Hello, we hope that you are all keeping well. We are now getting to the end of what can often feel like the longest month of the year! So, we are planning and looking forward to the year ahead, not only is it Bradford City of Culture year, there are so many activities, events, support group meet ups and training opportunities to come in 2025 - we are so happy you are part of our community.

Please spread the word with family, friends and others who might like to join our supportive community on the Bradford Local Offer Facebook page. 

Quick links to helpful information

Project SEARCH Supported Internship recruitment event - for young people aged 18 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Register for a free ticket here. Wednesday 5 February (1pm-2pm) and (6pm-7pm) at the ATC Building, Randall Well Street, Bradford College BD7 1AL 

(AWARE) World Autism Acceptance Day 2025 event - Tuesday, 29 April (10am - 2pm) Free - no ticket needed - just turn up! McCall Suite, University of Bradford Stadium, Bradford City Football Club, Valley Parade BD8 7DY

The Bradford SENDIASS team will be at the following Family Hubs to give advice and information to parents of children and young people with special educational needs. Please check the Family Hub timetables for latest information. 

• Weds 19  February, 9.30am-11am Shipley Family Hub, Shipley Library BD18 3QH
• Tuesday 4  March, 1pm-2.30pm Rainbow Family Hub, Keighley BD22 6JB
• Thursday 6 March, 9am-11am Barkerend Family Hub BD3 8QX

See Bradford Family Hub's latest timetables for SEND coffee mornings and visits from a number of SEND services including parent/carer appointments with the Educational Psychology Team on 6 Feb (10am - 12) at Barkerend Family Hub, and 13 Feb at The Gateway Centre.

A new volunteering service for people aged 16+ from Inclusive Volunteering Bradford and District will launch at Bradford City Hall, Banqueting suite on Monday 10 February, 2025. Arrivals from 12.30, for a 1pm start. Register for the event here. There will be the opportunity to book appointments on the day.  

SEND Service Standards Charter – a charter aimed at improving levels of SEND service. Tell us about your experience, whether that’s 'good' or ‘could do better’ we want to hear your feedback.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) support groups coming up in March, April and June at Bradford Family Hubs. 

Great Minds Together are running activities on Thursday 18 Feb, and Thursday 20 Feb at two Bradford Family Hubs. Please check the Family Hub timetables for latest details. Great Minds Together support neurodivergent children and young people, and those with mental health needs. The events will run on:

• Tuesday, 18 February at Reevy Hill Family Hub (Bradford South) 
• Thursday, 20 February at Farcliffe Family Hub (Bradford West)

How Bradford's Local Offer website is developing for the future Our Bradford Local Offer website is continuing to develop thanks to parents and carers who have given us valuable feedback - we have a group of parent/carer SEND Ambassadors reviewing the Local Offer homepage and there will be improvements to the navigation of the website. We even have a group of families getting ready to be the voice of the Local Offer - so watch out for some new videos appearing this year - perhaps with some familiar faces! If you would like to share anything with us about your experiences, email: LocalOffer@bradford.gov.uk

Update about Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans

The SEN Assessment team are currently updating Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for children who are due to start in reception or Year 7 in September 2025 with their updated school places. You will be informed by 15 February 2025.

Young people who will move from Year 11 to post 16 placements will be updated by the 31 March 2025.

The team will always do their best to place your child in the school you ask for. However, if this is not possible, an alternative school will be found to meet your child’s needs outlined in their EHC Plan. If you have any questions after receiving the plan, contact the SEN Assessment Team for more information.

For further support around Education related queries, you can contact Bradford SENDIASS on 01274 513300 or email: BradfordSENDIASS@barnardos.org.uk

There are One Minute Guides on Annual reviews, Personal Budgets and SENDIASS on the Local Offer website.

Meet our new SEND youth participation worker - Lucy Lucy run’s Bradstarz, Bradford’s SEND Youth Voice Forum where young people age 14-25 have the chance to meet other young people with SEND, share their experiences and work together on the issues that are important to them. Lucy moved back to Bradford after ten years living and working in London. Lucy has a background in family support, SEND, education, youth work and mental health. In her previous role as a support worker at Carers’ Resource, she had the pleasure of working with the parents and carers of children with SEND. We asked Lucy some fun questions to get to know her:

BradStarz is a friendly group for young people aged 14 - 25 with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The BradStarz group meet once a month at City Hall in Bradford to talk about important issues, meet others and develop new skills. 

