SEND News and Reforms
- Written by: Brian Lamb
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
Improving the lives of autistic people is the focus of a new multi-million pound strategy launched by the government today.
Backed by nearly £75 million in the first year, it aims to speed up diagnosis and improve support and care for autistic people. The funding includes £40 million through the NHS Long Term Plan to improve capacity in crisis services and support children with complex needs in inpatient care. It also includes £600,000 to fund training for staff in early years settings, schools and colleges, to improve the experience of autistic children in the education system and prepare them for adulthood.
The five year strategy was developed following engagement with autistic people, their family and carers. It will support autistic children and adults through better access to education, more help to get into work, preventing avoidable admissions to healthcare settings, and training for prison staff to better support prisoners with complex needs.
This strategy will align with wider government work through the National Disability Strategy and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) review. The government will ensure issues relevant to autistic people are considered as part of these programmes of work.
This strategy’s accompanying implementation plan will lay the foundations in the first year, for what the government aims to achieve over the course of the next five years. It will be refreshed in subsequent years, in line with future Spending Reviews.
More information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-strategy-for-autistic-children-young-people-and-adults-2021-to-2026
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
DfE Special Educational Needs and Disability Division has today confirmed,' we will be continuing the extended powers given to the SEND Tribunal to hear appeals and make non-binding recommendations about health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, provided those appeals also include education elements.
These extended powers are currently being tested under a National Trial, which began in April 2018. The Trial will end on 31 August 2021 and the powers will continue.
Our ambition is for every child, no matter what challenges they face, to have access to a world-class education that sets them up for life. It will enable the Tribunal to continue to take a more holistic view of the needs of the child across education, health and care while the cross-government SEND Review completes its important work.'
Full details of this announcement have been published on the Department for Education section on the GOV.UK website here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extended-powers-send-tribunal-national-trial
**SEND Newsflash** Secretary of State sets out plans to end Covid restrictions in education settings
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The lifting of Covid restrictions in education settings will take place in line with the general removal of restrictions for England at Step 4. Subject to a final review of the data next week, these legal restrictions will end on Monday 19 July.
"We are changing the controls that apply in early years, schools, colleges and higher education institutions to maintain a baseline of protective measures while maximising attendance and minimising disruption to children and young people’s education. When we move to Step 4 of the roadmap, we will be removing the need to keep children and young people in consistent groups (‘bubbles’) in schools, colleges and out-of-school settings and the need to reduce mixing in early years settings.
To support this we have published new guidance for arrangements in education settings from Step 4, covering both the summer period and the following term, when children will return to school.
Guidance for out-of-school settings, children’s social care, apprenticeships and parents will be updated over the next 2 days.
From 16 August, the legal requirement to self-isolate for contacts of a positive case will end for everyone aged under 18, and for adults who have been fully vaccinated. This means that from the autumn term, only those who test positive will need to self-isolate.
From Step 4, NHS test and trace will carry out contact tracing in all education settings rather than it being run by the school or college. Those identified as close contacts will be advised to take a PCR test, and only need to isolate if they test positive. Everyone must self-isolate if they have symptoms of Covid or a positive test result. "
More details on the announcement can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-restrictions-in-education-settings-to-end-at-step-4
- Written by: Brian Lamb
- The percentage of pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan has increased to 3.7%, continuing a trend of increases since 2017.
- The percentage of pupils with SEN but no EHC plan (SEN support) has increased slightly, from 12.1% to 12.2%, continuing an increasing trend.
With reference to Sensory Impairment:
- Number of pupils with HI at SEN is down slightly with EHCP's up slightly.
- Number of pupils with VI at SEN support and with EHCPs both up slightly.
- MSI up slightly on both categories.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
There are three things that DFE SEND division would like to draw your attention to this afternoon:
Summer schools: updated funding allocations and guidance
As part of the wider recovery package to support children and young people with their mental health and wellbeing and to support recovery from the impact of missed face-to-face learning, £200m of funding is available for secondary schools to deliver summer schools this year. Over 80% of eligible mainstream schools have now signed up to the programme. To maximise the funding available for special schools and alternative provision settings, we have now calculated their funding allocations on the basis of 50% of their year 11 cohort being offered a two-week summer school, in recognition that these settings generally have few year 7 pupils. For any special schools or alternative provision settings whose year 7 cohort is larger than their year 11 cohort, those schools’ initial funding allocations will stand. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-summer-schools-programme-funding
Today, we published a form at https://form.education.gov.uk/service/summer-schools-programme, asking schools to confirm their arrangements for their summer school by 30 June. Schools that did not complete the initial sign-up form can still join the programme by completing the June confirmation form.
Subject to overall take-up, schools may be able to claim funding to cover additional places and can request this in the June confirmation form. Those schools will be notified quickly of any additional funding, but should plan to deliver their summer school within their published maximum allocation in the meantime.
The guidance on summer schools https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/summer-schools-programme reflects the change to SEND/alternative provision funding. It also confirms the conditions of funding, has an expanded section on academic, enrichment and mental health resources and provides a link to the DfE summer schools webinar which includes input from headteachers and other experts.
If you have any questions, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Transition to employment toolkit launched by Ambitious about Autism and the Autism Education Trust
Ambitious about Autism and The Autism Education Trust have today launched a new employment toolkit to support autistic young people into the job market. https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/what-we-do/employment/toolkits Transition to employment toolkit is free to download and aims to prevent autistic young people falling out of education, employment or training when they leave school. The toolkit is not just for young autistic people to use, but also for careers professionals and employers, to help them better understand the needs and skills of young autistic people and support them into further education or work. Sections of the toolkit can be easily downloaded and edited and are designed to be used flexibly.
Launch of new NSPCC/DfE helpline for children and young people subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour in an education setting
A new UK wide dedicated helpline has been set up by the NSPCC and the Department for Education to support those who may have been subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour or abuse whilst in an education setting. The helpline is equipped to cover personal incidents or concerns for others, and for both recent and historical events.
DfE has set-up two social media resource packs on Dropbox containing assets to promote the helpline, one to target children and young people https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o8h7isy949vpncj/AABdyGYHsKgnEQq7oGCaLOnUa?dl=0, and another for adults https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y5rayfg7r51lyq0/AADTMDZEa6LSLmL4BaMMXJ9sa?dl=0 . We ask that education settings, along with wider sector organisations, use these resources on their own channels, and also cascade to their community networks. All amplification would be extremely valued, and ultimately help reach someone who vitally needs this support.
- Written by: Brian Lamb
OFSTED have produced a new report on SEND based on case studies from a number of schools which can be accessed at;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-send
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