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Welcome to December's Devon SEND newsletter. It's a packed edition, including:
- advice for parents and carers of children who find it hard to attend school
- festive fun with our Holiday Activities and Food programme
- how our Champions for Change are improving transport options for young people with SEND
- information about suspension and permanent exclusion
- changes in leadership at Devon County Council
- how young people are helping to improve mental health in schools
- sensory strategies for Tweenagers
- help with the extra cost of caring for a disabled child
...and much more!
Don't forget, you can also follow Devon SEND Local Offer on Facebook and read more on the Devon SEND Local Offer website.
In recent months there have been some changes in how we've asked you to contact the SEND Statutory Team. We’ve made these changes to make it easier to get a response. Here’s a reminder about the best ways to get in touch.
Phoning the Team
If you’re trying to reach someone by telephone the number is the same as before, 01392 380434. This dedicated SEND line is now open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, and calls are answered more quickly than previously. You will be able to speak to an advisor in the Customer Service Centre team who may be able to provide you with general advice or will arrange for a call back booking with a Case Officer.
Emailing the Team
If you wish to email you should always send it to educate.specialeducationcommunications-mailbox@devon.gov.uk. We can automatically redirect your message to the Case Officer if you either reply directly to an email sent from this address or you put the EHC Hub number in the subject line. Don’t worry if you don’t know your EHC Hub number because the mailbox is monitored every day. This means any emails that don’t automatically redirect are moved on manually. The Case Officer will get an alert and we aim to respond within five working days but mostly we get back to people much more quickly.
Over the Christmas and New Year school holiday period
During the holiday, Devon's SEND Statutory Team customer service line is open for general enquires on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 December before closing until Tuesday 2 January 2025. General information can be found on
Tell us what you think
We are using feedback from people who contact the service to help us to continuously improve it, so thank you to those who have taken the time to let us know what they think, and please continue to share your experiences with us.
We will shortly be writing to parents and carers of children and young people who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), to say that from Monday 20 January 2025, we will no longer be using Egress to send emails to families about EHCPs. It's because parents and carers have told us that using our Egress system makes life difficult.
From Monday 20 January, parents and carers will be able to open emails related to an EHCP in the same way as for any other email that is received. You'll be able to open them, view and forward the contents without logging in to Egress or any other similar service. Before then, we will be working with our staff to ensure that they continue to follow information security best practice when sending emails to parents and carers.
We'll update you on how it's going in April 2025. In the meantime, you can help us by always sending your emails to educate.specialeducationcommunications-mailbox@devon.gov.uk if you want to contact the SEND Statutory Team. Please include an EHC Hub reference number in the subject line so that we can automatically redirect your message to the right person.
If a child or young person starts to feel worried about going to school, they might find it hard to go to lessons, or even avoid going to school altogether. They may become very stressed about attending school. This is called Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA). It can be an extremely challenging and distressing experience for children and young people and their families, particularly trying to find the right support.
We've created a website to help explain why some children find it hard to attend school. Its packed with helpful tips, advice and resources for families, including how to support your child at home and what help to expect from schools. It has different sections for children who miss some school, those who miss school regularly, and those who do not attend at all, so that families can find the right support for their specific situation.
It's all part of a bigger project, that also includes training for school staff and re-designing services, to support school attendance by offering the right help at the right time. Visit the website using the button below, and let us know what you think by using the feedback form.
The Christmas holidays are nearly here and bookings for our Holiday Activities and Food Programme are open! The Government-funded scheme is primarily to provide activities and nutritional meals during the holidays to children aged 5 to 16 year olds who receive benefits-related free school meals.
Over 60 different providers across Devon are offering a great range of activities, from cooking and craft, sports and coaching, outdoor and forest play, music and dance and more. All clubs will be operating for a minimum of four hours and will include a hot meal.
