SEND News
- 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
- 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: 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
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
Latest data on EHCPlans published by the DfE on 13 May 2021:
https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The DfE has updated guidance documents, which are used for all projects procured by the Department for both new build and refurbishment projects. They can also be used by Local Authorities for their own projects.
Please see below a link to the Department's Output Specification documents:
The Generic Design Brief is the main document and the annexes provide more detailed technical requirements. The Key Principles and Educational Drivers are found in sections 1.6 and 1.7. There are also references to acoustic requirements and to BB93, for sensory rooms etc.
2.7.6.5. The Contractor shall provide information as described in BB93 to demonstrate compliance with the acoustic standards specified in BB93 in accordance with Section 2 of BB93. This shall include plans, construction details, material specifications, and calculations, as appropriate for each area of the School. These shall be included in the acoustics section of the Environmental Strategy Report, as required under the Employer’s Requirements Deliverables, and on acoustics drawings and calculations for Building Control approval. 2.7.6.6. The Contractor shall carry out pre-completion and post-completion testing in accordance with the Good Practice Guide for the acoustic testing of schools published by the Association of Noise Consultants, as required under the Employer’s Requirements Deliverables. 2.7.6.7. Where required for Special Schools, Designated Units or SRP, acousticians and audiologists specialising in hearing impairment and teachers of the deaf shall be consulted to identify the needs of the pupils. The Contractor shall agree these needs with the Employer. Specialist provision such as radio aids shall be provided where specified in the SSB.
A link to BB93 (acoustic design of schools - performance standards) is here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bb93-acoustic-design-of-schools-performance-standards
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The DfE has provided additional funding to National Star College to provide training in assistive technologies to teachers and leaders. This training will help to secure remote education arrangements for pupils with special educational needs. Advice and guidance is also available to support the development of an inclusive curriculum. Between now and March 31st, National Star will:
- Boost the support available through the Demonstrator Network, through training specifically targeted on SEND practice using accessible technology in order to ensure skills and knowledge sustainability within the Demonstrator network.
- Teacher and SENCo training through online learning covering teaching techniques, accessibility considerations and assessment methodologies.
- Leadership training focused on including curriculum design
· Pupil assessments, partnering with demonstrators and special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCos) guide them through an initial assessment of pupil need before any interventions take place.
- Written by: Lindsey Rousseau
The annual SEND Tribunal report was published by HMCTS last week, and the link to the publication on the gov.uk website is:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2020
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