As part of SEND and Inclusion Strategy, we are collating a collection of good practice and resources to support transition from 0-25.

This work on managing transitions has been co-produced by colleagues from health, social care, schools, settings and colleges, specialist advisory teams and parent carers.

We're very happy to receive your feedback and suggestions for other resources that could be included. 

Following feedback from schools and pre-school settings, and in the light of the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the decision has been made to not hold Transition Events this year.

Feedback from schools and pre-school settings was that these events were an important part of the process of supporting children into school. Therefore, we plan to resume these events in May 2022 for children starting school in September 2022.

In order to facilitate the transition process for this year, we are asking schools and early years settings to make contact with each other as soon as they have received the information about the school places offered, to arrange the sharing of information that would normally be shared at Transition Events. This will include the identification of children with additional needs who would benefit from a supported transition plan being developed.

Following feedback from schools and pre-school settings, the guidance to support universal transitions has been updated. The key changes are:

• Updated information outlining the information that should be shared by the pre-school setting with the receiving school
• Updates to the summary templates for 2021 to include key information about the impact for each child of the COVID-19 measures this year – for example how much a child has been able to access early years provision and any home circumstances that might impact on them at school

Information to support the transition process, including templates for information sharing and documentation to inform the supported transition process for children with additional needs, can be found at Early years transitions - West Sussex County Council.

Pre-school settings and schools will continue to work together to plan for the transition needs of all children. Parents/carers who have any concerns about their child starting school, should speak to their child’s pre-school setting as soon as possible to support this process.

The Special Educational Needs Assessment Team (SENAT) manage the decisions and processes concerned with the statutory education health and care needs assessment process for learners with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), the placement of children in learning settings and the allocation of resources to settings.

The team considers suitability of and, where appropriate, arranges the assessment and placement of children, young people and young adults with special educational needs in accordance with the provisions of the Children and Families Act 2014 (Part 3, SEN) and associated regulations, including the SEN Code of Practice, to ensure that the statutory assessment procedures are followed and that EHCPs are issued and reviewed within the timescales laid down by the regulations.

We work directly with parents, educational settings, young people, health, social care and other external customers and partnership organisations to establish the best ways to support learning for children and Young People (0 – 25).

You can find out further information about the team and contact details here:

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/education-children-and-families/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send/if-you-think-your-child-has-send/west-sussex-sen-assessment-team-senat/

For further information regarding what support is available at school support and ordinarily available inclusive practice, please have a look at the local offer link below:

https://westsussex.local-offer.org/information_pages/483-education-health-and-care-plans

For further information regarding making a request for assessment, please look at the information below on the local offer before making a request:

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/education-children-and-families/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send/support-and-advice/send-information-for-professionals/request-an-education-health-and-care-needs-assessment/

For further information on holding an annual review and the review process, please have a look at the local offer link below:

https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/education-children-and-families/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send/support-and-advice/send-information-for-professionals/sen-ehcp-annual-review/

The SENCO Leadership Forums are a free training and networking opportunity led and facilitated by the SEND and Inclusion Link Advisers. They are open to all West Sussex SENCOs, Inclusion leaders, Teachers in Charge of SSCs and Senior Leaders from primary, secondary, and special schools.

The aims of the Forums are to:

• provide guidance linked to national and local updates (face-to-face, online, webinars)
• identify and share good practice, linked to SEND and inclusion
• develop systems for peer and school-to-school support
• co-design materials and resources linked to SEND and inclusion
• provide access to speakers from a range of specialist professionals linked to SEND and inclusion e.g. SENAT, EMTAS, SALT, EPS, Virtual School, HI/VI Specialist Team, Pan-Sussex colleagues, SENCOs, Special School colleagues etc
• co-design the development of the Forums
• act as a sounding board between the LA and school-based practitioners

At the first forums in the Autumn term, we discussed Local Authority SEND data, the draft Inclusion Framework and Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice documents.

At the Spring term forums, we welcomed colleagues from the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) who shared information about free resources to support SEND leadership in schools.