If your child receives benefits-related free school meals, then simply and book a place with your unique code sent to you by your school. Once all the children who receive benefits related free school meals have booked a place if they want one, we open the remaining spaces to children eligible under our extended criteria. If your child is not eligible for benefits-related free school meals, but has an EHCP, or is (or has been) in care, or is a young carer, please contact your preferred provider to ask if any extended criteria places are available.
A big well done to our Champions for Change, who have been working hard to improve transport options for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. After raising their concerns about difficulties with school and public transport, five of the Champions met with members of the Devon County Council Transport team and staff from Stagecoach to discuss how service could be improved.
Among the topics covered were increasing wheelchair spaces on buses so that multiple wheelchair users can travel together, and the fact that disability bus passes can only be used after 9.30am, which can make travel to work or college problematic. As a result of the meeting, the focus group have agreed to put together an action plan covering the items that were discussed, while our Champions will be creating some guidance around what makes journeys to school enjoyable.
The focus group will be meeting again in the first couple of months of next year to discuss progress and put the next steps in place. We'll be sure to update you again once we've met.
At the start of 2024, young people across Devon voted in our countywide Make Your Mark ballot, and they told us that mental health was the most important issue that they face. So, over the course of the year, the Devon Youth Council, which incorporates our SEND Devon Network for Change, has been working hard to understand what young people specifically need changing to improve the services and support available for their mental health within an education setting.
As part of this, a survey was conducted that received over 2,000 responses from young people. And in November we held our Youth Voice Saturday on mental health in schools and colleges, which brought together young people and decision makers from across Devon County Council and the NHS. Our SEND Devon Network for Change was represented, and we’re delighted to say that the day was a great success! This work builds on ongoing work to improve mental health services.
A snapshot of the key findings from the survey, as well as the next steps from the Youth Voice Saturday are available to read in the Devon Youth Council newsletter. Our thanks and a big well done go to all the members of our SEND Network for Change who have contributed to this important project.
 Our SEND Network for Change aims to create opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to get involved and have their voice heard!
There are lots of different groups and projects going on, run by our SEND Participation Team. If you are a young person with SEND in Devon, whatever you want to say, we want to hear it!
You can contact the team by emailing participation@devon.gov.uk or amy.bickford@devon.gov.uk or visit our website to find out more.
Parents of children and young people who have been waiting for an autism assessment for longer than 12 months are being written to by NHS Devon as part of a joint project with Children and Family Health Devon. The letters are being sent throughout December and January to all parents whose children have been waiting that long, starting with those who have been waiting the longest.
The purpose of the letter is to reassure parents that they've not been forgotten and to let them know that health providers are working hard to offer children and young people assessments as soon as possible. The letter also asks parents if they have any reports, letters or assessments from either NHS or private providers, about their child, that they've not already shared with their local health provider. For example, reports from Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Psychologists, Mental Health services, or Education Psychologists.
If parents do have reports that their local health provider may not already have seen, please send copies to them, because it may help them complete their child's assessment sooner. The letter includes details of where to send such reports, letters or assessments. So, if you are a parent of a child who has been waiting for an autism assessment for longer than a year, please look out for a letter from Children and Family Health Devon, between now and the middle of February 2025.
Children and young people in Devon with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have been learning about 3D design and digital fabrication, in a series of workshops arranged with schools.
The workshops, delivered by FabLab Devon on our behalf, have given students experience of creating their own designs, exploring technology, and developing their skills and knowledge in a supportive, engaging environment.
Enabling young people to learn and develop their aspirations is a key pillar of our SEND strategy. These workshops were an exciting introduction to computer-aided design (CAD) and digital fabrication and encouraged students of all abilities to participate, build confidence, and inspire their career interests in fields such as CAD technology and mechanical engineering.
Some schools who hosted the workshops are discussing how to incorporate more digital and design opportunities into the curriculum, considering adding digital skills to their career guidance programs, and planning to introduce industry visits or invite speakers to give students more understanding of career pathways they could pursue.
You can read more in the full story on the news page of our website.
