SEND Update February 2025

Welcome to the February 2025 SEND Noticeboard which contains important information and updates including SENCo Briefings 3rd – 6th March 2025, Speech and Language Therapy Updates, SENAR Communication Pledge and The Elevate Programme: Update and much more!

This update includes:

SENCo Briefings Spring 2025 

The Spring term SENCo briefings are planned for the second week after Feb half term. These 90-minute sessions will be hosted through MS Teams and will have a two-item agenda as follows: 

  1. Using the Ordinarily Available Guidance in schools: practitioner experience from two SENCo’s - their insights, barriers and solutions. There will be a focus on what support SENCOs may need from the Local Area Partnership to support their implementation of the OAG. 
  2. Preparing for Transition: sharing good practice, raising opportunities for schools/settings and parents, and looking at the Transition document for Y6/7 phase transition as developed through the DLP. 

Dates for Network briefings: 

The agenda items and city-wide content of each briefing will be the same. Please choose the date and time which is best for you and follow the link to book onto one of these sessions.

Ordinarily Available Guidance – Updates and ‘On the way!’ 

Lots of work is happening around the OAG, both within schools and settings and across the wider partnership. The updates below show progress against key pieces of development as well as sharing next steps and new pieces of work on the horizon. 

EYS Version: 

We have been working with the Council for Disabled Children in developing the framework for the EYS version of the Ordinarily Available Guidance. Five Task and Finish groups have been meeting this half term to draft the content for this ready to take to the final Action Learning Set with the CDC on the 25th February. The EYS version so far is following a similar template to the school age OAG, which will be helpful for our EYS colleagues in Reception classes. 

Post 16 Version: 

We are meeting with the Post 16 Operational Group on Friday 14th February to start discussion around the OAG for the 16+ cohort. More information to follow but we will be looking for colleagues working in the post 16 sector (including 6th Forms in schools) to contribute to the development of this. 

Section One: Developing the Principles of inclusive practice 

Through the various OAG Action Research projects (school focused and parent working groups), work is progressing on developing further detail and resources around the 10 principles of inclusive practice. The focus this term has been on developing the Transition Framework that incorporates good practice from schools and settings that SENCos have been sharing with their SENCo Consortia leads; we hope to share some of these with a focus on Y6/7 phase transition at the SENCo Briefings after half term. Based on feedback from schools and settings we have also focused on the Staff Training principle and are looking at pulling together: 

  1. SENCo Induction programme – a free 12-month programme of support to complement the NPQ available to SENCos new to post/new to Birmingham 
  2. Workforce development plan – training for all SENCos and the wider workforce around a number of areas of SEND, based on feedback from schools and settings. 

Work with Health: 

Work is also progressing with the therapy teams around how their advice and support to schools/settings and to families builds on what is in the OAG. We have worked with SaLT in developing their training offer linked to the OAG, which is referenced later in the Noticeboard, as well as considering advice templates and reports. 

The link to Ordinarily Available Guidance can be found here

Launch of the Approaches Document: Capturing the Views of Children and Young People

Capturing the views of children and young people, both formally and informally, should be embedded throughout the school and integrated into its culture.  

Gathering these views is just the beginning – acting on them is essential to empower children and young people as agents of change within their setting. 

In response to a survey to establish which tools are currently used in schools, frequency of use as well as barriers, SENCO’s told us that some of the main barriers to capturing the views of CYP with an EHCP or on SEN support were: 

  • Non-verbal/pre-verbal children - how to gain their views 
  • Time – to do it/to gather more frequently 
  • Time to collect and then act on pupil voice 

From this feedback, an Approaches Document was co-created and piloted with SENCOs and parents to support gathering the views of children and young people and suggestions on how to embed views strategically in settings. 

Please find below the links to these documents: 

SENCOs have told us that using the Approaches Document: 

  • Has ensured pupil views are used to make change and are not just a narrative.
  • The variety of tools means that it can be used for different pupils, such as children and young people that are non-verbal or unable to write.
  • The different tools have ensured all pupils have a voice.

We hope that you will find it equally useful to use in your settings.  

We will be collecting feedback in the Autumn Term to understand how you have used the documents and how they have benefited at a pupil and whole school level. 

SENAR Communication Pledge

As many of you may already know, SENAR has been working closely with partner agencies, settings, and the Parent Carer Forum to co-produce a Communication Pledge. 

