Checking the recorded primary need for a child with SEND in time for the school census

We have been running some data quality checks on the primary need of learners with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Many learners have multiple needs and therefore recording of a primary need may differ between the local authority and school, however it is important that data is current and accurate.

For example, at school age a recent report based on school census data showed 24% of learners with an EHC plan to have a primary need of Autism Spectrum Disorder, whereas the local authority data recorded this as 35%.

School census data also showed 26% of learners with an EHC plan to have a primary need of Moderate Learning Difficulties whereas the local authority data showed this to be 11%. It is important that we get this data right as it is informs commissioning decisions. 

It is worth noting that the school census is not in any way linked to the SEND funding schools receive.

Please could we ask that you check the primary need recorded on SIMS before the next school census for learners in your school. 

If you do have any queries, please email and sen@warwickshire.gov.uk and we will follow it up. 

Supported Intern shares feedback from SEND and Inclusion Conference

In September, we welcomed three Supported Interns to work with us at the Council for the 2019/20 academic year to complete structured study programmes. These enable young people aged 16-24 with special educational needs and an Education, Health and Care Plan to gain meaningful work experience alongside learning at college or school.  The aim is to equip young people with the skills they need for sustainable paid employment.

One of our interns is Conor Ayton, who is currently working with Business Support in the Education Services team. He has shown great enthusiasm in his role so far and recently got stuck in to assist on the day with the planning and organisation of the SEND and Inclusion Conference, held on 15 November.

Conor has written up his account of the event which you can read below:

The conference was attended by almost 60 people despite the flooding. It was attended by parents and representatives from health, schools, colleges, Impower, Mencap, Barnardos and many WCC employees working in different areas of SEND.

People at the conference spoke about successes including:

• Hereward College has the smallest Premier Inn which is used to train Supported Interns who then go on to work at the hotel chain
• Supported Interns have successfully moved to employment with National Grid
• Warwickshire College Group has increased the number of Supported Interns from two in 2017/18 to 30 in 2019/20
• Integrated Commissioning arrangements for young people and adults. We are the only area in the country to do this
• Increased number of SENDCos attending network meetings, now 95% of secondary schools are participating
• Transforming Care Programme has led to a decrease in inpatient numbers
• SENDIAS are working hard to get resources updated
• The Transition Guide which has come from a lot of cooperative work. This is being printed and will be distributed soon
• Continuation of Children and Families Centres and other services. Parents said the family picnic was a great success this year for the health and wellbeing of parents
• Inclusion in mainstream of a child with complex health needs and growing SEND numbers in a mainstream school. There were lots of examples of success stories of children in mainstream schools and inclusive practices including an Ofsted Inspector moved to tears
• Compliments from service users to the ASD team in SALT saying, ‘if it hadn’t been for you, my child wouldn’t still be in school’
• Exploring use of Social Media including merged SEND and FIS Newsletter to get a broader audience

Autism Voices Film

The “Autism Voices” film was made by a group of autistic students using their voices to put people right about autism stereotypes. They corrected the ‘outdated expert’ on his views and gave their own opinions and experiences.  It was difficult to watch in places, but it had a strong message.

SEN and disability inspection

We are preparing for our SEN and disability inspection by sharing experiences and information and working together. We are trying to improve all the time. The questions we are asking are:

• What are our strengths?
• What are our areas for improvement?
• Where are we on the journey?
• What else do we need to know?
• Where is the evidence?

A guide to online resources to support religious education

If you haven't visited the Warwickshire SACRE website yet - then we would highly recommend it!

Take me to the SACRE website

You will find a wealth of resources available there to help you with planning and delivering an engaging RE curriculum to pupils, including:

• Coventry and Warwickshire Agreed Syllabus - statutory and non-statutory units of work
• Resources for those who may be new to RE subject leadership
• Termly RE bulletins
• RE subject leader network meeting materials 
• Recently updated guidance for arranging RE visitors and visits

There will also be a new section coming soon to share the materials from the RE Subject Knowledge Enhancement Programme which you can read more about and sign up to here.

This handy printable guide to the SACRE website has been produced to highlight all of the resources that are available and where to find them. 

For any queries please email sacre@warwickshire.gov.uk

Invitation to participate in research into school approaches to bereavement

Claire Kime, trainee Educational Psychologist, is looking for schools to take part in her third year educational psychology doctoral research project, looking into school approaches to childhood bereavement.

Why this project?

Research suggests that nearly 5% of children experience the death of a parent by the age of 16 and many more will experience the death of other family members, friends, pets or other significant individual in their lives. Although death and bereavement are inevitable parts of life, childhood bereavement can present as a risk factor in the development of academic, social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

Claire intends to undertake exploratory, case study research in a small number of schools to investigate the types of systemic approaches to bereavement support that may already exist and what factors promote and inhibit such approaches, including cultural factors.

Which schools can take part?

Primary, secondary and special schools in Warwickshire are welcome to get in touch about participating. Your school might be interested in taking part because you have experience of supporting bereaved pupils or have received bereavement training; however, don’t worry if your school has little or no experience in proactive approaches to bereavement – you’re not alone, as research suggests that this is the case in many schools.

It is hoped that by taking part in the research, schools will be provided with the opportunity to both celebrate and further develop good practice in this area.

What will it involve?

Initially, Claire would like to come along to a staff meeting to outline the project. Schools will be asked to provide copies of any policies or curriculum resources related to bereavement and a small group of staff (between three to six) will be invited to take part in a 90 minute group interview. Ideally, this would be staff who have an interest and/or experience in the topic and who are keen to explore the issues described above.

Participating schools will be provided with information and feedback based on the findings of the research that can be used to inform the development of their policies and practices in supporting pupils affected by bereavement.

Contact and further information

If you are interested in taking part and would like more information about the research, please phone Claire Kime on 01926 742921 or email clairekime@warwickshire.gov.uk. 

Achieve national recognition for being an inclusive school

Does your school excel in promoting an inclusive ethos? Do you provide high quality RE and promote mutual understanding between those of different beliefs and backgrounds? 

If so, you might want to enter your school into the Accord Coalition's 2020 Inclusivity Award, which rewards schools that work hardest to promote these aims.

The annual Award is listed by Ofsted as a way for schools to complement their duties under Public Sector Equality Duty (to advance equality of opportunity, foster good relations and tackle discrimination).

The Award is free to enter and open to all state funded schools in England and Wales.

Nominations are judged by a panel of respected and experienced experts which in the past have included former Education Secretary Lord Baker and the then Education Select Committee Chair, Neil Carmichael. 

Accord has made the process of applying as simple as possible, with most information required for the nomination form being something that schools would have either answered or seriously considered for Ofsted or other school documents.

The deadline for applications is Sunday 23 February 2020. Prizes will be awarded in Spring 2020.

For more information on the Award please visit the Accord Coalition website.

Please contact Accord’s National Coordinator, Paul Pettinger, at paul@accordcoalition.org.uk or on 020 7324 3071 with any queries.