July 2019 Newsletter
Welcome to the July 2019 edition of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Behaviour, Attendance, Exclusions and Alternative Provision Newsletter. In this Newsletter, we are focusing on:
Restraint guidance and consultation
Bercow: Ten Years On – 1st Anniversary Update
Further Education and Training Centres for Excellence in SEND
Teaching online safety in schools guidance
Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Guidance
Assistive technology and EdTech
NHS Long Term Plan Implementation Framework
Development opportunities and resources
SEND Casework Award – training and accreditation for local authority SEND staff
SENCO Induction Pack
SENCO Forum
Launch of Young Epilepsy Guide
Restraint guidance and consultation
On 27 June, the Department for Education (DfE) jointly published non-statutory guidance with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on reducing restraint and restrictive intervention in health and social care services and special education settings. The guidance aims to help settings adopt a preventative approach to supporting children and young people whose behaviour challenges as a result of learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions or mental health difficulties.
It sets out relevant law and guidance and provides a framework of core values and key principles to support a proactive approach to supporting children and young people who have behaviour challenges; and a reduction in the need to use restraint and restrictive intervention.
At the same time, the DfE published a consultation to gather views on whether there is a need for guidance on reducing restraint and restrictive interventions for mainstream schools, mainstream post-16 settings and Alternative Provision; and whether guidance should apply to a wider cohort of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The consultation closes on 17 October 2019.
Bercow: Ten Years On – 1st Anniversary Update
On 6 March, I CAN and The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists published their first anniversary update report Bercow: Ten Years On – 1st Anniversary Update outlining the progress that had been made to improve speech, language and communication provision since publication of their Bercow: Ten Years On report.
On 20 June, the government issued a letter responding to the anniversary report. The letter was co-signed by Ministers from the DfE, DHSC and the Ministry of Justice. The letter reaffirms the government’s commitment to supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs, and sets out the key action the government is taking to address this.
A copy of the government’s response is attached to the covering email to this Newsletter.
Further Education and Training Centres for Excellence in SEND
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has announced three Centres for Excellence in SEND in Further Education (FE) and Training in England as part of a DfE funded national programme.
The Centres will each concentrate on one of three key practical themes for the programme:
- City College Norwich will focus on community – ensuring learners with SEND are participating in their local communities, including creating pathways to employment.
- Derby College will focus on curriculum – ensuring the curriculum always has a clear purpose so that learners with SEND have potential to achieve their aspirations.
- Weston College will focus on people – ensuring organisations create inclusive cultures, motivating staff to engage in continued professional development with an emphasis on supporting learners with mental, social and emotional needs.
The three distinct Centres will provide expert support for leaders, managers and practitioners in FE and Training who wish to put learners with SEND at the centre of their organisation, resulting in learners achieving the outcomes they aspire to.
Each Centre will host a SEND Strategic Leadership Hub to provide leadership support to at least 15 leaders from a diverse range of providers across England’s Further Education and Training sector. This will support 120 managers and/or practitioners within the communities of practice.
Teaching online safety in schools guidance
From September 2020, Relationships Education will be compulsory for all primary aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education will be compulsory for all secondary aged pupils and Health Education will be compulsory in all state-funded schools in England.
Through these new subjects, pupils will be taught about online safety and harms. This will include being taught what positive, healthy and respectful online relationships look like, the effects of their online actions on others and knowing how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online.
On 26 June, the DfE published new guidance to help schools teach their pupils how to stay safe online. This guidance will complement these new subjects, as well as other subjects like citizenship and computing. It will help schools teach children about the skills and knowledge needed to make the best use of the internet and technology in a safe, considered and respectful way. The guidance includes signposting to resources to further support schools. This includes resources that can help schools consider how best to support their most vulnerable pupils.
Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Guidance
The final version of the statutory guidance for schools on Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education has been published and can be accessed here.
The new curriculum will be mandatory from September 2020. Schools are encouraged to adopt the new curriculum early from September 2019.
Assistive technology and EdTech
The Government published a new EdTech strategy in April. The strategy aims to support and enable the education sector in England to help develop and embed technology in a way that cuts workload, fosters efficiencies, removes barriers to education and ultimately drives improvements in education outcomes.
The Strategy recognises that the education sector faces several barriers to effective adoption and sets out the government's commitment and plans to working with education and the technology sector to help overcome them.
To advise the government and drive progress in overcoming the specific barriers to successful adoption of assistive technology (AT) in education, the DfE have formed an advisory group made up of practising AT teachers and advisors as well as representatives from sector bodies.
The DfE are currently collecting evidence and research on the AT landscape: the challenges to effective use, the size of the opportunity, current usage, current support models and resources, what presents value for money etc. This will help inform DfE activity in this space.
The DfE would like to engage as widely as possible to direct and shape this work. If you would like to be involved, find out further information or if you have anything to forward on that you think might be useful, please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
NHS Long Term Plan Implementation Framework
NHS England and Improvement (NHSEI) have published the Implementation Framework and System Support Offer setting out further details of how the Long Term Plan will be delivered. NHSEI have established a national Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme to support the delivery of service improvements set out in the Long Term Plan.
As well as detailing the commitments in the plan to improve outcomes for children and young people across a range of different areas including Learning Disability, Autism, Mental Health, Youth and Justice and Child Health, the framework provides clarity to local areas about developing their five-year strategic plans. It tasks local areas to demonstrate how proposals for children and young people with learning disabilities, autism or both align with their plans for mental health, SEND, children and young people’s services and health and justice.