We also heard from Olly Davidson, Manager for the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS), who outlined the current offer from his team, including recent developments such as remote training packages, targeted projects for EAL pupils and transition support for pupils from Gypsy, Roma & Traveller communities.

The next forums in the summer term will have a focus on supporting positive transitions and be held online between 2pm – 4pm on the following dates. Please click on the link to book:

Wednesday 19^th May https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Event/128251

Thursday 20^th May https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Event/128252

Tuesday 25^th May https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Event/128253

Wednesday 26^th May https://schools.westsussex.gov.uk/Event/128254

Early in March, we sent a letter to the heads of all schools and settings, asking them to complete a short survey to help us map the West Sussex Wellbeing Landscape. 

We recognise that having a therapeutic understanding of children and young people underpins the practice of many schools in West Sussex.  The approaches identified within this survey will be used to build a whole school wellbeing catalogue which can then be accessed via the Inclusion section on the Tools for Schools website.

Hi, my name is Natalie McNeill and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, as I have recently joined the SEND Commissioning Team in a new exciting role called the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO).

The DSCO role is a relatively new role nationally and within the South East there are only 3 so far, including West Sussex. The key focus is to support and develop the social care elements of the SEND strategy, in compliance with legislative requirements of the SEND Code of Practice (2015), and ensure they are embedded within our working practice for children and young people aged 0-25.

Currently I am focusing on developing an approach within social care to ensure an improvement in engagement and quality of information shared for the Education, Heath, Social Care Plan (EHCP). Next steps will include training, aligning services and identifying ways of supporting Social Care staff to ensure they can met these requirements.    I am acting as the regional and national interface to share our good work and examples and learn from others, working in partnership with health, education, children, young people and their families, which will fundamentally improve the experiences and lives of the SEND children and young people that live in West Sussex.

I  am a qualified Social Worker and  have 19 years’ experience of working  in a variety of roles within West Sussex,  Social Care.  Before this, I gained a degree in Education where I first developed an interest and professional curiosity into the social and economic factors impacting on SEND children’s education. On a personal level, I have been a short breaks foster carer for many years and continue to support a young man in his twenties with Down Syndrome and Autism.

My contact details are as follows if you would like further information :

Email : Natalie.mcneill@westsussex.gov.uk

Please note my working days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

From the autumn term 2021, a new process, called “SEND Under Fives” will replace the current EYPARMs for children with SEND who are not yet school age. The aim of the change is to identify and offer support to children with SEND at an earlier point in order to improve the experiences and outcomes for these children. The new process will continue to involve a range of professionals working with children under 5 who have SEND.

Where the SEND Under Fives group make a decision that an EHCNA is appropriate, evidence with be gathered and the paperwork passed to the SEN Assessment Team who will continue to lead this process.

Any child who is currently known to EYPARM will be contacted following the meetings this term with an update on next steps. Children not starting school until September 2022, where a decision about formal assessment has not yet been made, will be referred to SEND Under Fives.

Children and young people with SEND aged up to 25 can now share what’s important to them via our new Children and Learning Engagement Hub.

You will find a link to the hub on the Tools For Schools website in the Pupil Voice area.

WSCC want to hear from all children and young people, across a wide range of needs and experiences. Young people’s views will help shape our new SEND Joint Commissioning Strategy, feed into the ongoing work of the SEND and Inclusion Strategy, and keep children, young people and families at the centre of improving services.

The hub offers online ways for young people to have a say, and shares resources and information on workshops, groups and participation projects. Schools, colleges and settings can request an online youth voice workshop , find our themed resource packs as they develop, and find out more about our sensory story and creative arts voice projects. This month’s themes are Emotional Wellbeing, and Autism Awareness. Watch the SEND Participation Lead's short video message .

Families can also book for free online inclusive sensory play, crafts and games sessions in the summer half term holiday and receive a free pack of resources.

One of the therapeutically informed approaches adopted within West Sussex is the Therapeutic Thinking approach advocated by Angela Wadham.  The Therapeutic Thinking approach is a whole school ethos that is characterised by an inclusive culture, underpinned by best practice, policy and plans.  Therapeutic Thinking uses a range of resources to analyse an individual’s behaviour in order to better understand the child / young person’s needs.  This analysis then assists in better planning for the child, their class and the wider school or setting, to prevent difficult or dangerous situations from occurring.

