New resource to support families through the school exclusion process launched
To help support families through the school exclusion process, Warwickshire County Council has been working in partnership with The University of Warwick, Bailey Wright and Co Solicitors and Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice to create a resource families can use to better understand the law and their rights. 
Working together with students volunteering with Warwick Law in the Community (LinC), an independent legal information resource in the form of a video has been created to help parents, guardians and carers to understand what school exclusions are, how to prevent them through early intervention and what to expect.
This new resource was officially launched at the University of Warwick on Monday 5 December. As part of the event, key stakeholders including schools, Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice, partners and elected members were able to see the video and ask questions to the panel members about how the resource can be used to better support families and schools.
We would encourage schools and settings to share this resource with families who may be experiencing issues and need some additional guidance and support.
You can watch the video below:
Public consultations launched to gain views on changes to SEND services
This week, Warwickshire County Council (WCC) has launched two public consultations in relation to the support provided for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Schools and settings received an email earlier this week with the information below as well as a letter for parents/carers. We would be grateful for your assistance in helping to share this information as widely as possible with parents and carers, children and young people and professionals supporting families, so that they can have their say on the proposals.
Services for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
As part of the SEND and Inclusion Change Programme, WCC aim to provide every child with access to high quality education so they can achieve their full potential.
Working together with our partners, we want to improve the outcomes for children and young people with SEND by promoting inclusion in mainstream settings, giving schools the skills and resources to meet the needs of learners and building the confidence of parents and carers.
To help us to achieve this, we are consulting with the public on proposed changes to our SEND and Inclusion service offer and home to school transport for children and young people with SEND.
There will be two consultations running at the same time, from 5 December 2022 to 26 February 2023. This will include both face to face events and online broadcasts to be held in January 2023, for anyone who would like to find out more. Details of these events will be shared once confirmed.
SEND & Inclusion Service Offer
The main proposal within the consultation is the SEND & Inclusion Service Offer. We will be asking for views on the proposed improvements to the core service offer, which are the things we have identified are right to do to help to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
The proposals focus on a range of early intervention activities. These include introducing an annual planning conversation with all schools regarding SEND, carrying out an audit of SEND in every school every three years, and providing an amount of Educational Psychologist time for children and young people who are having their needs met at SEN Support.
These activities are in addition to the statutory offer that WCC delivers and will be paid for by the Council. No current services are to be withdrawn.
Home to School Transport for children and young people with SEND
There are three elements to the transport consultation:
- a simplified application process for parents and carers
- a more consistent and transparent approach to determining transport options for children and young people who are eligible for home to school transport;
- updates to the Home to School and College Transport Policy to make this clearer and easier to understand.