Wokingham Borough Connect
 Welcome to the May 2025 edition of the SENCO newsletter. This edition includes:
- Update from Helen Jackson-Brench, Area SENCO
- Training opportunities
- Information sessions and events for families and SENCOs
- New fair and transparent banding model for pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan
- Part-time timetables
- Education Endowment Foundation report on the deployment of teaching assistants
Update from Helen Jackson-Brench, Area SENCO
Welcome to the first of the summer term’s SENCO newsletters. I hope you all had a lovely Easter break and that you are feeling ready for what I’m sure will be a very busy term.
Over the last year, we have been busy co-producing a new Ordinarily Available Provision guide and we are getting very close to launching this exciting resource. We initially hoped to share it with you this week, but we still have some final amendments to make to the design. We have rearranged the launch event for:
- Wednesday June 25 (arrive 3.30pm for 3.45pm start) at St Crispin’s School
Please prioritise this meeting if you can.
The SENCO Network meeting that was scheduled for 1 July has been cancelled, as it is only a week after the 25 June meeting.
Following the removal of Local Offer reports from the Wokingham Directory, we would like to thank all schools who have updated SEN information reports on their websites.
The Area SENCO team has contacted any schools where 2024-2025 reports were not easily accessible online. If you need any further support with your school report, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Area SENCO team.
As shared in Education News on Friday, there is now a new, shorter online referral form for the MAIC to streamline the referral process. Please note that all old forms will no longer be accepted. For more details and to access the new form, please visit the MAIC tab on the SENCO Hub.
A reminder to all schools who may be making placements at alternative provisions. There is a toolkit on the Schools Hub, which can be used to gather basic due diligence, set up the placement agreement and monitor progress.
I look forward to seeing you all in person on 25 June.
 Training opportunities
SENCO Network Meetings:
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Wednesday 4 June, 3.30pm (online) – Supporting children’s social experiences and connections in a neuro-affirming way. A calendar invite has been sent out
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Wednesday 25 June, 3.30pm (in person at St Crispin’s) – launch of the new WBC Ordinarily Available Provision guidance
Addington Outreach and Inclusion Service (AOIS)
AOIS have opened three new OLT courses for the summer term:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Speech Language and Communication Needs
- Understanding and supporting behaviour.
Book here by 30 April at 11am
Details of other courses available can be found on the events section of the Wokingham School's Hub.
Information sessions and events for families and SENCOs
This is a reminder about our upcoming information sessions, designed to support families with the phase transfer process for pupils with an EHCP who will be transferring to reception, Year 7 or Post-16 education in September 2026.
SENCOs are welcome to attend. An email with copies of the leaflets was emailed to all SENCOs last term. Please do share this information with your families.
In addition, we will be hosting a Preparation for Adulthood (PfA) SEND market stall event. This event will bring together a range of information and local support services, to support young people with SEND to explore Post-16 options. The details of the event are as follows:
- Wednesday 21 May
- 3.30pm to 6.30pm
- At the Earley Crescent Resource Centre (RG6 4HB)
Free tickets for the phase transfer and PfA market stall events can be booked online
New fair and transparent banding model for pupils with an EHCP
What was the challenge?
The current system of allocating top up funding for pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) lacks consistency and transparency and uses outdated methodology based on staff hours rather than needs (in mainstream).
A new digital solution has been purchased by Wokingham Borough Council called the Formulate Education Banding Tool (EBT) that is already used by some other councils in England. This will ensure that the new funding system is:
- Informed by the needs of children
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Fair, transparent and equitable
- As simple as possible to administer across all provision
How have we worked with schools to develop the chosen approach?
Co-production with schools and other partners has been a key part of the process in choosing the right tool, personalising it for Wokingham and testing. In January, more than 200 children and young people (10% of total EHCP cohort) from across the system were sampled using the SEND banding tool by the multi-agency ‘taskforce’, which included schools (heads, MAT leaders, SENCOs, EPs and LA SEND Officers and Commissioners).
The extensive testing and moderation exercise evidenced that the EBT is robust in creating consistency and transparency and Schools Forum endorsed the model and implementation plan in March 2025.
What is the Education Banding Tool?
The Education Banding Tool is a needs profile assessment with multiple choice questions that are answered based on information contained within the pupil’s EHCP and supporting documents, such as assessments as part of the EHCNA or Annual Review. The scores are collated and relate to a band between zero and ten, which has a financial value of top up.
For all new EHCPs, the SEND Team will complete the pupil needs profile, which will then be ratified by the panel and communicated to schools alongside the draft EHCP or consultation.
How will this impact my school?
All new EHCPs issued from 22 April 2025 will have a funding band and new rate of top up applied.
For all existing pupils, there is a detailed implementation plan from April 2025 to March 2028, which aims to mitigate significant changes at the school level by maintaining existing rates until key transition points, providing ample notice of any funding changes.
Where can I find more detailed information?
More information will be sent to headteachers in April with the detailed implementation plan and timetable. This will also be published on the SENCO Hub shortly.
The Children’s Senior Leadership Team want to extend a massive thank you to those SENCOs involved in the project and who have invested significant time and resources to contribute to the development and testing of this new model.
Part-time timetables
Part-time timetables should only be used in very exceptional circumstances for a short, specific time to meet a child’s individual needs.
They must be agreed in writing between the school and the parents/carers and must be reported to the local authority.
You can find more detailed information about part-time timetables on our Local Offer. This page has recently been updated and includes a link to the council's part-time timetable policy.
EEF report - deployment of teaching assistants
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published a new guidance report focused on the effective deployment of teaching assistants.
Drawing on the latest research evidence, EEF guidance reports offer clear, practical recommendations to support teaching and learning.
This latest report is particularly relevant for SENCOs and school leaders, building on key principles from the Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools guidance. It outlines five evidence-based recommendations to help schools maximise the impact of teaching assistants on pupil outcomes.
Given the vital role they play in supporting pupils - particularly those with additional needs - this report offers valuable insights into how teaching assistants can be deployed strategically to make the greatest difference in the classroom
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