To join the group, phone or WhatApp Lucy on: 07484 544062 or email: sendyouthvoice@bradford.gov.uk 

Upcoming dates: 4 Feb, 4 March, 1 April, 5 May, 3 June, 1 July. 

Although meetings officially begin at 4.45pm, young people can arrive from 4pm for games and social time!

School of Rock and Media's open evenings 

All the below open evenings are on the same date, February 26, (4pm - 7pm) at 19 Peckover street, Little Germany, Bradford BD1 5BD.

Pop along for a friendly chat and find out more about any of the programmes -  for more information, call 01274 507549. 

Into Employment Open evening! The 12 month Into Employment programme is run by the School of Rock and Media in partnership with Bradford Council and is for young people aged 16 - 25 with a disability. It provides a mix of education, and work placements. Listen to Matt’s story on YouTube. Applications are open for Sept 25 - you can fill out the application form here. 

Education Hub open evening! The School of Rock & Media’s Education Hub is an alternative college provision in Bradford for young people aged 16-25 who have an active Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP). Courses include: cooking skills, digital music skills, Level 1, 2 & 3 qualifications.

Social Centre open evening! The School of Rock and Media's Social Centre is a fun and unique place that offers places from age of 16 onwards. You do not need to have a EHCP to attend this part of School of Rock and Media. Through the centre they offer music studio recording, DJing, musical instrument tuition and a sensory room.

Mind the Gap performance and Arts company open day On Saturday 8 February, 12 - 4pm Mind the Gap, a Bradford based learning disability performance and arts company are holding a free open day full of interactive workshops, Q & A sessions, arts and crafts and live performances. Meet the friendly team and get your ticket here on Mind the Gap's Eventbrite page.

Children's Mental Health Awareness Week (3-  9 Feb, 2025) Children's Mental Health Week is a mental health awareness week by children's mental health charity, Place2Be. What's happening in Bradford district? Schools will be visited this week by Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust Mental Health support teams. They will continue to raise awareness, provide information, and chat to children about the importance of good mental health and emotional well-being. Read more about the role of the Mental Health Support team. Healthy Minds apprentices have written a blog with helpful tips on how the 'Inside Out' film can support children, parents, and carers in understanding children’s mental health. You can read the blog on the Healthy Minds website. Watch short reels on different aspects of mental health and wellbeing to find helpful tips and advice from Healthy Minds.   Take the Mic 2 is on 5 February 2025, from 6 to 8pm at Common Space, Bradford. The event will feature young voices sharing their mental health journeys through music, poetry, rap, art, and more. Visit TicketSource to book your free tickets. SEND activities will be taking place in the coming weeks on Thursday 18 and Feb, and Thursday 20 Feb at two Family Hubs, see the Family Hub timetables for details.  These sessions and activities for families with children with SEND are open to all, but will take place: Tuesday, 18 February at Reevy Hill Family Hub (Bradford South)  Thursday, 20 February at Farcliffe Family Hub (Bradford West)

In other news!

Wheelchair skills course for young people aged 18+ with a physical disability (manual or motorised wheelchairs) - runs for six-weeks on Tuesdays (4 March until  8 April) at the Thornbury Centre, 79 Leeds Old Rd, Bradford BD3 8JX. To register, email: Info@experiencecommunity.co.uk

In Our Place is Bradford District’s online library of free courses for parenting and emotional well-being. All the courses are free for Bradford district families. See In Our Place. 

Learn to sign training (12 and 26 February @9.30am) with the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service. Book your place.

NEW support group for adults 18+ who have a sibling with an Autism spectrum disorder. Join the online peer support group sessions led by a trained Sibs volunteer. All sessions 7pm-8.30pm. More info here.

Bradford 2025 is the new UK City of Culture! Don’t forget if a child is aged 16-25 you can sign up for Youth Pass. Sign up for cheap tickets, priority booking, exclusive events and more.

A huge thank you!  The Parents' Forum (PFBA) would like to say a huge thank you to all the parents and carers who participated in the Annual SEND survey. They had a fantastic 367 responses! The PFBA are now going through the data and will be sharing the report with you all very soon - keep an eye on the PFBA Facebook page.  Once the report is finished it will then be presented to the Local Area SEND Strategic Board (LASSPB) which is the key decision-making group for SEND across Bradford district.