important transition points in a child or young person’s life, including planning and preparing for their transition to adult life.

Our planning process

We are currently planning for and undertaking all the necessary assessments and consultations to ensure a smooth transition from statements to EHC plans in time for post-16 provision for our year 11 students. For each student a range of assessments and meetings needs to take place (SaLT, EP, OT, physio, social care, GP, school, etc) in time for the official transition meetings we are holding in the week beginning 24 November 2014. We are fortunate that the local authority officer who is responsible for the year 10 and 11 plans is based at our school and is our old Connexions advisor, which makes the planning much easier as she knows us all really well.

We have asked staff to show a bit of understanding with regard to our nine statemented students being taken for additional assessments and meetings. This is essential for the transitions into adulthood in the timeframe outlined below. The planning matrix has proven to be more complex than I had envisaged. Ensuring parents/carers and young people are not having to tell the same information to several different professionals is important, in addition to ensuring that students do not have too many assessments in a short period of time. We have, however, agreed a comprehensive plan, the timeline for which is illustrated below.

Timeline

Date Action
17 Sep 2014 Initial planning meeting*
18 Sep–3 Nov 2014 Reports and assessments undertaken
7 Nov 2014 Reports to me for initial consideration
13 Nov 2014 I meet with LA officer re: reports
24–27 Nov 2014 Official EHC plan reviews take place
Dec 2014 EHC plans written – drafts to parents/carers

* The initial planning meeting with all professionals and the local authority officer was essential in trying to align everyone’s work and ensure an effective process.

Finally

By my reckoning year 11 transition reviews need to take place during November. My advice from our planning and development experience is to start early. Plan the assessments and reports to minimise disruption, and also to ensure parents/carers and young people don’t have to repeat information or do too much in a short space of time.

As with all new arrangements, we are doing this for the first time so things may change and what works for us may be very different in your setting. However, I hope this gives you some thoughts regarding our working and developments – more updates to follow!

Resources


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SEND information for your school website – confirmation and clarification

Since the launch of the SEND Code of Practice 2014, there has been a lot of misinformation regarding the Local Offer and what schools are required to publish. I aimed to clarify some of the misconceptions and (in some cases) inaccurate advice in my post New code update – all go from September. In this post, I want to confirm the information that schools need to ensure is included in the SEN information report on their websites.

Make sure your website contains the following information:

  1. The kinds of special educational needs for which provision is made at the school.
  2. Information, in relation to mainstream schools and maintained nursery schools, about the school’s policies for the identification and assessment of students with special educational needs.
  3. Information about the school’s policies for making provision for students with special educational needs whether or not students have EHC Plans, including:
    1. how the school evaluates the effectiveness of its provision for such students
    2. the school’s arrangements for assessing and reviewing the progress of students with special educational needs
    3. the school’s approach to teaching students with special educational needs
    4. how the school adapts the curriculum and learning environment for students with special educational needs
    5. additional support for learning that is available to students with special educational needs
    6. how the school enables students with special educational needs to engage in the activities of the school (including physical activities) together with children who do not have special educational needs
    7. support that is available for improving the emotional, mental and social development of students with special educational needs.
  4. In relation to mainstream schools and maintained nursery schools, the name and contact details of the SENCO.
  5. Information about the expertise and training of staff in relation to children and young people with special educational needs and about how specialist expertise will be secured.
  6. Information about how equipment and facilities to support children and young people with special educational needs will be secured.
  7. The arrangements for consulting parents of children with special educational needs about, and involving such parents in, the education of their child.
  8. The arrangements for consulting young people with special educational needs about, and involving them in, their education.
  9. Any arrangements made by the governing body or the proprietor relating to the treatment of complaints from parents of students with special educational needs concerning the provision made at the school.
  10. How the governing body involves other bodies, including health and social services bodies, local authority support services and voluntary organisations, in meeting the needs of students with special educational needs and in supporting the families of such students
  11. The contact details of support services for the parents of students with special educational needs, including those for arrangements made in accordance with section 32.
  12. The school’s arrangements for supporting students with special educational needs in a transfer between phases of education or in preparation for adulthood and independent living.
  13. Information on where the local authority’s Local Offer is published.

There was always a duty on schools to provide information for parents/carers about provision; this list should help colleagues explain clearly what provision is made at individual schools and support open and transparent communication with regard to SEND arrangements from September.

Further guidance


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Starting the new SENCo year in 2014 – don’t panic…

The end of the summer break always gives those who work in schools that ‘funny feeling’: sometimes excitement for new jobs or roles – and often anxiety and a sense of disbelief!  With the SEND reform becoming reality from 1st September, this year will be even more challenging for the SENCo.

Don’t panic: the key here is ‘from’ 1st September. Initial concerns regarding implementation have been slowly dissolved with reforms coming in from September 1st 2014 until 1st April 2018, when all the new arrangements will be in force (Making the transition from statements to EHC plans offers more detail).

And, over the next few months SENCology will bring you up-to-date information regarding the reforms and practical solutions to support you in your setting. My aim is to do some of the hard work for you by trialling different ways of working and sharing the results – leaving you to choose the approaches most likely to work best in your context. That’s the plan in any case!

Developing new systems and supporting new arrangements

While nobody is expecting instant overnight transformation on the 1st September and some of the changes are being phased in over time, there are some things which need to be done in September (with my emphasis added).

  • School leaders and governors should start exploring what the reforms mean for their school so that the SEN policy can be reviewed and refreshed in a co-production partnership with parents, carers, families and children and young people from September.
  • Schools should be thinking about how they will inform parents about the reforms, reassure them that their child will get the support they need and engage them in their child’s review.
  • One of the central pillars of the reforms is that classroom teachers play a pivotal role in reviewing a child SEN support so all schools should be looking at the training needs of all their staff to support the reforms.
  • All schools are required to publish an SEN information report which must include information for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEN and admission of disabled pupils. The requirements are set out in Schedule 1 – information to be included in the SEN information report. More on this in my next blog!
  • Schools must also cooperate with local authorities in the development and review of the Local Offer. And at the same time, school leaders should be engaging with their local authority in relation to the process for transferring from statements to EHC plans, delegated funding, joint commissioning and implications of personal budgets.
  • The SENCo must be a qualified teacher working at the school; where a newly appointed SENCo has not been the SENCo for a total period of more than 12 months, they must achieve a National Award in SEN coordination within three years of appointment.
  • The reforms place a duty on schools to make arrangements to support pupils with medical condition and schools must have regard to statutory guidance supporting pupils at school with medical conditions.

In short the terminology is very much about developing new systems and supporting the new arrangements from 1st September 2014 – this means SENCos need not panic and can plan strategically how they will engage with parents/carers and support staff development as the changes happen over the next few years.

To assist colleagues I’d recommend looking at the excellent factsheets and templates produced by Irwin Mitchell. We’re giving staff time to read a selection of factsheets on the INSET days at the start of term then feedback to others.  They will also be really useful for parents/carers as the new arrangements start to come into force.

Personal preparation

Finally, I think it’s important to consider personal preparation too. I wonder how many colleagues have experienced the ‘…only been back one day and feeling like never been away…’ syndrome? I have to admit it is difficult to get away from! However, looking after your own mental health and wellbeing should be an important part of the developing reforms and provision. For some suggested strategies, take a look at Teacher wellbeing: how to mentally prepare for a new school year.