SEND surgeries

We know it can be difficult for parent carers of children and young people with SEND to find their way “through the system” and get clear information and answers to questions.

Based on this feedback, the Southend Council SEND Team will be holding monthly ‘SEND Surgeries’ in locations across Southend. The surgeries will provide families with an informal opportunity to drop in, ask questions and receive help on a range of topics.

Surgeries will take place on the third Tuesday of every month between 9am and 11am, with the first being held on Tuesday 15 November. There is no need to book, just come along. Find out more.

The Lighthouse Child Development Centre - October update

Earlier in October, Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) held its first Lighthouse Parent and Carer Network. Over the two sessions, parents and carers joined to discuss their views about services at The Lighthouse with senior managers from EPUT. Thank you to everyone who attended.

EPUT will be continuing to run these sessions as an opportunity for parents and carers to share their feedback and to help us keep making improvements. Information and dates of the next meeting will be announced soon. To register your interest, please email epunft.pet@nhs.net.

The Lighthouse is continuing to hire more administrative staff. As a result of the recruitment so far, calls are now being answered with a 10 to 15 minute maximum waiting time.

EPUT has hired more doctors on a temporary basis to clear the backlog and reduce appointment waiting times, has recruited a permanent paediatric consultant for neurodisabilities, and continues to recruit for more permanent medical staff.

The Lighthouse continues to works closely with local parent carer forums:

• Essex Family Forum essexfamilyforum.org
• Southend SEND Independent Forum southendsendindependentforum.co.uk

To contact The Lighthouse, please call 0344 257 3952 or email epunft.lighthouse.reception@nhs.net.

Update from Southend SEND Independent Forum

The Education Board has awarded £1 million for the 2022/23 academic year, to improve inclusion and the graduated response across all schools in Southend.

A working group called The Inclusion Advisory Group (which is made of members from schools, the local authority, health, social care, and parents and carers) are working together to gain a better understanding of families experience of schools in Southend and identify how best to utilise the funding.

We are interested in your views and experiences of inclusion and support in your child or young person’s education setting and would be grateful if you could complete our survey before Friday 4 November. Find out more. 

School transfers for pupils with EHCPs

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) must be reviewed before a child or young person moves between key phases of education. This needs to be complete in time for any amendments to the EHC Plan to be agreed and planning for and, where necessary, commissioning of support and provision.

For children transferring into or between schools the review process, including the naming of the new school, must be completed by 15 February in the calendar year of the transfer. The review deadline for young people moving from secondary school to a post-16 institution or apprenticeship, is 31 March in the calendar year of transfer.

Letters have been sent from the SEND Team for children moving from primary school to secondary school, and those in year 2 who are moving from infants to juniors. If you haven’t received the letter, please contact the SEND team at SENTeam@southend.gov.uk or 01702 215246.  

Find out more.

Visit to Vecteo

Vecteo provide a range of transport services under contract to Southend-on-Sea City Council, including home to school transport for children and young people with SEND.

We met members of the Vecteo Team at their Southend office to find out about the transport service they provide for local children and young people with SEND. Find out more.

Your Local Offer, Your Way sessions

Thank you to everyone who came to our Your Local Offer, Your Way sessions in September which focused on the information on the Local Offer for young people. The feedback was really useful, and the SEND Local Offer team are using it to develop the range and type of information displayed.

Our next sessions are on Monday 7 and Tuesday 15 November and will focus on development of the Local Offer information pages for different SEND conditions. Find out more.

Southend: A Graduated Response – support in schools

A guide and podcast about how education settings in Southend are expected to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities is available to read and listen to.

The guide, “Southend SEND: what happens next – a graduated response to special educational needs and disabilities” can be viewed here.

You can also listen to some Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) employed by Southend schools talk about `A Graduated Response’ and what this means to them, in this podcast: A Graduated Response From a SENCO - YouTube

SENDIASS - Sensory Pathways Pilot

In the spring, Southend Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS), launched a pilot to trial Sensory Pathways in some key stage 1 and 2 settings. This was developed with the assistance of Amelia Howe, Autism Specialist Teacher from The St. Christopher School.

A sensory path is a series of guided movements shown by markings on a floor or wall. As children follow the path and complete the movements, they work off excess energy whilst developing their gross motor skills. The range of movements on a path can be used to engage different parts of the body and brain, from frog hops to spins and wall pushes.

Currently, seven settings are piloting pathways. Find out more.

Meet... Victoria Coatsworth 

Vicky is a specialist school nurse for SEND and here she explains what her role involves and how she got into her career. 

Find out more

Early years support

The Early Years SEND Support Service offer play and development sessions, designed to support you and your child (0 – 5 years) with a variety of play and sensory experiences. A range of different services also join the sessions to provide support and information. Click here for more information. 

The team also runs Southend Early Autism Support (SEAS) courses for parents of children under 5, either a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition or who present with social communication difficulties that have been identified by a recognised professional. Find out more.

Do your bit - urges NHS

Those eligible for Covid and flu vaccinations are being urged to 'do your bit' and get them done and dusted with one appointment, to protect yourself, but also vulnerable loved ones.

Find out more

"No two children are the same" - SEND annual conference

This year's annual conference for SEND is being offered by Southend-on-Sea City Council's SEN support team, school support and provisions and is being delivered by Fin O’Regan, national expert for SEND and champion for Neurodiversity.

The event will take place on Thursday 10 November 2022 at the Tickfield Centre. It is on offer to all schools across Southend that subscribe to the SEND Leadership Programme and registration will take place via the Southend Learning Network portal.

The conference will bring together senior leaders, SENCos and parent representatives as well as organisations and charities. Find out more.

EHC Hub

Two years since the Hub launched, we shall be holding three in-person sessions to hear directly from parents, carers, schools and other users or practitioners about how it is going and what needs to improve.  

Johnson Room, Tickfield Centre 17 November 2022

• 10.30am to 12.00pm for parents and carers
• 1pm to 2.30pm for practitioners and schools
• 3.15pm to 4.45pm for practitioners and schools

For those not able to attend, we will be sending out a short questionnaire with the invitation email.

Survey reminders

The SEND team recently contacted parents and carers who had been through the annual review process or the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment process since September 2021 to invite them to complete a survey about their experience. Thank you to everyone who has responded so far.

If you haven’t yet responded, please do have your say. Further details and survey links can be found on the Your Say Southend website at www.southend.gov.uk/ARSurvey and www.southend.gov.uk/EHCNASurvey

Community funding available for schemes to improve young people's mental health

The SAVS Community Investment Board has announced grants of up to £10,000 to support projects and schemes designed to help support young people improve their mental health.

Find out more

Dates for the diary - this half term

The Festival of Learning with Southend Libraries continues. Join them for a host of exciting free events, including Caribbean mask making, British Sign Language workshops, Halloween arts and crafts and more! Find out more.

A Better Start Southend’s Festival of Conversations is back! Aimed at families who are expecting a baby or with children under the age of four - as well as for professionals, partners and organisations who support them. Find out more. 

Digifest is Focal Point Gallery’s annual celebration of digital arts, featuring workshops, talks and screenings, to enable creative ways of using technology. Find out more.

Dates to remember

• Anti-bullying week: 14 to 18 November 2022

If you know of or are running an activity or event for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), please let us know by emailing localoffer@southend.gov.uk. 

Look out for more information and things to do this October half term by following Southend SEND Local Offer on Facebook and Instagram.