Welcome to our May Ebulletin
IASS online training sessions
We are pleased again this term to be delivering our online legal training sessions.
We receive many queries based on misconceptions and our online legal training sessions are an opportunity for you to hear the facts based on SEND law.
See below for details and click on the links to book a place.
EHCP Taster
Wednesday 12th May 10.00 - 11.00am
All you need to know about EHCPs including: the assessment process; the family at the heart of the system and draft EHCPs.
Click to book a place
Chat with IASS
Thursday 10th June 10.30 -11.30am
Bring your cuppa and your questions!
Join our friendly team for an informal Q&A session and general chat on anything related to SEND. We will share some of the frequently asked questions about school based SEN support.
Click to book a place
EHCP Annual Reviews
Wednesday 23rd June 1.00 - 2.00pm
All you need to know about the EHCP annual review process
Click to book a place
Area SEND inspections to restart
Local Area SEND inspections, which Ofsted carry out jointly with the Care Quality Commission, are set to begin again. They were paused in March 2020, owing to the impact of COVID-19.
Full area SEND inspections are planned to restart from June 2021 at the earliest, subject to government guidance and any COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time.
Wolverhampton is one of the local authorities yet to be inspected. So watch this space as we will be looking for parents, carers, children and young people to be involved.
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Minister Ford on her visit to special schools & the impact of the pandemic on children and families
On Friday 30th April, Children & Families Minister Vicky Ford, published a blog on her visit to special schools and on the impact of the pandemic on children and families.
Key themes raised with Minister Ford which she reflects on in this blog were:
- Face-to-face attendance
- Importance of a broad education recovery
- Mental health wellbeing and resilience as key to recovery
- Access to Therapies
Read the Blog on the Council for Disabled Children's website.
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Supporting children and young people in care in Education & SEND
Ama Bagri Training officer form the Virtual School team is delivering the following session to help foster carers gain knowledge in understanding their role in supporting Children in Care in having a positive Education Journey..
Tuesday 11th May 2021 9.30am - 1.00pm
Venue: Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
The session covers -
- Stress Management
- Homework
- Exams
- Pupil Premium
- PEPs
- Awareness raising of the SEN code of Practice 2015 To have knowledge around the types of Special educational needs & learning difficulties or with below age-related attainment / progress or identified additional needs.
- Discuss how to develop a supportive environment and promote progress in English & Maths and other areas of development
- Review resources that could be useful in supporting children/young people
Please note the session will not be covering Education Health Care Plans (EHCPs)
Give us a Break activities return
Give us a Break is pleased to announce the return of its holiday programme for May and has a full activity programme planned for the summer holidays.
Give us a break is a charity offering activities to children and young people with very complex needs and disabilities from age 2 to 25. The activities are for children who can not attend mainstream activities and are family activities they attend with a parent or a carer. Siblings are also welcome. Activities are mainly during school holidays and include sensory activities, outdoor activities, swimming, hydro pool sessions, day trips, music therapy, animal therapy, messy sessions, sports, cinema, adapted cycling and more. For more information please visit the Give us a Break website or email guabactivities@gmail.com
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NDCS The Buzz: new website for deaf young people
The National Deaf Children's Society have redesigned their website for deaf young people. The Buzz is the only website for deaf young people aged 8 to 18 in the UK. It is a safe, online space created by deaf young people for deaf young people. The new features mean that deaf young people now have a platform where they can read inspiring stories, connect with others like them, find the latest information and support, sign up to events, ask questions and get involved.
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Parent & Carer Support Group (Walsall, Wolverhampton & surrounding areas)
With lockdown restrictions lifting the Parent Carer Support group is restarting in-person peer support groups.
Meet-ups are all covid-safe, with social distancing and compulsory track and trace. As restrictions lift further the group hopes to continue to increase support groups and in-person meetings.
Find out more walsallwtonpcg.co.uk
Contact the Facebook page or email walsallwtonparentgroup@gmail.com.
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Get your child’s voice heard and make a difference
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, is launching a once-in-a-generation review of children’s lives.
It’s called ‘The Childhood Commission’ and it will identify the barriers preventing children reaching their full potential and propose policy solutions to address them.
At its heart is ‘The Big Ask’ – the largest ever consultation held with children.
In this survey the Children’s Commissioner is asking children and young people what they think is important for their future and what is holding young people back. The Children’s Commissioner will use what children and young people tell her to show the Government what they think and what they need to live happier lives.
Find out more and take part.
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Making Young People's voice heard
The Educational Pathways and Work Outcomes of Disabled Young People is a 3-year research project funded by The Leverhulme Trust. Based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick, the project is looking for Year 11 students with autism / cerebral palsy / dyslexia to take part in the research. The aim is to explore the factors that lead to disability inequalities in educational and occupational attainment in England.
"There is increasing awareness surrounding the social barriers that prevent disabled young people from fulfilling their potential. Yet, the vast majority of existing research relies on information provided by parents and teachers. Disabled young people are rarely given a voice in research. This is due to long-standing assumptions about the ability of young people to take part in research studies and discuss their conditions/disabilities."
The project challenges this assumption and wants to hear young people’s views about their experiences of disability and schooling, and their plans and aspirations for the future. the aim is to interview 60 young people twice over the course of our study. The first wave of (online) interviews will take place between April-June 2021, and the second wave approximately one year later.
If you are interested in taking part or wnat to find out more please get in touch with Dr Angharad Butler-Rees at disabled.transitions@warwick.ac.uk
Monday 28th June to Friday 2nd July 2021
A FREE week-long virtual event featuring over 50 of the most prestigious and award winning companies, demonstrating their equipment, products and highlighting their services. To keep up to date with the latest news on Venue to Virtual – The Disabled Living Collective, please register here.
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Share your news
We are always happy to share information on our e-bulletins which help to promote a relevant and appropriate service which will be informative and of interest to our readers.
We aim to add short and punchy stories, facts and information. Please add web-links wherever possible & any necessary documents in PDF.
Please e-mail your information to ias.service@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Our next e-bulletin will be sent out around 9th June so please send any inserts by 31st May.
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