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Hi,
My name is Simon Niles. I'm a member of Devon County Council's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Improvement Team. Our role includes making sure there's enough capacity in schools and other educational settings in Devon to be able to support children and young people with SEND.
When planning school places, our ambition is that where possible, children should be able to attend their local school. That's not always achievable when trying to support a wide range of needs, but that ambition remains our core aspiration.
Since 2017 there's been a sustained expansion in the number of special school places to meet growing need and demographic changes in Devon. Nearly 700 additional places have been created, with particular focus on areas considered to be underserved for special school provision, such as Tiverton, Bideford, Newton Abbot and Okehampton. More special school provision is planned for the south and west of the county and in Cranbrook.
But not every child who has an Education, Health and Care plan wants or needs to go to a special school. Where possible, we want children and young people to be supported to attend their local mainstream school or college and be part of their local community. For that to be successful, we want to make sure that pupils who need additional support are identified at the earliest opportunity and receive the right support at the right time and in the right place.
All mainstream schools in Devon have access to support that enables them to be inclusive places that help children and young people with SEND to learn, build relationships, aspire, believe, achieve and fulfil their potential. We're working hard to support the capacity within mainstream schools and colleges to meet students' needs and growing demand. More about that in the story below. 👇
With best wishes,
Simon
Simon Niles
Pupil Placement and Commissioning Manager, Devon County Council
Increasing resource base provision in Devon
Resource Bases, which are part of mainstream schools, help pupils who need additional support within the school. We want to increase the number of resource bases there are in Devon. It's part of our county-wide strategy to help schools support local children whose needs can't be met entirely in mainstream school environments, but who with additional support, will thrive with their peers.
Pupils who go to resource bases benefit from there being a more individually-tailored level of support. That might include include small group work, access to specialist resources, while still being part of their mainstream school community alongside their friends.
In Devon, there are resource bases currently hosted by five primary schools and three secondary schools. But that's too few, so we plan to fast-track an additional 70 resource base places in areas with the greatest need, to be operational by September 2024. These include in Holsworthy, Bideford, Exmouth and Torrington.
We're predicting that within five years there will be an additional 200 resource base places provided across the county, through a combination of expansion and new provision.
Our resource base programme currently focuses on learners whose needs predominantly sit across Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH), autism, and Speech Language and Communication Needs,, but we will continue to review this focus as more resource base places become available and sufficiency planning continues to look at the needs of children and young people.
We will also continue to work closely with schools to ensure that our resource bases are having the desired impact, meeting the needs of children and young people in their local schools.
 Resource Base consultations
A number of schools in Devon are consulting on proposals to establish or expand their resource bases so that more children with special educational needs can be educated and thrive in their local school and community, facilitating better access to the curriculum and avoiding the need for children to travel to an appropriate school further away from their local community. Current consultations include:
Tarka Learning Partnership Academy Trust
Newport Community School Primary Academy in Barnstaple has a Resource Base for up to 8 learners with Communication and Interaction Needs. Tarka Learning Partnership Academy Trust is consulting on a proposal to increase the number of places to 10 from 1 September 2024.
Please visit the 'Have Your Say' website for more information, including how to comment on the proposals before the closing date of Monday 18 March 2024.
Bluecoat C of E Primary School in Great Torrington
The Governors of Bluecoat C of E Primary School in Great Torrington are consulting on two separate proposals:
Proposal 1: to formally establish the 8 place Key Stage 2 (KS2) Bluecoat Group to become a Resource Base for 12 pupils at KS2 with complex needs (cognitive, social emotional and mental health, autistic spectrum disorder and speech, language and communication needs) from September 2024.
Proposal 2: to establish a resource base for 8 pupils with complex needs (cognitive, social emotional and mental health, autistic spectrum disorder and speech, language and communication needs) for Reception/Key Stage 1 from September 2024.
Please note: these proposals are not linked. One proposal is not dependent on the other.
Please visit the 'Have Your Say' website for more information, including how to comment on the proposals before the closing date of Friday 22 March 2024.
West Croft School in Bideford
A formal consultation is underway on establishing a Resource Base at West Croft School, Bideford, for up to ten learners with Communication and Interaction Needs.
A informal consultation was held earlier this year, during which two responses were received. One from a parent who objected to the proposal and one from County Councillor Linda Hellyer for Bideford East in full support.
The initial proposal was to open the Resource Base from the beginning of term in September 2024. However, this has now been modified to January 2025.
Please visit the 'Have Your Say' website for more information, including how to comment on the proposals before the closing date of Thursday 28 March 2024.
 Special edition newsletter!
Last month children in Devon who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will find out which secondary school has offered them a place for September 2024.
It can be an exciting and yet anxious time for parents and carers as you will want to make sure the right decision has been made in the best interests of your child.
We put together a special edition of our Devon Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) newsletter to help answer some questions you might have.