Further information can be found here: The Implementation Framework.
Cross-Government initiative to tackle injustices faced by disabled people in the workplace, at home and in the community
The Prime Minister has launched a new initiative to tackle barriers faced by disabled people in the workplace, at home and in the community. Higher accessibility standards for new housing, an overhaul of statutory sick pay, and greater workplace support are part of renewed efforts to ensure disabled people can fully participate in society. Further measures will be set out later this year.
Other elements in the new package of measures include:
- The publication of new national outcomes data for disabled people, shining a light on injustices and driving action to tackle barriers they face. The Office for National Statistics has a blog containing some details: Ending a ‘burning injustice’: How the ONS will inform the drive against disability discrimination.
- The setting up of a new cross-government disability team. Incorporating the Office for Disability Issues, the new team will sit alongside the Government Equalities Office and Race Disparity Unit in a new Equalities Hub at the heart of government. This team will work closely with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations and charities to develop a new approach to disability, with their views and experiences at the forefront of any new policy.
Further information can be found here: PM launches new drive to tackle barriers faced by disabled people.
Development opportunities and resources
SEND Casework Award – training and accreditation for local authority SEND staff
The SEND Casework Award by nasen (National Association for Special Educational Needs) is the only on-the-job training accreditation written specifically for those directly involved in local authority SEND casework. It launched in 2018, and since then, has helped to train nearly 100 candidates nationally.
Course content includes:
- Technical and legal aspects of SEND assessment;
- Review and coordination process, with particular reference to the Code of Practice (2015);
- Interpersonal, communication and self-management skills required by staff for effective and excellent professional practice.
The award is particularly beneficial for those coordinating or supporting co-production and professionals working with children, young people, parents and/or carers through the education, health and care needs assessment process. Several local authorities are also using the award as part of their induction programme for new staff, reflecting the importance of the Award when training and developing team members.
Further information can be found here: Training and accreditation for staff working on the frontline of SEND.
SEND Continuing Professional Development training events available for SEND Community of Practice members
The Whole School SEND consortium is providing free Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events for Community of Practice members across England, through the DfE SEND Schools’ workforce contract.
Two funded CPD events will be hosted in each Regional Schools Commissioner region in England, with content specifically geared towards each region’s particular areas of interest and need. Topics covered will include effective leadership of SEND, effective approaches to supporting learners with SEND, and many more.
By joining our Community of Practice, you can be the first to hear about our range of funded CPD events and training, and other useful resources.
Further information can be found here: Join our Community of Practice.
SENCO Induction Pack
Funded by the DfE, Whole School SEND has developed the SENCO Induction Pack to support new SENCOs and leaders supporting SENCOs in their new role.
Over the past year, the Leading Learning for Special Educational Needs and Disability CIC have developed and trialled this Induction Pack for SENCOs, with input from experienced and new SENCOs themselves.
You can download this useful resource for free by visiting the SEND gateway online, and visiting the SENCOs area.
SENCO Forum
Also, to be found on the SEND Gateway, the SENCO Forum is an independent community of SENCOs from schools across the United Kingdom.
The Forum provides a space for SENCOs to ask and answer questions, debate and discuss topics, and share knowledge from the field of SEND.
To find out more about the Forum, including how to join, visit the SENCOs area of the SEND gateway.
Autism education training programme open to new applications
The Autism Education Trust (AET) has been offering high quality training and resources to education professionals for more than ten years. AET has introduced a new delivery model to engage with delivery partners in every local authority in the country.
The AET is now open to new applications from local authority outreach services or others interested in becoming an AET delivery partner. Successful applicants can take advantage of a range of benefits. Interest has been high and the AET has recently welcomed 21 new partners. Opportunities to participate are still available in some local authority areas and the AET welcomes new applications.
Further information can be found here or please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Ambitious About Autism Toolkit
Ambitious about Autism have recently launched their Include Autism toolkit. The toolkit has been co-produced with their Youth Council and is designed to help more autistic young people access youth groups and extracurricular activities.
The free toolkit includes lots of helpful advice to increase understanding of autism, as well as tips on small adjustments that can make youth groups much more welcoming places for autistic young people. It has been funded by Comic Relief and is available to download here: Include Autism Toolkit.
Launch of Young Epilepsy Guide
Young Epilepsy, the national charity for children and young people living with epilepsy, is proud to launch its new online guide for schools: Guide for Schools.
Epilepsy is one of the most common long-term conditions in childhood and it can have a significant impact on learning and behaviour, even if seizures are controlled. The charity’s recent work showed that many school staff did not know some of the basics to keep a child safe during a seizure. At the same time, misunderstanding was also leading to exclusions from normal school activities such as physical education. This exclusion can add to feelings of isolation and anxiety for young people with the condition.
The guide provides information on supporting young people with epilepsy to ensure they are safe and included at school. This includes seizure first aid and suggested support strategies in learning and behaviour. State schools in England have a specific legal duty to support pupils with medical conditions and this support forms a crucial part of the school’s safeguarding and equality duties.
Anaphylaxis: Adrenaline Auto-Injector devices
Since autumn 2017, schools in England have been allowed to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription for emergency use on children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but whose own device is not available or not working. Government guidance to help schools can be found at Guidance on the use of adrenaline auto-injectors in schools.
Quick action can help save a life. Please do help raise awareness of these arrangements.
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