Currently staff from 28 schools have undertaken the three-day training. The three-day training sessions enables these staff to deliver in-school training so that therapeutic thinking approaches can be developed and embedded in their setting. The feedback from the three-day sessions has been very positive. For more information regarding the training please see the Therapeutic Thinking pages on the ‘tools for schools’ website https://schools.local-offer.org/inclusion/wellbeing-in-west-sussex/wellbeing-charter/therapeutic-thinking-approach/training-on-offer/

The dates for the next three-day training sessions are:

• 18th to 20th May 2021
• 15th to 17th June 2021

For further information please contact kate.southgate@westsussex.gov.uk, Learning and Behaviour Advisory Teacher

A SEND and Inclusion Review is led by a West Sussex SEND and Inclusion Adviser, with a strong track record of improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.  Book now via West Sussex Services for Schools to secure your review for Autumn 2021!

Work with our professional SEND & Inclusion Advisers to:

• consider the lived experience of children and young people with SEND
• review and quality assure provision with experienced professionals
• support strategic action planning and school development plans
• reinforce self-assessment with external validation

The review will help your school to align with:

• the West Sussex Inclusion Framework
• the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice Guide
• the OFSTED Inspection Framework
• Public Health England guidance
• National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines

Adapting Remote Learning for Vulnerable Pupils, produced by the SEND and Inclusion Teams, is a collection of helpful strategies to support schools and educational settings adapt remote provision effectively for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other vulnerable learners. The materials are designed to be used flexibly to support pupils unable to access face-to-face learning for short or extended periods of time. 

The Oftsed report ‘How remote education is working for children and young people with SEND‘ has also recently been published.

West Sussex County Council is seeking views from families as part of a formal consultation to redesign the Early Help service. The Early Help service provides support to children and families who are facing any number of challenging circumstances, working to ensure every child has a safe environment in which to thrive.

The series of changes being proposed are designed to:

• Maintain Early Help services from 11 of our 43 Children & Family Centre buildings; at least one centre in each district and borough of West Sussex.  
• Increase the support and focused response to vulnerable children.
• Ensure families have access to the most appropriate support, including closer working with schools.
• Protect a full-time drop-in service for young people in each district and borough by merging our 12 Find It Out (youth) Centres with our 11 Children and Family Centre’s.  
• Stop providing group work: For example stay and play groups where parents can engage in play sessions with their children, focusing our attention where we know we make the biggest difference; going out to support the most vulnerable children and families in the community.

The consultation went live on Monday 8 March 2021 and is open until midnight on Monday 17 May 2021.

More information on the proposals, including video explanations and details of how people can take part in the consultation can be found on the Early Help Redesign project webpage.

It is important that everyone can express their views on proposals which impact their lives and the lives of the people they work with. Please take this opportunity to complete our consultation survey so we can make informed decisions about the future of our Early Help Service.

West Sussex Parent Carer Forum is a charity led by parents of children/young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) age 0-25. 

Our aim is to make sure that West Sussex services meet the needs of SEND children/young people and their parents.

We accomplish this by working in partnership with local authorities, education settings, the NHS and other providers to highlight where local services, processes and commissioners are working well, or challenge when changes or improvements need to be made.  We achieve this by gathering the views of parent carers (via forum groups, surveys, social media feedback and more).  

We also help parent carers to navigate the world of SEND by providing information, signposting and training. This is generalized via our Facebook page and can also be tailored to the needs of the individual by one of our four Participation Officers – who represent the North, South, East and West of the county. 

A child/young person does not need to have a formal diagnosis for a parent carer to access our community.

We encourage parent carers to follow us on Facebook  @WestSussexParentCarerForum, which provides the opportunity for parent carers to participate with interactive posts. It also provides regular updates on events, surveys, training, important SEND news and signposting.  

You can contact us via Facebook messenger or via: office@wspcf.org.uk. Our website address is: www.wspcf.org.uk.