If you missed it in your inbox, you can catch up online here.
 'Autism and Us' parent support launches summer term programme
Our popular free support programme for parents and carers of children and young people who are either on the autism waiting list or who have received a diagnosis of autism is taking bookings for the summer term for dates in May, June and July.
There are two types of support on offer:
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A four week programme of live online sessions (each approximately two hours long) designed to give you an opportunity to develop your understanding of autism and look at practical solutions to managing and supporting your child’s presenting needs.
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Themed workshops around specific topics, such as demand avoidance, stress and anxiety, online safety and communication support, that you can choose to attend based on the relevance to you and your family.
To book your place on the programme or workshops, or to express your interest in future programmes, please send an email to educationlearnersupport@devon.gov.uk. We will confirm your booking and provide you with a direct link to the event.
For more information, please visit our website.
 Families invited to help shape future support services
We're changing the way that young families are supported at Children’s Centres, and are inviting those who use the services, as well as professionals and community groups, to help influence the changes. It follows a national move, announced by the Government last year, for Children’s Centres to become Family Hubs, as part of its Start for Life Programme initiative.
In Devon that means extending the age range, from current services that deliver targeted support to 0 to 8 year-olds, to future services that provide targeted and universal support to 0 to 19 year-olds, or up to 25 year-old young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). And it would mean a wider range of services than present, including support from local community groups, working together to help young families.
Exactly which services will be integrated into a Family Hub will very much depend on the needs of local families. But the kind of services that families could access include early years services and education; Public Health Nursing and Midwifery services; activities delivered by local groups; drug, alcohol and domestic abuse support; mental health support and youth services.
Read the full story on our website to find out more, including how to have your say on the plans.
Engage with Developmental Language Disorder
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterised by difficulties in being able to learn, understand and use language. Despite DLD affecting around one in 15 people, it is not as well known or well researched as other similar disorders – such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or autism. The Engage with Developmental Language Disorder (E-DLD) project is looking to change this.
A wide range of UK universities are involved the project, which aims to make research more accessible as well as create opportunities for people affected by DLD to contribute to new academic research. They hope that this will help improve outcomes for those with the disorder, as increasing understanding of DLD will help translate to better treatments. The project also works to involve people with DLD in the research process to ensure it is relevant to their needs. The E-DLD website also has a huge amount of research and resources about DLD to support people to better understanding of this area of neurodiversity.
Later this month the project is hosting a FREE online event for the friends and family of people with DLD, to help them better understand the condition and how it may affect the people in their lives. If you or your child has DLD, you may also find this event helpful for explaining it to your loved ones! The event includes an easy-to-understand explanation of DLD followed by a Q&A with the E-DLD team and Stephen Parsons (a speech and language therapist). To find out more, book your place and submit a question, please visit the 'What's On' page of the E-DLD website.
 Using your devices – video guides
We've made a series of videos for parents and carers of children and young people who are deaf, and the professionals who work with them, to help build confidence around carrying out tasks such as changing the batteries (rechargeable and disposable), doing a listening check of the microphones, changing a coil and magnet, and using them with an ALD.
The videos cover three brands of cochlear implants; Cochlear Nucleus 7/8, Med-El Sonnet 2, and Advanced Bionics Naida.
Visit our website for more information, and to watch the videos.
Over the coming months we hope to produce more videos for Bone Anchored Hearing Aids (BAHAs), and other assistive technologies.
 Holiday Activities and Food programme
The Government's Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme offers free physical activities and healthy, nutritional hot meals during school holidays to children of low-income families.
It's fully funded by the Department for Education, and they set the criteria for who can take part in the scheme. One condition of their funding is that children and young people who are eligible for benefit-related Free School Meals are prioritised and that places are allocated to them first. If your child currently receives free school meals, simply search for a provider in your area using our interactive map, have a look at their listing to see what they’re offering, then when you’re ready, book a place with them directly.
Locally, we have decided that if there's space available after children and young people who are eligible for benefit-related Free School Meals have booked, and if there is still sufficient Government funding left, remaining places can be offered to children and young people with Educational Health and Care Plans, (EHCPs); children in care, or who have been in care; and young carers. Our providers will hold a waiting list for these 'extended eligibility' places and allocate them a week before the holiday period starts, so please contact them directly if you would like to be added.
For more information, please visit our website.
 Do you know where to get high quality, impartial and confidential information, advice and support?
DiAS (Devon, Information, Advice and Support) supports children and young people aged zero to 25 years old with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and their parents and carers.
The service is free, confidential and impartial, and although they are part of Devon County Council, they are separate from their other SEND services and departments.
Their aim is to empower parents and carers to help them feel confident making informed decisions about their child’s education. They also support children and young people too, ensuring their views are heard and understood, thereby enabling them to make decisions about their future.
Their website is packed full of useful resources. Take a look.
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