Welcome
Welcome back to a new school year. Hopefully, you enjoyed a well deserved rest over the summer break and filled it with lots of lovely things!
We are delighted to welcome Kellie Knott to Devon as the new SEND Improvement Director. Kellie has taken over from Jackie Ross and is focusing on making rapid improvements to SEND in Devon through a refreshed SEND transformation programme. We will share further details about this in future updates and hopefully you will see and experience some of this progress first-hand in schools over the course of this year.
As you begin to plan your diaries for this academic year, please remember to come along to the SEND network meetings to hear important updates from Devon services and meet with colleagues from other settings. During the Autumn term meetings we will be seeking your input into developing our Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision offer for Devon schools so do come along to have your say. SEND network meeting | DES (devoneducationservices.co.uk)
This term, we are also piloting a specific Secondary SEND forum on 15th Nov. This will be an opportunity for Devon secondary schools to come together, in person, to discuss common themes and concerns related to supporting students with SEND and, more importantly, share ideas, solutions and good practice with each other. More information can be found here: Secondary SEND forum | DES (devoneducationservices.co.uk)
SENCo jobs for September:
- Collate information on new admissions with known SEND.
- Begin monitoring impact of transition arrangements from previous term.
- Schedule EHCP reviews for the year.
- Schedule Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycles and reviews for the year.
- Plan support with outside agencies.
- Check on required early responses – begin as appropriate.
- Audit staff skills and arrange appropriate CPD in line with the school development plan and performance management.
- Analyse baseline assessment information.
- Organise interventions following baseline assessments.
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Audit staff skills: SEND online training modules. Free suite of learning ideal for new starters and those wanting to refresh their SEND knowledge skills. Also see C&I section below. Additional training covering the four areas of need can be found via Devon Education Services.
Assess, Plan, Do , Review: Devon graduated response - plan and review sections. Use the checklists within these documents to check that Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision offer (universal) is in place.
Collate information about new starters: If they are SEN Support or have an EHCP, check you are recording them correctly with their main or primary need. You can use this handy checklist here (Scroll to SEN section)
Plan support with outside agencies: Sensory and Physical teams are currently arranging planning meetings with SENCos to promote joint working for effective outcomes. Your local advisory teachers will be in contact.
EHCP reviews: Useful information you may wish to share with parents before you begin the review process can be found here
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SAVE THE DATE: DLD DAY 2023 is on FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER 2023. FREE resources!
Developmental Language Disorder is a hidden but common disability that affects 1 in 14 people causing difficulties understanding and using language for no known reason. The 2023 DLD day theme is DLD Around the World, highlighting that DLD occurs in every language. Students with DLD can succeed at school when they are identified and access the right support. But first they need our help!
The RADLD website hosts a range of resources to help settings raise awareness and celebrate DLD day. The free teacher kit includes factsheets, classroom activities, posters and ready-to-go presentations for both primary and secondary settings.
Click here to read Ellen, a young person with DLD's poem to help understand why identifying DLD is so important.
9th October 23: Online: AET Raising Awareness - Autism - Multi-Agency and Post 16
The making sense of autism training will give you a better understanding and awareness of autism and the way it affects young people in your agency, organisation or setting.
10th October 23: Exeter venue: Lego based Therapy
This training is aimed at teachers and teaching assistants across key stages 1 – 4. LEGO-based therapy is a collaborative play therapy in which children work together to build LEGO models.
11th October 23: Online: AET Making Sense of Autism – Early Years
Basic awareness training for all those engaging with children in early years settings.
17th October 23: Online: AET Making Sense of Autism – Schools
The making sense of autism training will giving you a better understanding and awareness of autism and the way it affects pupils in school.
19th October 23: Dawlish venue: Approaches to PDA and High Level Demand Avoidance
The Communication and Interaction Team (C&I) is delivering a workshop designed for school staff to develop their knowledge of and skills in supporting children and young people with autism and PDA.
31st October 23: For Parents: Autism and Us Programme
Busy in October? Click here to browse the C & I training diary
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New posters!
Want to upskill staff and visitors quickly about how to be sensory and physical difficulties aware?
We have created four great posters for you to download and print to display around your setting. Click below for your set.
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Maintained and academy secondary schools in Devon are being encouraged to make use of a new mental health support service provided by Devon County Council. The fully funded Mental Health in Schools Support Package is for school staff who are working with children and young people who have complex needs or who are vulnerable, and where the school does not already have a Mental Health Support Team in place.
Please be aware that as of 5 September 2023, the Devon Children and Families Partnership (DCFP) will become the Devon Safeguarding Children Partnership (Devon SCP).
This name change reflects a re-focus of the Partnership to place stronger emphasis on safeguarding and child protection – the Partnership previously held a much broader scope of delivering the Children and Young People’s Plan 2019-2023.
The move is designed to reduce the risk of duplication and make more efficient use of resources for the statutory partners. Additionally, the shift in function means that the Devon SCP will more closely align with the other regional safeguarding children’s partnerships in Torbay, Plymouth, Cornwall and Somerset.
The priorities of the Devon SCP are:
- Improving outcomes of pre-birth services and for infants
- Improving partnership working in compliance with Working Together, focusing on areas of shared responsibility and multi-agency responses to families
- Improving response to adolescent need through developing multi-agency contextual safeguarding approaches
- Improving the partnership response to domestic abuse to prevent harm to children.
Full details are available on the Devon SCP website.
First Steps is led by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s, (TSDFT’s), Community Paediatric Team, for children being referred for neurodevelopmental assessment. NHS Devon and TSDFT are working together to better understand how First Steps is supporting children and the professionals working with them. We would be grateful if you would complete our brief survey to share your thoughts. We can use learning from colleagues to build on what First Steps has already achieved and think about what might work in other areas across Devon. This evaluation is focused on the First Steps Drop-in offer and the second version of the First Steps Handbook. Families receiving the second version of the Handbook are also being asked to complete a similar survey.
The survey closes on the 31st October 2023 and a we’ll share a summary of responses via professional leads, later in the autumn. You can access the survey using the QR code or this link https://forms.office.com/e/0TGN7yT9iC Thank you for your time.
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Widgit Software Ltd have been nominated for an Education Today award for SEND Resources. If you enjoy using Widgit you can vote for them using the link below! |
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