Latest SEND News and Updates

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SEND News

26 November - 14th Edition

SEND News and Update

Welcome to this edition of the SEND News Bulletin.  This week includes information on


  • Online learning - "Introduction to Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)"
  • Have your say on changes to Sandy Secondary School

  • SEND Panels update
  • Supporting and Progressing Families programme
  • Cinderella - an Interactive Multi-sensory Pantomime

  • Webinars for parents of SEND children and young people with extreme or

    violent behavioural challenges

  • The First Steps to Supporting a Child with Autism Spectrum Conditions workshop

  • Beds Talks:Beds Cares
  • What’s On


Online learning - "Introduction to Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND)"

We have just launched SEND (special education needs and disabilities) e-learning modules for professionals  and parents/carers  to help gain an understanding of how to support children and young people to ensure a positive outcome.

More information


Have your say on changes to Sandy Secondary School

School sign

A six-week public consultation has been launched with proposals to transform Sandy Secondary School for the autumn term in 2022.

The proposals are aimed at delivering the best curriculum for students, meeting increased demand for school places and to ensure the school is fit for purpose for the future. 

The proposals are for a reconfiguration of the school, which would see the remodelling and refurbishment of the existing buildings, including the frontage of the school; plus the building of a new teaching block, a new special education needs area and new external recreational areas. This would allow the school to accommodate up to 1,200 students.

This meeting will take place between 4:00 pm and 6;00 pm on Thursday, 3 December. Numbers are limited so to register your interest in attending, email school.organisation@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk by 1st December, and joining instructions will be sent to you.

More information ...


SEND Panels update

We are actively encouraging parents/carers to share their views with us particularly when our panels meet to discuss requests for assessment and provision. We would encourage you to provide a written statement to the SEND team that can be presented at panels, please submit statements to statass@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

More information on SEND panels can be found on the Local Offer.


Supporting and Progressing Families programme

Supporting Families

Cinderella - an Interactive Multi-sensory Pantomime

Head2Head Sensory Theatre are a small charity that makes theatre that is fully accessible and inclusive for all. During the Christmas period they are presenting their interactive Multi-sensory PantomimeCinderella

Cost per family: £20 (video, advance pack and one Zoom session) or £10 (video and advance pack only). 

For more information


Webinars for parents of SEND children and young people with extreme or
violent behavioural challenges

A series of 10 webinars funded by the NHS and presented by Yvonne Newbold of Newbold Hope are available to parents and professionals who care for SEND children with anxiety-led extreme or violent behavioural challenges.

The webinars will be held on Tuesday evenings between 8:00 and 10:00 pm.  All participants will also have access to a webinar replay link for one month to enable viewing at convenient times  
 
Each webinar costs £2.50 – free places available for families in financial hardship.  
Please email ​webinars@newboldhope.com​ for more information 

For more information and Schedule


The First Steps to Supporting a Child with Autism Spectrum Conditions workshop

Autism Workshop

Beds Talks:Beds Cares

Has COVID changed how we think about carers? Those people who are family members, friends or neighbours without whom many people’s lives would just not work.

Beds Cares! Is a celebration of the informal carers in our Bedfordshire community and a chance to discuss research ideas about carer wellbeing going into the future. The University of Bedfordshire invites all carers in our community: staff who are working carers, student carers and members of the public who are carers to come and join in. So if you are a carer and maybe someone’s brother, sister, mum, dad, wife, husband or friend this event is for you!

  • 10.00 to 12.00 pm
  • Thursday 26th November
  • FREE
  • Event will be hosted on Zoom

Contributors include: Dr Emma Wilkinson & Dr Yannis Pappas (University of Bedfordshire), Dr Jitka Vseteckova (Open University) & Prof Marie-Pierre Moreau (Anglia Ruskin University), Carers in Bedfordshire, the Disability Resource Centre.

We hope this will be interesting to you wherever you come from in your caring role. You will get to hear about some of the projects that researchers are working on as well from local organisations who support carers in different ways. You will have a chance to share your experiences and guide plans to make sure they are addressing what is important in carers’ lives

You can sign up via Eventbrite and we will send you a link to join us via Zoom nearer to the event.


What’s On:

SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Wednesday of the month,
9:30 – 10:3
0 am
Shefford and Stotfold Children’s Centre

If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8112

SEND Support virtual coffee afternoon every other Monday,
1:30 – 2:30 pm
Leighton Buzzard Children’s Centre 

If you would like to book a space please call 01525 384368

SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Thursday of the month,
10:00 – 11:00 am
Flitwick Children’s Centre 

If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8111

SEND Support virtual coffee morning every first and third Friday of the month,
10:30 – 11:30 am
Houghton Regis Children’s Centre 

If you would like to book a space please call 0300 300 8115

Super Kids Online – virtual support group for parents or carers with children who have SEND
Sandy Children's Centre - every other Thursday, 10:30 am – 11:30 am

Fortnightly catch ups and support online.  A chance to speak to professionals from the CDC, Early Years Support Team, Speech and Language plus more.

To book a free place contact Karen on 0300 300 6009 or email karen.burton@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk


Please visit the Local Offer for more information on activities, services, advice and support across Central Bedfordshire for children and young people with SEND or follow us on Facebook

We hope you have found the information in the bulletin helpful. We would love to hear your feedback and what you would like to see in future editions.  Please let us know by emailing send.feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk