This update includes:

• SENCo Briefing – bookings now open
• New Documentation for our Education, Health and Care Assessment and Review Processes
• Welcome to the new Head of SENAR
• What does good Transition look like?
• Sufficiency Strategy Update
• The role of the SaLT Link Therapist – Balanced System Updates
• Writing Person-Centred Outcomes – free training for schools and settings
• CAT PAC – Courses for parents
• SEND Co-production - Call for case studies
• Dingley’s Promise: Early Years SEND Assessment
• Supporting pupils with social communication and interaction differences using the SCERTS framework – Training for schools
• Trauma Informed Attachment Aware Schools (TIAAS) Training for New Starters
• Feedback from Special School Outreach Support (SSOS)
• ‘Stay Safe’ SEND programmes - Free resources for schools
• Have you seen the latest ‘All Age Autism’ Newsletter? 
• Wraparound Childcare Parent Survey - BEHEARD

SENCo Briefings - bookings now open 

Autumn term round of SENCo briefings are planned for second week in November. These 90-minute sessions will be hosted through MS Teams and will have a two-item agenda as follows:

1. New EHCP paperwork – see headline below around new EHCP Documentation
2. Evidencing the Graduated Approach as part of the EHCNA process – Hugo Besterman, Prime Resolution

Dates for Network briefings:

• Monday 11th November between 1.30 and 3pm
• Tuesday 12th November between 1.30 and 3pm
• Wednesday 13th November between 9.30 and 11am
• Thursday 14th November 9etween 9.30 and 11am

The agenda items and city-wide content of each briefing will be the same. Please choose the date and time which is best for you and follow the link to book onto one of these sessions.

SENCo Briefing - Monday 11th November 2024 - 1:30pm – 3:00pm

SENCo Briefing - Tuesday 12th November 2024 - 1:30pm – 3:00pm

SENCo Briefing - Wednesday 13th November 2024 - 9:30am – 11:00am

SENCo Briefing - Thursday 14th November 2024 - 9:30am – 11:00am

New Documentation for our Education, Health and Care Assessment and Review Processes

We are excited to launch our new documentation for our Education, Health and Care assessment and review processes.  

We have collaborated with all partners to evaluate where the elements and experiences within these processes needed to improve, and with the excellent engagement of our partners, have coproduced both assessment, review and EHCP template documents to deliver improved quality across all aspects.  

Parent carers, children and young people, school and educational setting staff, SEND professionals, colleagues from health and social care, the Virtual School, and the Careers Service, over 70 partners, have all been involved in not only discussing what needs to change, but also directly working together to draft, pilot and agree the new documentation for improving the quality of our EHCPs.   

During this process, there has been a collaborative establishment of high standards that we expect across the partnership and each partner has been able to review their part to play in this.   

We are excited to launch and embed these new documents, but we must remember it is about so much more than new documents. These improvements will, ultimately, directly impact on the experience and educational success of our children and young people.   

We will be sharing the new paperwork at the SENCo Briefings planned for the beginning of November and information for booking places can be accessed in the info above!

Please see EHCP Elevate Programme document.

Over the next six months we will support our parent carers, educational settings, SEND professionals and other partners to understand and embed these new documents and expectations, and will provide opportunities of training, weekly drop ins for guidance on document completion, query checks and information sharing to ensure all partners are clear and able to move forward with improved quality. Please see that attached timeline overview for further detail.  

We will use a grace period up to the end of the April 2025, after which all our new documents will be fully embedded, and all current documents will be withdrawn. 

Head of SENAR

New Head of SENAR Introduction

Hi, I am Natalie Williams, and I am the new Head of SENAR, I started in post on the 2nd of September 2024. Most recently I led SEND in Stoke-on-Trent as the Strategic Manger for SEND and prior to that I have a background in SEND local authority and post 16.  

Tracy Winwood and I are currently co-working the role as we embed the new SENAR structure and support the training and development of the new permanent staff in the service. My initial priorities include visiting schools and settings in Birmingham to gain an understanding of the challenges and the opportunities and work to build positive relationships. I have already been to several schools and met some amazing children and young people along the way! 

I have started to work with the team to also understand their challenges and gather ideas for service improvements which ultimately will have a positive impact on the experiences of everyone who interacts with the SENAR team. I have met some SENCOs already at the new SENCO briefing recently but I am looking forward to meeting many more of you as I embed into my role in Birmingham.

What does good Transition look like? 

Transition is a process of moving from one stage or phase of education to another. Sometimes this might include moving school and setting or moving within settings.  Transition is a time of change and for children and young people with SEND; this can require careful planning. 

As identified in the SEND and AP Improvement Plan and DBV workstreams, the Local Authority is looking to develop a Transition Framework as part of the Ordinarily Available Guidance. This is to support transition at all levels from EYFS to Post-16, whether through processes or specific activities for supporting and engaging with young people, parents and with schools and settings.  

