 ...to the spring edition of the Stoke-on-Trent Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) Families' Newsletter. We hope our regular publication will help to keep you updated on what is going on in the city for children and young people with SEND.
SEND Local Offer Annual Report
Our Local Offer Annual Report is now available to read on our website. Take a look and see how it has developed over the past year:
Also, please have your say and help us improve our Local Offer website by completing this new, short survey. It should only take a couple of minutes to complete and will be really useful in guiding us on how we can make the website easier for you to use.
Meet Jenny Haines - DSCO for Stoke-on-Trent
My name is Jenny Haines, and I am the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) for Stoke-on-Trent. I also serve as the Head of the Children's Disability Team. With 21 years of experience working in Stoke and 9 years as a Manager within the CWD Team, I bring a wealth of knowledge and dedication to my role.
I am deeply committed to SEND and I am passionate about communication and coproduction with families, emphasising the importance of inclusion.
In my role, I advocate for children with SEND across social care services for disabled children, young people, and adults. This includes identifying needs early and developing pathways for those not currently known to social care. I am actively involved in the EHC needs assessment and planning process, providing information, advice, and support for the local offer.
I ensure that social care services are accurately reflected in the local offer and incorporate updates from professionals and parents and I am also involved in joint commissioning services to identify the best services for our children.
You will often find me at PEGIS events, coffee mornings, and SEND Community Lounges.
If you need to contact me at anytime, my contact numbers are 01782 231247 and 07767179546 or email: jenny.haines@stoke.gov.uk
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Sensory Toolkit
We receive, process and respond to sensory input all of the time. This sensory information helps us explore and understand our surroundings. Sensory processing needs are the differences in how a person’s brain receives and processes any sensory information and can have an impact on how they are able to interact within their environment.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council have joined healthcare providers and commissioners to produce the Sensory Processing Needs Toolkit. It is a resource for schools to provide sensory processing support to children and young people and offers information to teachers on supportive strategies so that children can take part in daily activities.
Aiming High Programme
Our new Aiming High programme was launched on the 1st April 2025, with lots of new providers on board offering a wide range of activities each month to choose from. It is a programme of fun activities and short breaks for children and young people with Special Educational Need/Disability (SEND) and their families who live in Stoke-on-Trent. An Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) is not needed to take part in these activities.
The programme enables children of the same age to spend time together, whilst at the same time giving a break to families for their caring role. The aim of the programme is to build independence and provide new experiences.
Activities can be booked a month in advance and to see what is on offer, please take a look at the link below:
Below is a guide how to create an account and make a booking:
If you have any questions please contact us via email: Aiming.High@stoke.gov.uk
YMCA Go
YMCA Go is a fully accessible youth scheme run by the YMCA North Staffordshire where they do activities in the park, youth clubs and trips. The summer will be filled with lots of fun activities and workshops available for all young people throughout the city.
Also, there will be accessible workshops throughout their new building on site in Hanley. This includes cooking, art and lots more, as well as trips to places such as the beach, wildlife parks, museums and more. To find out more, go to the website below:
Reminder - SEND Travel Assistance Applications
Do you have a young person currently in Year 11 or in post-16 education, who currently receives SEND travel assistance (either through commissioned transport or a Personal Transport Budget (PTB)) or will be looking to receive SEND travel assistance for the 2025-2026 academic year? If so, then you will need to apply or reapply for SEND Travel Assistance.
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open, and we would urge you to apply as soon as your child or young person’s school/college placement is confirmed. You can apply on the new citizen portal below:
We are now using our new citizen portal for all SEND travel assistance applications, so we have prepared a document for parents/carers, which will support you in your application using the new citizen portal:
Should you need to discuss SEND travel assistance applications further, please call the SEND Transport Requests team on 01782 233737. We are more than willing to answer any questions you may have.
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