Every child has the right to access education in a safe environment. To help make sure this happens, your child's school will have a policy setting out how it expects all pupils to behave. It should include how pupils are celebrated when they've done well and what could happen if they do not follow the rules, for example verbal warnings, loss of privileges or detentions.
For the vast majority of pupils, early support can help manage any issues they may have with behaviour, however schools have the power to suspend or permanently exclude pupils as a last resort in the most serious or dangerous of cases. These are formal, legal sanctions which prevent a child from being in school either temporarily or permanently, with the aim of making sure that other pupils are protected from the disruption caused by serious behaviour, and can learn in a safe and calm environment.
What support is available?
Too many children are being permanently excluded from school, and the number is growing. We need to work together to reduce this and ensure that all children in Devon have the education and opportunities they deserve.
Devon's Education Inclusion Service provides a statutory, but impartial service to parents and carers, professionals and governors. They offer advice and support about inclusion, reintegration and exclusion to promote, support and encourage continuous learning and achievement for every child. Their involvement can help a child to stay in school or return to school after an exclusion and offer opportunities to help them achieve their full potential. To contact the Inclusion Service, please email educate.educationinclusion-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) has lots of useful information and resources on their website to support parent carers with questions and difficult conversations. The information is available as web pages and as PDF factsheets which you can download. Or, you can contact DiAS for a copy.
Fixed-term exclusion or suspension
A suspension (sometimes called a fixed-term exclusion) is when a child is temporarily not allowed to be at school. If the exclusion is over five days long, then the school must make arrangements for full-time education to be provided.
It can be hard to think of suspension as a positive thing, but it can be a good opportunity to look at your child’s support and needs, and how they’re managing in school. Their behaviour could be signal that something is not right, so ask about, and listen to, what your child is saying about their day-to-day school life to try and understand the underlying causes and whether additional support is needed.
Permanent exclusion or expulsion
For the most serious breaking of the school rules, or persistent disruptive behaviour, a child may be permanently excluded (sometimes called expulsion). It means they are no longer allowed to attend their current school and must go somewhere else to receive their full-time education. An inclusion officer will work closely with you to identify a new school as swiftly as possible, and to ensure that education is in place in the meantime.
Permanent exclusion should only be used in the most serious of circumstances and is meant to be a last resort. You will have a right to challenge the headteacher’s decision in front of three impartial governors. If the decision has been upheld by the governing board you can apply for an Independent Review Panel (IRP) hearing to review their decision.
What if my child has SEND?
Like all pupils, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can be suspended and permanently excluded. However, schools have a legal duty to consider if a child’s behaviour is a direct result of their SEND, or whether it contributed to them breaking the rules, and if the appropriate reasonable adjustments and support were in place so that their risk of exclusion wasn't increased compared to pupils without SEND.
The festive period can be a challenging time for children, particularly if they have autism, ADHD or a sensory processing disorder. They may find it hard to adjust to different light, colour, sound, smells, textures and tastes. It might be that their senses become overwhelmed with all the extra people around, twinkly lights, jangly music and endless choices. Changes in routine can also affect how they feel.
Action For Children has some great advice on their website about how to plan and adapt. It includes things like preparing your child for gifts, managing routines and creating safe spaces for when they feel overwhelmed.
The most important thing is to focus on enjoying the festive season in a way that works for you and your family. Remember, Christmas looks different for everyone, and there’s beauty in making it your own, so don't feel pressured to do things just because other people are. And above all, be kind to yourself.
Pre-adolescent years, that is children aged nine to 12 years old are often referred to as Tweenagers. They come with big physical, emotional, cognitive and social changes and often these children need a lot of support, even though parents often feel at this age their children are pushing them away. During this growth period it is common for all children to display dramatic mood swings but some children will get overwhelmed and overloaded as a result of their sensory processing difficulties.
Action for Children are funning a free webinar on Wednesday 8 January from 7pm until 8pm to provide a safe, friendly and informal space for parents and carers to come together and listen to two Family Hub Navigators, ask questions and share thoughts and ideas.