As such, we are keen to gather examples of good practice around transition from across the Birmingham area that we can then share wider with schools and settings through the OAG. At your next Local SENCo Consortia meeting, we will be asking you to share the current practice in your setting when supporting transition – both what happens before a transition and afterwards. The attached template has been shared with the SENCo Consortia Lead for your area and they will be bringing this to your local SENCo meeting this term for you to discuss and collate as a consortia group. We would encourage you to try to attend the next meeting or ask that you share your practice with your Consortia Lead if unable to.  

If you are also interested in sharing or developing case studies around effective practice, then please get in touch with Heather Wood or Natalie Cooper to discuss this further. 

SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024-2030 – Update

Our SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024-2030 is aligned with our vision for CYP in Birmingham; the priorities set out in our SEND and Inclusion Strategies launched in July 2023; our graduated support and provision models; and the need to ensure that our CYP are educated in the right settings for them. 

The Strategy has been launched this term and is designed to ensure that every child with SEND has access to high-quality education and resources tailored to their unique needs. 

The full strategy document has now been included in our Local Offer – please see link: Birmingham SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2024 -2030  

By addressing current gaps and planning for future needs, this strategy aims to give every child with SEND the opportunity to thrive both academically and socially. We are confident that this strategy will significantly improve the range of quality of education and support available to children with SEND. The collaborative efforts of schools, parents, and community partners will be crucial to the successful implementation of this initiative.  

Implementation Plans and Next Steps:

• The strategy is informing our strategic commissioning intentions and provides the basis for our detailed project implementation plan. We are currently working with over 60 schools who have expressed interest in developing new or expanded provision. The resulting schemes are at various stages of delivery, but we will keep you informed of our further progress and of additional places as they become available. Data and forecasts will be refined, at least annually, and additional options for phased expansion will be identified, to ensure that we provide sufficient contingency to react to any changes over time in the numbers of places required.
• Further detailed work has started in respect of the Early Years, Post 16, and Alternative Provision sectors, in addition to the development of a dedicated strategies for the SEMH and sensory provision. This work will be completed in collaboration with schools and wider stakeholders

The role of the SaLT Link Therapist – Balanced System Updates

The BCHC Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) team have developed a presentation offering updates around the implementation of the Balanced System. This was shared with the SENCo Consortia leads at the beginning of October – please see attached if you haven’t yet seen this. 

The presentation covers further information on the menu of support available from your Link Therapist, including the offer to the small number of schools who have not yet had their Link Therapist allocated – the team are currently recruiting and hope to fill all vacant posts very shortly. 

You will also find information on the SaLT School Age pathway designed to show the journey of a child and their family through the new system.  

The last few slides give further information and support around implementing the SaLT elements of the OAG as well as some responses to frequently asked questions FAQ's that may be useful to share with staff in your setting. 

The SaLT School Age Coordinators (SACOs) are also planning to attend local SENCO group meetings so please talk to the SENCO Consortia lead for your area to make sure you have dates for these. 

Writing Person-Centred Outcomes – free training for schools and settings 

Well-written outcomes are the foundation for understanding and securing the education, health, and social care support they need, enabling young people to achieve greater independence, pursue meaningful careers, and live fulfilling lives. By attending this training, participants will gain valuable skills in shaping specific, measurable, and ambitious outcomes, ultimately leading to better life outcomes for the young people they support. 

Training on writing good outcomes in EHCPs is essential to understanding how professionals, parents, and carers can contribute to plans that reflect the strengths, needs, and aspirations of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).  

Therefore, Pupil and School Support will be offering free online training sessions in the Spring term, focused on working together to write ambitious person-centred outcomes based on the child or young person’s needs and aspirations.

Attendees will learn to use tools that help to gain the views of young people and their families and how to use these to write life outcomes that prepare individuals for adulthood. Practical exercises and case studies will enhance understanding, ensuring participants have the skills to co-produce person-centred outcomes which are ambitious and help the person to achieve the things that are important to them in their life.  

The training sessions will be delivered online via Microsoft TEAMS during the Spring Term, 2025. Dates to be confirmed after half term.

Booking details will be available soon via the Pupil and School Support Courses and Resources section of the SEND Local Offer Website.

For more information or to register your interest, please contact david.w.hill@birmingham.gov.uk.

CAT PAC – Courses for parents

CAT PAC is our parent autism awareness course designed to share knowledge, skills and strategies to enable parent carers to further support their autistic child.  

Each term, the Communication and Autism Team (CAT) offer courses to parents of CYP across the primary and secondary sector, so please share the attached Primary school and Secondary school fliers via your school website and promote these with your families. For further information, please speak to your CAT representative. 

SEND Co-production - Call for case studies 

Following the success of the online SEND Co-production Training sessions held in June 2024, we are eager to hear from SENCOs about the positive impacts you are making in supporting children and families. Some super examples of co-production were shared at the training, and we are now interested in gathering evidence of your activities in relation to the 4 Cs of Co-production: Co-commissioning, Co-design, Co-delivery, and Co-assessment. 

