This update includes:

• The OAG Is Now Live!
• Summer SENCo Briefing - Save The Date!
• DLD Friendly Status Well done to the LLaSS Team
• The Inclusion House - Bringing Birmingham's Inclusion Offer Together
• Medical Needs Policy Final Version - Please Download!
• SEND Occupational Therapy Newsletter: Latest Training and Support
• Speech and Language Therapy Updates
• SEND Reforms: Parent Carer Discussion and Coffee Morning
• Sensory Impairment Event For Parent Carers - Please Share With Your Families!
• SENDIASS: New Birmingham Website Now Live
• Navigating the Landscape: Training Courses

The OAG Is Now Live!

We are delighted to share that the Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG) is now live online! 

localofferbirmingham.co.uk/online-ordinarily-available-guidance   

The OAG sets out the support all mainstream schools and settings are expected to provide every day for children and young people, including those with SEND. 

Who is it for? 

The Ordinarily Available Guidance (OAG) is for everyone working with children and young people in Birmingham’s education settings, not only teachers, classroom support staff and SENCos, but all adults who help create an inclusive environment every day.   

The OAG can also help parent carers and children and young people to understand what inclusive practice looks like in Birmingham and what support can be provided in mainstream settings.  

It can be used to:  

• Support whole-school learning, development, and induction  
• Guide professional conversations in team meetings, reviews, and supervision  
• Strengthen partnership working with parent carers and external professionals  

We’d like your feedback 

As a living framework, the guidance will continue to evolve. We welcome feedback from schools, settings and families on what is working well and where further development may be helpful. 

We encourage SENCos to explore the site with staff, use it in practice, and share it across their setting and wider professional networks. 

Please send any feedback to: senconoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk  

Share your practice 

We are also keen to continue building the OAG Digital Library. If your setting has examples of inclusive practice, resources or approaches that align with the guidance, we would love to hear from you. 

These can be developed into showcases to support and inspire practice across the city. If you would like to get involved, please email: senconoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk 

Summer SENCo Briefings - Save The Date!

The Summer term SENCo briefings are planned for the second week after May half term. These 90-minute sessions will be hosted through MS Teams as usual and the two-item agenda will be circulated in the coming weeks. 

Dates for Network briefings:  

• Monday 8th June between 13:30 and 15:00  
• Tuesday 9th June between 13:30 and 15:00 
• Wednesday 10th June between 09:30 and 11:00 
• Thursday 11th June between 09:30 and 11:00  

The agenda items and city-wide content of each briefing will be the same. Please 'save the date’ which is best for you and look out for the sign-up links that will be circulated just before half term. 

DLD Friendly Status Successfuly - Well done to the LLaSS Team

The Language, Learning and Strategic Support Team (LLaSS) are pleased to share that following a re-audit we have maintained our Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) friendly status through NAPLIC. 

DLD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects a child’s ability to understand words, form sentences and communicate effectively. Children with DLD may have many ideas but struggle to express them clearly or understand what others say. 

LLaSS have a knowledge and understanding of DLD and proactively support the raising awareness of the condition with the schools we work with.  Through our pupil assessments we actively highlight children who show signs of DLD for further referral to Speech and Language. Through our work with staff in schools we support ensuring that clear, consistent and accurate messages about DLD are shared and understood.  

The assessors commented that “It was a pleasure to read the progress on your last audit and to see all the proactive and impressive collaborations that have been taking place in Birmingham LLaSS Team, not only with your colleagues in Speech and Language Therapy but also with parents, children and young people. Great collaboration on DLD Awareness Day 2025!” 

The Inclusion House - Bringing Birmingham's Inclusion Offer Together

We’re excited to share that work has now begun on developing The Inclusion House, a new digital platform for Birmingham’s Inclusion Charter Framework. 

Designed to bring the city’s inclusion core offer together “under one roof”, it will provide a single, clear and accessible place for schools and settings to find support, guidance and resources. 

The Inclusion House translates our shared principles of inclusion into practical, day-to-day guidance, helping professionals to: 

• understand what support is available  
• know how to access it  
• apply inclusive practice consistently in their settings  

Through a series of themed ‘windows’, the platform will enable quick access to: 

• support and services  
• inclusive practice guidance  
• practical tools and resources  
• examples of effective practice from Birmingham schools and settings  

As a shared local partnership platform, it reflects our joined-up approach to inclusion in Birmingham, supporting schools and settings to experience the system as one connected offer, rather than separate services. 

This is the start of an ongoing piece of development and we thank partners who have helped in the development so far. Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing updates and opportunities for schools and settings to get involved and help shape the platform. 

We are currently refining what sits within each of the ‘windows’ and would really value input from schools and settings. 

Please take a few minutes to complete the short survey below and share your views on what would be most useful: https://forms.office.com/e/z4a2i1K9Ga 

The Inclusion House supports our wider ambition of ensuring belonging, equity and positive outcomes for every child, in every setting, every day. 

Medical Needs Policy Final Version - Please Download

Following feedback from HTs and SEND leads last term, we are pleased to share the final version of the Medical Needs Policy Template; this has been developed in partnership with a range of schools and health colleagues. The policy is accompanied by guidance on the administration of medication and the provision of personal care support, ensuring schools have access to consistent and up‑to‑date information. This is accessible on the Local Offer - Medical Needs In settings and schools - Local Offer Birmingham.

This policy has been closely aligned to the statutory guidance to schools. Schools are reminded that the oversight of the medical needs policy within schools should be held by a member of the SLT with ultimate responsibility being held by the Head. 