This pledge has been thoughtfully created to set clear expectations for respectful and positive interactions between SENAR and all stakeholders. We've also outlined response timelines to ensure everyone knows when to expect a reply to their correspondence. 

As part of this initiative, we've developed a helpful FAQ page and a dedicated compliments and comments page on the Local Offer. The FAQ page is designed to make it easier for young people and parent carers to find answers to common queries, often without needing to contact their Case Officer. To further support this, the FAQ page will be linked in SENAR’s automatic email acknowledgments. These acknowledgments will confirm receipt of emails and provide information on expected response times. The compliments and comments page is also directly linked to the Communication Pledge, providing an additional way to share feedback. 

Our aim with the Communication Pledge is to create a shared understanding that benefits everyone, helping to strengthen our partnerships and foster even better collaboration. We encourage you to share this with families and colleagues to spread the word. 

The Elevate Programme: SENAR Update 

The Elevate Programme is in full swing, and we have now filled up all Drop-In Session to go through specific queries. We have had nurseries, schools, Trusts, post 16 settings, vocational settings and alternative providers, amongst others, all wanting to ensure they are making the most of the grace period to get used to the new EHCP request and review documentation.   

Many thanks also to colleagues who have taken the time to feedback about their experience of using the new documents. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so thank you for embracing change as we work together to improve the quality of our children and young peoples’ EHCPs.  

If you have not yet had the chance to see or use the Elevate documents, they can be found using this link on the Local Offer.  All partners have until 11th April 2025 to try them and start to embed them as their normal practice, as well as send me any final notes of feedback.  From the start of the summer term, all previously used documents will be removed from the Local Offer webpage, and only the Elevate documents will be available and accepted. 

Thank you again for embracing the change to improve the quality of our children and young peoples’ EHCPs. 

‘Every Child Deserves a Good Start’ Transition Form

At this year's Birmingham Primary and Secondary Headteacher Forums, headteachers agreed to adopt the new ‘Every Child Deserves a Good Start’ Transition Form.

We are pleased to announce the implementation of this Transition Form across all Primary and Secondary schools in Birmingham with immediate effect.

This form is designed to ensure a smooth and effective transition for every Year 6 pupil by sharing essential information related to safeguarding, attainment, SEND, and additional support services. By using this form, we aim to promote seamless communication between schools, parents, and carers, ultimately supporting each child's learning and development as they move to their new educational setting.

The Guidance and the Transition Form are available at the following links. Please note that the guidance has been minimally amended based on feedback received since sending the documentation to Headteachers on Friday, 31 January. If you have downloaded the previous version, please ensure it is now replaced.

This guidance has been reviewed and approved by the council's Data Protection Team and is accurate for current use. There is no requirement to gain consent to share when using this Transition Form.

We appreciate your cooperation and commitment to making this transition process as supportive and comprehensive as possible.

Should you have any queries or require further clarification on any points, please contact Lisa Smith, School Improvement – Strategic Development at lisa.smith@birmingham.gov.uk

Calling all PVI SENCo's - Have You Seen the EYFS Assessment Tool?

The DfE in collaboration with Dingley’s Promise has published a SEND Assessment Tool for Early Years children. The tool follows the SEND Code of Practice and aligns with the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Help for early years providers : SEND assessment guidance and resources 

The Area SENCo Team have developed a user friendly Excel spreadsheet for using this assessment tool.  

The spreadsheet enables the sector to input a child’s current attainment which at later reviews, tracks progress. The Excel spreadsheet automatically provides charts and graphs to visually show attainment and progress for EY children with SEND. 

After accessing a workshop delivered by the Area SENCO team, PVI settings are piloting using the spreadsheet for children that attend their setting  

Further workshops will be offered to the PVI sector later in the Spring term 2025. 

Collating Your WellComm Screening Results

The Early Years Speech, Language, and Communication – WellComm project provides funded WellComm toolkits to schools with early years provision. Early Years settings need to attend an introduction to WellComm Workshop. During the workshop, you will be provided with instructions on how to receive your Toolkit.

Share your WellComm screening results with us each term using our online form. We track children's progress with the data you provide. The Spring Term WellComm Data Collection form will be available after the half-term break. Look for the link in the Early Years service emails, schools notice board, and Birmingham Early Years Network website.

