Local Authority's Expectations of Education Providers

In accordance with the latest SEND reforms, the Local Authority requires schools in the area to identify and provide support for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) by identifying children and young people’s needs and involving them and their parents/carers in decision making.

The following are fundamental to the process:

Considering the views, wishes and feelings of the child or young person and their parents
Allowing the child or young person and their parents to participate as fully as possible in decisions
Providing the child, young person and their parents with the information and support necessary to participate in those decisions
Supporting the child or young person and their parents in order to help them achieve the best possible outcomes, both educationally and in other areas, preparing them effectively for adulthood

Swindon's SEN Provision Development Strategy

Swindon’s SEN provision development strategy aims to raise the achievement of all pupils through:

A strong culture of inclusion in every school
Personalised learning approaches including innovative use of new technologies
High quality accommodation and specialist facilities
Strong professional development arrangements and collaboration between schools
‘Team around the child’ approach to provide co-ordinated multiagency support
Engagement of parents and carers in their child’s learning

he Local Authority propose to maintain special schools for those children with the most complex needs but break down the barriers between special and mainstream schools and ensuring mutually beneficial curriculum and social links. By working in partnership with Swindon mainstream and special schools to The Local Authority will build and extend on existing good practice. Through targeted support we aim to increase the capacity of mainstream schools to effectively meet a wide range of special educational needs.

Swindon Local Authority Accessibility Statement

Proposed changes to applications for additional funds for mainstream pupils with SEND

The Local Authority is currently in the process of replacing the current business case model for SENRAP funding for mainstream schools and academies with a more simple and consistent universal banding approach. As of April 2015, the Local Authority will be running a pilot scheme for new funding applications. The scheme will enable us to determine the impact of any changes on the DSG which we will report to the School’s Forum in July. It is our intention that moving to a funding based system on pre-determined band values will reduce the administration burden for schools and the SENRAP panel.

The documents below detail the proposed changes and provide guidance on how to apply for funding under the pilot scheme.

Click for more information on proposed changes

Responsibilities of All Local Schools

All schools should co-operate with the Local Authority in developing the Local Offer and each school must publish its own detailed information on the Local Offer.

In all circumstances, schools, colleges, early years’ settings and other providers should ensure that:

they are providing high quality provision for children and young people with SEN and that personalised teaching is available for all pupils
they give extra support and differentiated work to pupils if they fall behind and, if the pupils fail to make progress, they should consider if appropriate request for an SEN assessment and provide evidence of pupils’ developmental needs
teachers are responsible for the progress of the pupils in their class
there is a designated SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) who is a qualified teacher
support is planned and reviewed by the class or subject teacher, in collaboration with the parents, SENCos, where appropriate, the child or young person
they provide auxiliary aids where necessary
they support access to extra-curricular activities
wherever possible, children and young people with SEN are included alongside their non-SEN peers
children and young people with SEN are represented on schools’ councils
they engage with parents, children and young people when drawing up policies and procedures
they assess a child’s and young person’s skills and levels on entry and made regular assessments of progress
they track progress at least three times a year (termly)
school nurses and counsellors are available to offer support where needed

Early Years (Age 2 - 3)

When a child is aged between 2 and 3, Early Years’ practitioners must review progress and provide parents and carers with a short written summary of their child’s development, focusing in particular on:

communication and language
physical development
personal, social and emotional development

Early Years’ settings should frequently assess, plan and review their actions in increasing detail and frequency, to identify the best way for the child to make good progress.

There should be a member of staff who acts as special SENCo. A maintained nursery must have a SENCo who is a qualified teacher in order to ensure the required level of support for children with SEN.

Primary and Secondary Schools

Class and subject teachers are responsible for the development of the pupils in their class, even where pupils receive additional support from specialist staff, teaching assistants or SENCos. They should make regular progress assessments of all pupils and respect individuals’ differences, in addition to promoting and maintaining good communication between parents, pupils and teachers.

Where a pupil is receiving SEN support, schools should meet parents regularly to review the progress, establish clear goals, discuss the activities and support that will help their child and identify the responsibilities of the school, the parent and the pupil.

The additional provision made for pupils with SEN should be accurately recorded and kept up to date. As part of any school inspection, Ofsted will expect to see evidence of the support that is in place for pupils and the impact of that support on their progress.

Further Education

The further education sector offers a diverse range of academic and vocational courses for young people and adults wishing to study full-time or part-time. Colleges should ensure that all students are on an appropriate course and have the appropriate support to fulfil their aspirations and prepare for adult life.

There is no legal obligation for colleges to have a SENCo, but colleges should ensure there is a named person in the college who can manage SEN provision and co-ordinate support.

To support early years, schools and colleges to reflect on and develop their in house provision we have produced a Swindon Good Practice Guide 2014