The webinar will cover:
- sensory systems
- sensory trauma in busy environments and how to help manage the environment
- sensory processing - how our brain interprets all the different senses in the environment at any one time
- sensory overload and signs to be aware of
- coping strategies for tweenagers at school and home
Places are limited, so book your free spot now on the Action for Children Eventbrite page.
SPACE, who run youth services on our behalf, has safe inclusive spaces for those aged 11 to 19 years old to engage, learn and connect. As well as open-access youth centres and online sessions, they also offer specialist sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
If your child has additional needs, a learning difficulty or a visible or hidden disability they may want to go to one of these as there is more support for those who may struggle to engage in busier youth clubs session. There’s always loads to do, such as art, music, cooking and games as well as workshops around independent living skills, personal safety, building confidence and more.
To find out more about SPACE Youth Services and the services they offer please visit their website.
If you are a parent or carer looking for information you can visit our SEND Local Offer website. We’re in the middle of improving the information we provide. Recently updated pages include:
Thank you to everyone who took the time to take part in our recent survey focussing on information about learning and education. Your feedback has provided some really useful insights into what support information is most useful and highlights where there may be gaps. You can read more about the results of this survey on the news page of our SEND Local Offer website. Our next survey looks at information about ‘Information for parents and carers’. You can take part using the button below.
There are several developments in our Children and Young People’s Futures Directorate that we would like to share with you as we continue to move forward with our journey of improvement. Firstly, we are delighted that Kellie Knott, who has been leading SEND transformation for us on secondment from the Department for Education since July 2023, has now been permanently appointed to SEND Strategic Director.
Jack Newton has also joined us in an interim capacity to lead the development of our Inclusion and Learning Service. A senior leader with a background in the education and public service sector, Jack is an experienced executive head teacher and facilitated intensive school improvements as a Principle Challenge Advisor as well as being was part of a Local Authority Improvement Board focused on improving the partnership between schools, early help and social care.
Having led our improvement journey as Director of Children and Young People’s Futures for the last year, Stuart Collins has left us to join Croydon Council as their Corporate Director of Children, Young People and Education. Julian Wooster, who was our Interim Director of Children’s Services from January 2023 to September 2023, has returned to us to provide consistency and pace for our teams. He has a wealth of experience as a highly respected Director, particularly for his technical abilities as a senior leader in Children’s Services, and already knows both Devon County Council and our Children and Young People’s Futures Directorate well.
Operating times may be reduced over the upcoming festive break, but support is still available.
Devon's SEND Statutory Team customer service line is open for general enquires on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 December before closing until Tuesday 2 January 2025. If you wish to email, the address is educate.specialeducationcommunications-mailbox@devon.gov.uk. General information can be found on
Children and Family Health Devon's (CFHD) Single Point of Access Team can be contacted by phoning 0330 0245 321 or emailing CFHD.DevonSPA@nhs.net between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day. Please visit their website for urgent help information.
The Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) enquiry line is usually open between 10am and 3pm, Monday to Friday. Over Christmas it's open on Monday 23 December and Tuesday 24 December 2024 before closing until Tuesday 2 January 2025.
Action for Children's Devon Family Hubs Advice and Guidance Line is open from 10am until 4pm Monday to Friday, except on Tuesday 24, Friday 27, Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 December when it will close at 3pm.
Mind's helplines provide information and support by phone and email. It is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 6pm, but will be closed on Wednesday 25 December and Thursday 26 December 2024, and Wednesday 1 January 2025.
The following organisations are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including over Christmas.
 And finally...
We hope you've enjoyed reading this month's Devon SEND Newsletter. It's the last one of 2024, so from all of us here, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We will be back in your inbox with the first newsletter of 2025 in January! In the meantime, if you enjoy our newsletters please forward this one to your family and friends and encourage them to sign up.
Our aim is to provide you with easy access to key information about services and support for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Devon, and what we are doing to improve them.
We want to make sure that this newsletter works for you, so please tell us what you think and if there is anything you would like to see in future editions. Please email .
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