We understand collecting results for many early years children can be time-consuming. A WellComm tracker spreadsheet is available to help you record and track children's outcomes over an academic year. Please visit the Birmimgham Early Years Network Website for further information and supporting documents: Birmingham Early Years Networks | WellComm

Speech and Language Therapy Updates 

Successful Recruitment  

The BCHC SaLT service have recruited to their vacancy and are working towards all schools having an allocated Link SaLT. If your school does not have a Link SaLT, the School Age Coordinator (SACO) for your locality will be in touch via e-mail this term. If you have any questions, please e-mail the locality SACO or bchnt.childrens.slt@nhs.net  

Training Menu for Speech, Language and Communication  

NHS SaLT, CAT, PSS and Independent SaLT colleges have put together a training menu to develop provision for speech, language and communication. It shows the training available across the 5 strands of the Balanced System®.  Please see attachment for more information 

The Stammer Awareness Toolkit 

The Stammer Awareness Toolkit is a free interactive e-learning resource to support schools in creating a supportive and inclusive environment for students who stammer. Sign up here: ASC Stammer Awareness Toolkit - Action for Stammering Children 

SaLT Support for SENCO Consortia Networks  

The SaLT School Age Coordinators (SACOs) have been attending some of the SENCO Consortia meetings and have enjoyed building relationships with SENCOs through doing this. Please let the SENCO leading your consortia meeting know if you would like the SACO for your consortia to attend.

SEND Occupational Therapy Newsletter: Keep Up To Date with Our FREE Training Offer

Welcome to our SEND Occupational Therapy Newsletter!

Our SEND Occupational Therapists and Senior Therapy Assistants deliver FREE universal and targeted support to private, independent, voluntary (PVI) settings, local authority (LA) nursery schools and mainstream schools in Birmingham.  

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We have a variety of training available; we cover topics around feeding, sensory, activities of daily living and motor skills. We provide family webinars, face to face and online training for mainstream settings.  

If you would like to attend our FREE webinars, please scan the QR code (you can also find this in our newsletters). 

If you would like to book any SENCo advice meetings or sign up to any of our face-to-face training (FunMoves, Sensory Circuits, Fun with Food, Ready Steady Reception, OT Champs) please email us at bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net  

Please view our SEND OT Newsletters below and promote the parent one with your families: 

Calling All EYFS: Come and Join our FREE Training Around Fun with Food 

Join us for our FREE Fun with Food Training. 

Fun with Food is a NEW group that has been running in early years nursery settings in Birmingham. This group has now been extended to reception children in mainstream schools. The group has an Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy focus supporting children with food play. 

An early year’s staff member will be supported to run a Fun with Food group in their setting/school, to support children to engage in food play through a multi-sensory approach. 

The next online introduction session is:  

7th April 2025 1.30 - 2.30pm OR 9th April 2025 10.00 – 11.00am via Microsoft Teams. The 4 sessions following the introduction session are face to face in your setting/school.  

  • Week 1 - Introduction to 'Fun with Food' group and expectations/ commitments (virtual for 1 hour) 
  • Weeks 2 - 4 - The SEND team support with carrying out a 'Fun with Food’ group in person, in the early year’s environment 
  • Week 5 - The SEND team support with carrying out a 'Fun with Food’ group in person, in the early year’s environment, Parents are encouraged to attend this session 

Please view our poster for further information.  

Email us on bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net to show your interest and join our waiting list. 

FunMoves FREE Training: Exciting New Pilot Project to Support CYP with Movement Difficulties

Brand New to Birmingham Mainstream Schools: FunMoves Training

Bradford have developed a screening and intervention tool ‘FunMoves’ to empower schools to identify fundamental movement skill difficulties. 

We are the first city to sign up to deliver FunMoves to mainstream primary schools. 

This is an exciting opportunity to be the first schools in Birmingham to sign up to this ongoing research project. 2-5 children in every classroom potentially have developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Children can appear uncoordinated with movements or clumsy and show as below age expected levels for motor skills. 

FunMoves can be completed as a whole class in a PE lesson, the training is FREE for mainstream primary schools in Birmingham. 

For further information please view our poster. Please email us to sign up to our FunMoves training or for further information bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net 

Birmingham Autism & ADHD Newsletter 

Welcome to the 36th edition of the Birmingham Autism & ADHD Newsletter; this includes feedback from the PURE Project, Cuppa & Chat sessions for parents and carers of CYP with Autism and exciting opportunities for Post 16 CYP.  

Please see attached for further information.

