SEND conference sets out the priorities for Warwickshire!

A Warwickshire special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) conference brought together stakeholders from across the county last week to contribute to shaping a new Warwickshire strategy for children and young people with SEND. 

The conference, themed "Developing the SEND & Inclusion Strategy 2024-2030", provided a platform for SENCOs, school leaders, experts working across education, health and social care, parents and carers, and young people with SEND from across the county, to share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas aimed at improving the lives of individuals with SEND.  

Attendees engaged in discussions and listened to thought-provoking presentations, with interactive elements throughout the day providing important opportunities to reflect, as well as share and capture ideas. The event was an excellent opportunity to gather initial feedback and is the first step in a wider process to engage with stakeholders to develop the new strategy before this goes out to public consultation early in 2024.

Key highlights of the SEND Conference included:

• Diverse perspectives: The conference welcomed a diverse group of attendees, including educators, policymakers, SENCO’s and representatives from Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice and IMPACT, the Young Person’s Forum for SEND, creating a rich tapestry of insights and perspectives to contribute to the new Warwickshire strategy for children and young people with SEND.

• Working Together Charter in action: Professionals and partners provided valuable insights into the work being undertaken in Warwickshire, looking at how we are working together using the four cornerstones approach to partnership working. This focused on the latest local data, evidence, views and available resources and how these can be used to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND. Whilst recognising there is still a lot of work to be done, an important opportunity was taken to reflect on what is working well.  

• The voice of young people: Members of IMPACT delivered a compelling presentation, sharing feedback collected on behalf of their peers about young people’s experiences of school. The audience were invited to engage in a multi-sensory activity while listening to them speak, as they rubbed different coloured chalk into piles of salt. The young people’s key messages were symbolised as the salt took on the colour of the chalk: that every interaction is an intervention, small things make a big difference and, ultimately, if children and young people do not feel safe, they cannot be expected to learn.  

• Key priorities: Participants worked together to identify key themes for the 2024-30 strategy, how they would prioritise these and how impact could be measured. Thoughts were captured and will be used along with other feedback to inform the development of the new strategy which will go out to public consultation in 2024.    

One of the key outcomes of the conference was the commitment of participants to work collaboratively to contribute to the new Warwickshire SEND and Inclusion Strategy for children and young people with SEND. With fresh ideas and renewed enthusiasm, Warwickshire County Council anticipates making significant strides in improving SEND education and inclusivity in the coming years.

For more information about the SEND support available for families in Warwickshire please visit the SEND Local Offer.

Have your say on proposed changes to school funding arrangements for 2024-25

As part of an annual consultation exercise, primary and secondary maintained schools and academies in Warwickshire are being asked to share their views on proposed changes to school funding arrangements for 2024-25.

This is a reminder to schools that there is still time to respond to the consultation, details of which were shared with headteachers via email in September. 

The Schools Block continues to be ring-fenced with one exception which allows the local authority to move up to 0.5% of the Schools Block to other funding Blocks, after consultation with schools and after approval from the Schools Forum. 

As set out in the 2024-25 School Budget Consultation document, there are two proposals being put forward that schools are being asked to provide feedback on:

1. Moving up to 0.5% of funding from the School Block to the High Needs Block in 2024-25. This equates to £2.255m.
2. Moving up to 0.25% of funding from the School Block to the High Needs Block in 2024-25. This equates to £1.127m.

Schools are being encouraged to share their views by completing the online form before the deadline of 5pm on Monday 6 November 2023.

Feedback will then be taken to Schools Forum on Thursday 16 November 2023 for a decision.

You can also access the form by scanning the QR code below on your phone or other device: