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Welcome to Nottinghamshire’s SEND newsletter. The newsletter brings you news and information on special educational needs and disability in Nottinghamshire.
Updates on the SEND improvement journey
The SEND partnership recognises that it still has a lot of work to do, but some of the improvements made since the inspection include:
- More families receiving Education and Health Care Plans within timescales.
- A reduction in the number of children and young people waiting for educational psychology education and health care needs assessments.
- Additional speech and language therapists are now in post to reduce the time children and families wait.
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Preparing for adulthood information events
The next Preparing for Adulthood family information event is coming up and we’d love to see you there. Aimed at young people in Year 9 and above who have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), it’s a great chance to meet with services that can support young people as they make decisions about what they want to do as they move into adulthood.
Our South event, in partnership with Nottingham City Council, is on Saturday 24 February 2024 from 10am until 2pm at Oak Field School, Bilborough.
All young people in Year 9 and above with an EHCP have been sent an invitation in the post.
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Speech language and communication needs engagement
We recently engaged with professionals and families whose children access speech language and communication needs services. This is because we know that service offers are varied across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and there are potential gaps and inequity of service.
We heard from 236 parents/carers and professionals via survey responses, telephone interviews, online focus groups or sharing feedback at community groups. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their views and experiences. A full report will be available on the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire website by the end of March 2024.
The recommendations from this will inform how we improve our local speech, language and communication needs services and how they are designed in the future.
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Looking for childcare providers with experience of SEND?
Did you know that on the SEND Local Offer website you can search for local early years childcare providers who have experience of caring for children with a special educational need and /or disability?
Use the childcare tile and select the option for providers with SEND experience, using your postcode to find the childcare providers closest to you.
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Share your experiences of the Autism and ADHD assessment process
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire want to improve communication and support for children, young people and their families during the pathway process for Autism and ADHD assessments. To help us do this, we would really like to hear your thoughts about how we can improve and enhance the experiences of families.
Your feedback will help to improve access to support and also our communication process for families who are awaiting the outcome of an Autism or ADHD assessment.
The survey closes on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.
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Come along to local area SEND engagement events
Join us at one of the engagement events we are holding in March.
Come along and get an update about the local area partnership progress made one-year-on from the local area SEND Inspection, the new local area’s outcome-based strategy and share ideas for the further improvement of the SEND system in Nottinghamshire.
Come along, get involved and support Nottinghamshire’s ongoing SEND improvement journey.
Nottinghamshire SEND Partnership Assurance and Improvement Group
Nottinghamshire SEND Partnership Assurance and Improvement Group (PAIG) has been set up to provide assurance that the lived experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND and their families are maximised. It will also monitor and ensure improved performance of services across Nottinghamshire and make sure these improvements are linked to the lived experiences and outcomes for children and young people.
Membership is drawn from parents and carers, education leaders, health providers and commissioners and the county council. The Pioneers Youth Forum will ensure that the voice of children and young people are heard.
Recently, the PAIG has agreed to set up the Nottinghamshire’s parent carer survey co-produced with parents and carers to help us gather views to support improvements. The survey will be available from early March and will look for feedback about education, health and care services and provision.
Healthy Family Team and Community Children’s Specialist Services
The healthy family team and community children’s specialist services (SLT, Physio, OT, Nursing) are working with local families to co-produce some new resources.
We are looking at developing a new questionnaire for families to complete that will help us, help families at their appointments.
We are also creating all about me resources, that can enable the child and family to give a us a better insight into what they like and dislike. Our hope is that we can make every session the best it can be, putting the family at the centre of the session and the child’s needs first.
Ground-breaking ceremony for new SEN provision
In December, council representatives were delighted to join children, academy staff, representatives from the DfE, alongside developers BAM, to mark the official breaking of the ground at the Yeoman Park Academy site in Mansfield for the new school building which will provide additional special educational needs school place provision in Nottinghamshire.
Part of Diverse Academies Trust, the academy provides a highly specialised education for children and young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties, including autism and those with developmental and sensory impairments. It was one of the first 50 to be selected for upgrading as part of the government’s 10-year, multi-wave rebuilding programme for schools.
Autism and learning disability peer support drop-in sessions
‘The Key’, is a team supporting children, young people and adults with autism and /or learning disabilities, and their families, to share experiences, access peer support and attend events and activities.
Come along to a drop-in for some coffee, information or support. This is a safe space for parents and carers to share their experiences with others.
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