On 17 June at midday, the Southend City Council Educational Psychology Team will be walking one mile along Southend seafront, from the casino to the Sea Life Centre, in our fun and silly fancy dress!

We are raising money for Packed with Smiles, a local charity that provides children with new school uniform parcels and essentials, helping them feel equal, confident and ready to learn.

You can support us by sponsoring our walk online via our JustGiving page, or by joining us on the day in your own fancy dress and bringing along a donation.

Email EPTeam@Southend.gov.uk for more information.

The Southend Specialist Teaching Service is providing valuable support for families whose children are transitioning to mainstream Year 1 and Secondary schools this September. They've developed useful resources and are offering free training to help ease this transition.

The team also wants to hear from parent carers, children, and young people about their experiences of schools and educational settings, using this feedback to improve future support.

Southend-on-Sea City Council has created a new support service this academic year focussed on universal and targeted speech and language therapy and occupational therapy.

The aim of the team is to upskill schools and Early Years settings across the city through a mix of training, projects and modelling of interventions.

The Southend-on-Sea Educational Psychology Service is a dedicated team led by a highly experienced Principal Psychologist, and together we bring a wealth of expertise to support learning and development. 

The service has announced its support offerings for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, designed to assist schools with a range of needs.

The Elective Home Education (EHE) team invite you to view their Art Exhibition at the Peoples Gallery at The Forum until Friday 27 June 2025.

The contributing artists are aged between 5 and 16 years old with varying SEND needs and are all home educated. The exhibition is a fabulous showcase of Home ED creativity! 

Southend in Sight is delighted to announce its relocation to a new office. The charity, dedicated to supporting visually impaired individuals in the community, has moved to:

Ground Floor, SAVS, 29-31 Alexandra Street, Southend on Sea, SS1 1BW.

This move marks an exciting new chapter for Southend in Sight, allowing them to continue providing vital services from a central and convenient location. All services and contact details remain the same, just the address has changed.

Are you a local group or organisation that supports children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), or their families?

The Southend SEND Network is a dedicated group for those working with children and young people with SEND, and/or their families in Southend-on-Sea. Organisations and groups are invited to join! Our next meeting is on Tuesday 24 June 2025 from 9.30 to 12.30pm at Southend's Civic Centre.

Updates from the SEND Network:

• Let's welcome Blossoms to the SEND Local Offer!
• Read helpful survival guides developed by SNAP Charity.
• 'Walk and Talk' event to raise awareness for isolation for children and young people with SEND.

Southend SEND Independent Forum invites parents and carers of children and young people with SEND who are approaching a Transition year at school: (starting nursery or pre-school, starting primary school, starting secondary school, leaving secondary school. And ‘key stage’ transitions: moving from Early Years to Key Stage (KS) 1, or from KS 1 to KS 2 etc), to their next SSIF Seminar.

A panel of professionals from the Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Team and Education will talk about the transition process. They will also bust some common myths.

Parent and carers can submit questions for the panel by Monday 16 June 2025, via email, to jody@southendsendindependentforum.org.uk

One of our favourite Events is our regular monthly coffee morning, where Parent Carers can get together to share their experiences.

Every month we have the Local Offer team with us and invite 1 or 2 additional special guests from for example Health, Social Care, Education and more, to offer guidance and advice.

There is also a sensory play creche available for your little ones aged 0 to 5 with Chaos & Calm.

Come along and chat to other ParentCarers, get advice from one of our SEND support service guests and enjoy a hot drink with something sweet.

Booking is not required.

Need advice or guidance?

Our next SEND Surgery takes place on Thursday 26 June, 9am to 11am at Earls Hall Primary School, Carlton Avenue, Westcliff, SS0 0QN. All are welcome, regardless of school attendance. Join us for friendly face-to-face advice from a range of teams and services.

If you’ve been to a SEND Surgery, and it was useful, please complete our feedback form – it really helps!

Southend Connexions are hosting a free careers event and drop-in support sessions for young people who would like support or guidance with choices after exam results.

Come along and talk to qualified careers advisers, and local colleges and training providers. Parent carers are also welcome to attend. Booking is not required!

The Lighthouse team is holding a number of Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) support sessions for families in Southend, Essex and surrounding areas.

Your child does not need to have a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD for you to join these sessions, they are open to all families.

The Early Years SEND Support Service host stay and play sessions, to support you and your child with a variety of play and sensory experiences.

The sessions are for children with SEND aged 0 to 5 and their families in Southend and run on Wednesdays 1pm to 2:30pm. A range of services provide support and information. 

Next sessions:

• 18 June 2025 - Little Heroes ASD Support Group
• 2 July 2025 - SEND Local Offer
• 16 July 2025 - Early Years SEND Advisor

Southend Safeguarding Children Partnership are pleased to introduce their new Southend Early Help Children Services Directory.

The directory showcases services that provide fundamental Early Help support to children and families in Southend.

Elective Home Education (EHE) SEND Hubs offer support to families who are home educating their children with Special Educational Needs. You can get support on accessing educational resources, specialist advice and guidance, social opportunities, and information about support groups.

For dates and locations, email the EHE Team electivehomeeducation@southend.gov.uk or visit the EHE Hub on Your Say Southend.

Southend SEND Youth Voice is a group for those aged 11 to 25 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Join us at a friendly, supportive meeting, share your experiences, thoughts and feedback
take part in fun activities, and make important changes to improve the lives of children and young people with SEND in Southend.

The SEND Local Offer on Livewell Southend has a range of information about support for SEND for children and young people aged 0 to 25 in the local area.

Join us to find out more about the Local Offer and tell us what information you want and need.

We’re excited to announce the launch of our new engagement page focused on improving services for babies, children, and young people across Mid and South Essex.

Your voice matters. Whether you're a parent, carer, young person, or someone who works with children and families, your feedback will help us shape services that truly meet the needs of our communities.

We want to hear from you!

The Southend Council SEND team is inviting parent carers of children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan to share their experience of the annual review process.

Don't miss out on news, events, and information for families of children and young people with SEND in Southend-on-Sea.

Subscribe directly to the Southend SEND Area Partnership newsletter and get regular updates straight to your inbox. Be the first to know about upcoming workshops, policy changes, local support services, and more.

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Catch up on our latest news:

• SEND Area Partnership newsletter - May edition
• SEND Area Partnership newsletter, April edition
• SEND Area Partnership newsletter, March edition