Chai Mithai: Challenging the Myths About Disability

Please find below a link to a film which is the result of a project – Chai Mithai - led by Changing Our Lives in partnership South Asian communities, a team of disabled people and families.

The short film aims to dispel the myths about people with disabilities; in the words of Monique Mehra, a Changing Our Lives Associate:

“Before I visited the Golden Temple, people told me to swim in the waters and my disability would be cured. My disability can’t be cured. It’s part of me.”

The film can be found on YouTube – please share widely across your networks.

Training Events Coming Up

Communication and Autism Team (CAT)

Autism Education Trust training for Schools

The following courses for schools are available to book today via the Local Offer to increase skills and knowledge in supporting autistic children and young people in your settings: 

Autism Education Trust training for Early Years’ practitioners

The following courses are available to book today to support Early Years’ leaders and practitioners. Simply follow the link to book a place! 

Look out for more courses in the summer term.

Good Autism Practice for secondary schools

This AET Good Autism Practice course is delivered with a specific Secondary age focus to enable Secondary settings to further improve their practice in supporting autistic young people.

Ask your CAT professional for more information or follow the booking link below.

Book today via: AET Schools Secondary Good Autism Practice Thursday 1st May 2025 - Local Offer Birmingham

In response to parent carer feedback, this term, the (CAT) Parent Carer Offer includes:

Drop-in workshop sessions for parent carers face to face in settings across localities

Our sessions are designed to share knowledge, skills and strategies, to enable parent carers to further support their autistic child.

Spring 2 - Locality Workshops / Parent Carer Drop in sessions

Tuesday 25th March 2025 9.30-11.30am North venue tbc

Wednesday 26th March 2025 9.30-11.30am East Stechford Primary School

Thursday 27th March 2025 9.30-11.30am South St Joseph’s Primary School B7 5HA

No need for booking. Parent carers can just turn up on the day!

  • Please see here for more information for North
  • Please see here for more information for East
  • Please see here for more information for South

Online Advice sessions for Parent Carers to access individualised advice and support around their child.

These one-to-one sessions are designed to enable parent carers to ask question and talk about their child, to further support their autistic child.

Spring 2: PINs Project Schools - CAT Parent Carer Advice Sessions online - March 6th, 2025 - 9am-12pm

Please see here for more information.

CAT Parent Carer Advice Sessions online

  • 31st March 2025 9am-12pm
  • 1st April 2025 9am-12pm
  • 2nd April 2025 9am-12pm

Settings to share and signpost Flyers to parent carers when they receive the information into school via their CAT.

Please see here for more information.

For further information, speak to your CAT representative.

Please note, these places are now full.

Due to high demand look out for more Workshops and Advice Sessions later in Spring and Summer Term.

Pupil and School Support (PSS)

Person-Centred Review (PCR) Facilitator Training

‘Person-Centred Thinking Tools and Person-Centred Reviews (PCRs) help to involve young people and their parents in the decision-making process and increase engagement at all stages of the graduated approach. The assessment and planning process should enable children and young people and their parents to express their views, wishes and feelings… and be part of the decision making process. This approach is often referred to as a person-centred approach…’ (SEN COP 2015)

Pupil and School Support will be running a 2-day course which provides the training that enables professionals to facilitate this type of review in their school or setting.

Our next course is on Wednesday 11th June and Thursday 12th June 2025 at a cost of £435.00 per person, with a reduction in cost to £330 per person if two or more participants attend from the same setting.

Please see here for more information.

To book a place please see here.

Sensory Support and Physical Difficulties (SSPD)

Including Pupils with Physical Difficulties in Early Years - 27th February 2025

This course enables settings to anticipate and prepare for the inclusion of pupils with physical difficulties. It will look at the Early Years Curriculum, the environment and equipment to support access for children with physical needs. 

Please follow the link for further information and to book a place.

Including Pupils with Physical Difficulties in Primary - 3rd March 2025

This course considers access to all aspects of the school day including curriculum, environment and equipment. The course will consider general inclusive practise, intervention strategies and adaptations. 

Please follow the link for further information and to book a place.

Including Pupils with Physical Difficulties in PE & outside play - 10th March 2025

The training will explain the basic principles of how primary pupils with physical difficulties can be included in P.E. activities and outside play. The team will also explain how to plan the inclusion of pupils in swimming lessons. 

Please follow the link for further information and to book a place.

This entry was posted by Achla Kaura on 06/02/2025.