You can share this information through any of the following methods (with written permission confirmed): 

• Completing the Case-Study-Template
• Providing video or audio footage 
• Sharing verbal quotes from children, young people, or parent carers 

We encourage all schools across Birmingham to sign up to the SEND Co-production Award Scheme. You can download the Award Scheme - Information Pack to learn more. 

To achieve the Bronze Award, schools need to register their commitment to the SEND Co-production Framework & Charter. You can access the Co-production-Award-Scheme-Registration-Form. 

If you are a new SENCO recently joined with Birmingham City Council, you can register for our free in-person SEND Co-production Training. 

For any questions, please contact Lakhvir Sahota at: lakhvir.sahota@birmingham.gov.uk 

Please submit your information by 31st October 2024. 

Thank you for your continued dedication and contributions! 

Dingley’s Promise: Early Years SEND Assessment 

Dingley’s Promise, in collaboration with the DFE have published a resource to support attainment and monitoring progress for children with SEND. 

The Area SENCo Team will be providing more information about how this can be used within settings later this term. You can access the document here: 

Help for early years providers : SEND assessment guidance and resources (education.gov.uk) 

Dingley’s Promise also provide a series of training modules which are detailed on the attachment. 

Supporting pupils with social communication and interaction differences using the SCERTS framework – Training for schools

SCERTS – (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Supports) is a strength based, multiagency approach, building on what is already working and bringing together parents/carers and professionals who support the child. It’s an evidence-based approach that can be used in all settings, with children who are nonverbal to those with lots of language who may be struggling with the social rules of interaction. A child doesn’t need an Autism diagnosis to use this framework. SCERTS utilises an assessment process that allows the most important outcomes for the child to be identified and then follows a plan/do review cycle. SCERTS provides progress data, so is helpful for pupils on SEN Support including SSPPs and those with EHC Plans requiring a graduated approach. 

The attached flier gives further information and details of training available; for further information please contact Sam Gallagher Samuel.Gallagher@birmingham.gov.uk 

Trauma Informed Attachment Aware Schools (TIAAS) Training for New Starters

Birmingham Educational Psychology Service is offering a training programme of 1.5 days, designed for new staff joiners in settings which have already completed their whole school TIAAS training. The training will support staff to apply trauma and attachment aware strategies in school, which are based upon current and up-to-date theory and research. We also train staff to use Emotion Coaching; an evidence-based universal approach towards responding to emotions and developing self-regulation skills. Please see the attached for further information or contact Sam Gallagher Samuel.Gallagher@birmingham.gov.uk 

Feedback from Special School Outreach Support (SSOS)

Special School Outreach Support (SSOS) continues to work closely with Birmingham City Council as part of our approach to build capacity for the support of young people with SEND across the city. An update on some of the support that has taken place over the last 12 months as well as some feedback from schools in receipt of this.

The information also clarifies the process of engaging with the SSOS, so please ensure that you are discussing pupils you feel this may be useful for at your termly MAP meetings.

‘Stay Safe’ SEND programmes - Free resources for schools

The NSPCC Speak out. Stay safe. safeguarding programmes are available to all primary schools and SEND schools in the UK and Channel Islands and comprise our Speak out. Stay safe. and our Speak out. Stay safe SEND programmes.   

The Speak out. Stay safe programme (KS1 & KS2 virtual assemblies and follow up lesson plans) helps children understand abuse in all its forms and recognise the signs of abuse, understand that abuse is never a child’s fault, and that they have the right to be safe, and know how to get help, and the sources of help available to them, including our Childline service. 

Our specially adapted SEND version of Speak out. Stay safe. is for pupils with moderate learning disabilities and some children with autism and/or additional learning needs, and whilst it has been devised primarily for pupils in upper KS2, the materials can be adapted for older pupils as well. 

This 6-session programme has activities and resources to help schools help their pupils to understand what abuse is and provides strategies to keep safe.  

For more information or to arrange a call to discuss our resources, please contact Kate Warner, Schools Coordinator, Midlands 0121 2277650 or kate.warner@nspcc.org.uk  

We also hold 30-minute virtual SEND information sessions twice termly - please see attached for dates. 

For more information and to register for the programmes please visit: nspcc.org.uk/speakout.  

Have you seen the latest ‘All Age Autism’ Newsletter? 

Please find attached a link to the latest edition of our quarterly All Age Autism Newsletter (April 2024) 

Some of the features in the Newsletter include: 

Page 2 – Partner Focus  

Page 3 - AAA Supporting Parents  

Page 4 - Staff & Directory Update 

Wraparound Childcare Parent Survey - BEHEARD 

The Early Years and Childcare Service rolled out a Parent Survey in early September 2024, related to Wraparound Childcare for Primary School Age children in Birmingham to meet the needs of children, parents, carers and families. 

Definition of Wraparound Childcare: Wraparound Childcare includes Before School Care (BSC) and After School Care (ASC). 

Please share the link below with your parents for further information as well as the QR code which takes parents/carers to the BEHEARD survey. 

The QR code below will take you straight to the survey link. 

 

https://www.birminghambeheard.org.uk/bcc/parent-survey-wraparound-childcare-september-2024