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SEND news
Your update on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Sheffield. Produced for professionals, parents, carers, and everyone with an interest in SEND.
Please encourage others to sign up.
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SEND information for families
Preparing for adulthood: Information drop-in events
Drop-in events are taking place for families to find out more about the transition into adulthood.
What support young people might get? Where and what they will study? How they will move into employment, higher education or become more independent?
Come talk to officers from education, health, social care, transport, and advice services.
- Thursday 20 January, 10am to 1pm at Shirecliffe Community Centre - 349 Shirecliffe Rd, Sheffield, S5 8XL
- Friday 18 March, 10am to 1pm at Lowedges Community Centre - Gresley Road, Sheffield, S8 7HN
- Wednesday 27 April, 10am to 1pm at Chapeltown and Burncross Community Centre - Orchard Court, Burncross Rd, Sheffield, S35 1TH
Family Support Information day – 4 March
Sheffield Parent Carer Forum is planning an event for parent carers around practical support available in Sheffield.
The event will take place on Friday 4 March, 9.30am-2.30pm, at St Mary's Church and Community Centre on Bramall Lane.
Parents of children and young people with SEND will be able to talk to representatives from a wide range of services, including SSENDIAS, SNIPS, Mencap, Family Fund, Autism Team, MAST and many more.
More details and a booking form will be published here.
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New parent groups in mainstream secondary schools
Parent groups have been set up in mainstream secondary schools as part of the Autism in Schools Project. The project aims to improve the school experience for autistic children and young people at:
- Parkwood Academy
- Chaucer School
- Sheffield UTC
- Yewlands
- Notre Dame
- Firth Park
- Sheffield Park Academy
- Birley Academy
- Westfield
- Sheffield Springs
Parents and carers at each school are invited to attend if their child has an additional need. It does not matter if this is diagnosed or undiagnosed.
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Parenting support
Sheffield’s Parent Hub runs seminars, discussion groups and programmes to give parents practical help and advice. Some have been specifically developed for families of children and young people with SEND.
Find out more.
Events include a monthly virtual SEND get together with other parents, a Parenting Practitioner and a SEND Practice Lead.
- Tuesday 8 February, 10-11am. Social and Independence skills.
- Tuesday 8 March, 10-11am. What’s your Child’s sensory profile?
Book now.
See details of parent support groups on Sheffield’s Local Offer.
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Provide feedback on new Discovery Academy school
Find out more and provide feedback about Discovery Academy, a new special due to open in Sheffield in September 2022.
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Help SPCF Support More Families
Workers at Sheffield Parent Carer Forum (SPCF) are asking SENCOs to help them reach more vulnerable families.
SPCF is a support network for more than 2,000 families raising children with special educational needs and disabilities. Membership has grown steadily since 2008 – but many more parents and carers could benefit.
Eva Juusola, Participation Co-ordinator, said SENCOs can help by spreading the word about the charity’s work.
She added: “We know how isolating it can feel to raise a young person with special educational needs or disabilities. We help parents and carers to meet, build a community and share their stories.”
The group is free to join and gives Sheffield families access to disability-friendly events, so they can get together without feeling excluded. These range from fun days and cinema screenings to information sessions and training workshops.
Parents can call the SPCF helpline for information and signposting if they are struggling to get the right support for their child. Members also receive a twice-yearly printed newsletter and can keep in touch via email or social media.
Help out by joining SPCF as an associate member, arranging an outreach visit or displaying posters and leaflets in school.
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New Citywide SENCOs
Five more citywide SENCOs have been recruited, taking Sheffield’s total to ten.
The citywide SENCOs are highly experienced SENCOs who support schools and SEND processes across the city. This includes:
- Delivering training
- Supporting SEND reviews
- Moderation of SSG.
The new citywide SENCOs include two who will focus on the Autism in Schools project. See contact details.
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Training for professionals and practitioners
NEW - Preparing for adulthood training
New training has been developed for professionals working with young people aged 14 to 25 with SEND. Including SENCOs, teaching staff, post-16 providers, social workers, early help workers, education services, and health services.
Training covers:
- Why Preparation for Adulthood (PFA) is important
- How to support transition from age 14 into adult life
- The legal responsibilities and requirements regarding young people with EHC Plans.
- How health and care needs should be supported as part of PFA work.
Training is split into three hour-long sessions
- A pre-recorded voiced powerpoint presentation
- A pre-recorded round table discussion with parents and practitioners
- A live training and Q&A session delivered over Zoom
Book now - click core training programme.
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) training
Sheffield’s Speech and Language Therapy Service is offering free online DLD training aimed at SENCOs, teachers and TAs.
This was previously offered as a two-day training course. It is now online and split into modules to allow more education staff to take part.
Developmental language disorder affects at least one in thirteen children. Training will help you support those with diagnosed and undiagnosed DLD needs.
Module one is split into four sections of 30 minutes. It covers
- What Speech, Language and Communication needs (SLCN) are
- What a Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is
- Impacts of having a DLD
- How to support children and young people with DLD in the classroom
View Module one.
When you have completed Module one:
- Take part in a virtual Q and A session to develop your learning.
- Attend a one-day in-person training session. Therapy approaches and support strategies will be discussed in more detail.
Book now - click core training programme.
Contact us with training feedback and questions.
SCERTS workshops
Free workshops about implementing SCERTS in practice.
For those who have done the one-day introduction training on 3 December, or attended SCERTS training two years ago.
We will be using footage from Sheffield schools for appreciative enquiry. There are three types of workshop:
- Cohort 1- social and language partners.
- Cohort 2 - conversation partners in primary schools.
- Cohort 3 - conversation partners in secondary schools. (Primary colleagues may also want to attend to consider upper key stage 2 and transition).
Workshops are open for both mainstream and specialist settings.
Book now - click SCERTS tab.
SENCO Train the Staff: supporting staff to hold SEN Meetings and create SEN Support Plans
This course was previously called ‘Planning and Writing outcomes’. But it has had a name change to better reflect what is covered.
31 people booked onto the first two sessions which ran last term. Everyone who completed training feedback agreed/strongly agreed that training would have a beneficial impact on practice.
Book now - click core training programme.
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Sheffield toolkit for assessing SEND needs – updated version
Version two of the Sheffield toolkit for assessing SEND needs has been developed.
It is shorter and links directly to sections of the MyPlan. It provides guidance and recommended assessments for completing each area of the MyPlan.
- View toolkit.
- Attend SEN Assessment Toolkit training for support about how to use the different assessments. Book now - click core training programme.
- Training is also available on some of the interventions in the toolkit. Book now for Precision Teaching - click Educational Psychology Service Training.
Autism Education Support Team - Autism Network Group
Sheffield’s Autism Education Support Team are inviting more school SENCOs and school staff to join the Autism Champions Network Group.
The Network Group meets every half-term to share good practice, new initiatives, research, and approaches to the barriers schools face. Champions will receive opportunities to attend AET accredited training.
Members include mainstream and special school staff. They next meet on Tuesday, 8 February, 1.30-3.30. Contact Lucy Shaw for more information and a meeting link.
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Other resources
Exclusively for teachers: Anxiety; Cues, Clues & Support for Young People in School – Ask the Expert
Free webinar on 27 January 2022, 3.45-5pm. Book here.
Recent episodes include The Use of Mindfulness to Support Emotional Literacy.
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Useful links
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