Work is currently taking place in developing the content of the Medical Needs window within the Inclusion House digital platform; please share your ideas of what you would find useful in this area as we prepare this ready to launch at the Inclusion Conference in June. Send any ideas to SENCoNoticeboard@birmingham.gov.uk  

SEND Occupational Therapy Newsletter: Latest Training and Support

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.  

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

If you would like to attend our FREE webinars, please scan the QR code avaulable in our following 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: 

SEND OT Newsletter Early Years and Primary

SEND OT Newsletter Secondary

If you would like to subscribe to receive our newsletter via email, please join our mailing list by emailing us or contacting your OT. 

Speech and Language Therapy Updates

ProveIt! Balanced System® 

The SaLT team have been visiting SENCO consortia meetings to share how the ProveIt! Tool will be used to capture the evidence of impact and outcomes for SLCN and OT support at universal, targeted and specialist levels. Thank you for your support in completing ProveIt! forms.  

No Pens Day  

No Pens Day is a nationwide educational and fundraising event organised by Speech and Language UK. Your school can take part any day of the week commencing 18.05.26. Children are encouraged to engage in activities that promote speech, language, and communication skills, including talking, using signs, symbols, technology, and other communication methods. The event emphasises inclusion, helping children with communication needs to feel heard and supported. 

You can sign up at No Pens Day - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives 

Rooms for SaLT School Stammering Groups  

The SaLT team are looking for spaces within local communities to run groups for children who stammer during the school holidays. If your setting can offer any support with this, please contact bchnt.childrens.slt@nhs.net  

SEND Reforms: Parent Carer Discussion and Coffee Morning

The Birmingham Parent Carer Forum are inviting parent carers to a morning of refreshments and cake. This is a chance for your parent carers to speak to each other and professionals about the proposed SEND reforms as part of the current national consultation.  

This session is an opportunity for parent carers to: 

• hear more about the proposals  
• listen to parent carer perspectives and share their own views  
• build a shared understanding through discussion with other parent carers and professionals  

Please promote the information flyer in your own communications with your parents. 

Date: 29th April 2026 
Time: 9:30am – 1:00pm 
Location: 196–198 Edward Road, Birmingham, B12 9LX 

Refreshments will be provided. Children are welcome to attend with supervision. 

Sensory Impairment Event For Parent Carers - Please Share With Your Families!

The Birmingham Parent Carer Forum is hosting an information event for parent carers of children and young people who are deafblind or have hearing or vision impairments. 

This event offers an opportunity for parent carers to: 

• meet professionals and local services  
• access information to support children with SEND and their families  
• meet other parent carers and share experiences  

Interpreters will be available, and there will be activities on the day. 

Please promote the attached flyer in your own communications with your parents. 

Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026 
Time: 9:30am – 4:30pm 
Location: Deaf Cultural Centre (BID), Ladywood Road, Birmingham, B16 8SZ 

Booking information will be shared soon. 

SENDIASS: New Birmingham Website Now Live

The Birmingham SENDIASS website has now been updated and is live! 

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service) provides free, impartial information, advice and support for children and young people with SEND, and their parents and carers. 

The new website offers guidance on SEND processes, including EHCPs, as well as information on rights and available support, and easy access to advice and contact details. 

Visit the new website: www.birminghamsendiass.co.uk 

Please share this with families and colleagues who may benefit from accessing independent SEND information and support. 

Navigating the Landscape: Training Courses

Makaton Courses

Birmingham’s SEND Advisory and Inclusion Service are offering the following Makaton Courses during the Summer Term.   

• Makaton Level 1: Wednesday 19th June 2026 
• Makaton Level 2: Wednesday 22nd April 2026 
• Makaton Level 3: Thursday 14th May 2026 
• Makaton Level 4: Monday 18th May 2026 

All courses are bookable with more details on the Local Offer: 

Language, Learning and Strategic Support Team - Local Offer Birmingham 

If you have any queries, please contact Kerrie Green on  

kerrie.green@birmingham.gov.uk  

Ready, Steady, Reception: FREE SEND OT Training and Support

The SEND Therapy teams can support you to set up a ‘Ready, Steady, Reception Group’ in your early years setting/ mainstream school. One of our senior therapy assistants who are dual trained in Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy will come and support you with these groups.  

The first introduction session is online, the following 5 sessions are in your setting/ school working on communication, feeding, toileting, dressing and prewriting skills.  

You will be supported to use our skills checklist to identify appropriate children for this group.  

All of our training and support is FREE and does not require a referral into our service to support you. 

We are passionate about upskilling the workforce in Birmingham so please get in touch to enquire.  

bchc.sendtherapy@nhs.net 

Fun with Food: Free Training and Group Offer for Early Years

Join us for our FREE Fun with Food training part 1 and have a part 2 group set up within your setting. 

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. 

A pre-group training course is run by Occupational Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists to train your staff member in eating, drinking and food play.  

Once you have attended the training, the same staff member will be supported to run a Fun with Food group in their setting/school. The aim of the group is to support children to engage in food play through a multi-sensory approach. The group has received great feedback from educational staff.

Weeks	Topic
1	Introduction to 'Fun with Food' group and expectations/ commitments (virtual for 1 hour)
2-4	The SEND team support with carrying out a 'Fun with Food’ group in person, in the early year’s environment
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 last session

Please view the Fund With Food Poster for further information  

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

The group is open to 1 or 2 staff members per early years setting/school, preferably the staff member/s who will be running the sessions, the SENCO can attend as the second staff member.  

We look forward to supporting you with running your groups in your settings/ reception classes. 

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