SEND

Every teacher is a teacher of SEND and every leader is a leader of SEND. All practitioners and professionals are responsible for supporting these children.

The percentage of pupils with SEN is increasing, and has been increasing since 2015. The number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has been increasing since 2015.

The most common types of primary need have remained the same – for SEN support it is moderate learning difficulties (around 25%), for EHCPs it is autism (around 33%).

Information about supporting specific needs is included as part of the SEND Local Offer.

We have a range of information and support tools that you can find on this page – click on the headings to show or hide the information.

• Access Devon’s EHC Hub here
• Guidance for settings submitting an EHCP request
• Engagement Toolkit
• Listen, Hear, Understand – Devon’s Champions for Change film and resources

• Policies and strategies

  Devon SEND Strategy 2021-2024

  Devon’s SEND strategy for 2021-2024 has been produced in collaboration with families and sets out how we will help improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND and their families.

  Devon Accessibility Strategy 2017-20

  The Devon Accessibility Strategy 2017-20 applies to Local Authority maintained schools, nurseries, children’s centres and early years settings.

  The Accessibility Strategy sets out the Local Authority plan to increase access to education for pupils with disabilities in all schools. Schools should take account of the strategy when drawing up their own school accessibility plans.

  The strategy is also relevant to academies and free schools as well as settings not maintained by the Local Authority. All schools have a statutory duty to draw up and publish a school accessibility plan.

  Other policies and strategies

  • SEND Implementation Plan – coming soon.
  • Guidance for writing an SEN Information Report – coming soon
  • The emotional health and wellbeing pathway
  • Devon SEND HNB Policy 2020-21
  • Model SEN Policy for schools (2014)
  • Devon Educational Psychologist (EP) Policy (2017)
  • A Devon Approach to Understanding Children and Young People with Mathematical Difficulties (2017)
  • Protocol for supporting children and young people in care at school – May 2018
  • Reduced timetable guidance
  • Devon Education Transport policy 2018-19
  • Devon Education Transport Policy 2018-19 – post-16
  • Supporting Pupils with Medical Needs Policy
  • DfE Guidance on Supporting pupils with medical conditions

• SEN support: early help and the graduated response

  • Expectations of Inclusive Provision (Feb 2020)
  • Devon Graduated Response – Key Facts (September 2018)
  • Key Facts – Levels of SEN Provision
  • Roles and Responsibilities

  The graduated approach is a way of meeting need through effective implementation of support before moving a child or young person onto higher levels of support by following the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycles.

  The Devon Graduated Response to SEN support is an electronic tool to support teachers and SENCO’s to identify, assess and record the needs of children and young people requiring special educational provision. It supports the planning and recording of appropriate provision and provides guidance for reviewing progress.

  It has been designed to help educational settings meet their duties as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years.

  There are graduated response tools available for EYFS – Key stage 4, and a universal provision checklist. The checklist has been designed to be used as an audit tool for school practice, so that staff can check that they are providing appropriate and purposeful support for pupils at universal level for their area of need.

  

  • Devon’s Graduated Response to EYFS
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Identification of Need KS1
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Plan and Review KS1
  • Universal Provision Checklist – Key Stage 2
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Identification of Need KS2
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Plan and Review KS2
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Identification of Need KS3 & 4
  • Devon’s Graduated Response Plan and Review KS3 & 4

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  The Devon Early Help offer

  When a child/young person/family needs something extra, early help is the initial response offered by all services in contact with children, young people and families. Early help is not a designated team – it is the way that everyone works together to support the needs of families.

  • One-minute guides
  • Leaflets
  • Early help consent form
  • Right for children – Devon’s early help IT system
  • Guidance
  • Request for additional services
  • Devon’s Outcomes Framework
  • Sharing of information
  • Contact and support information

  Find out more about early help information for professionals on the DCFP website.

• Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessments and Plans

  The majority of children and young people with SEN or disabilities will have their needs met within local mainstream early years settings, schools or colleges (as set out in the information on identification and support in Chapters 5, 6 and 7).

  Some children and young people may require an EHC needs assessment in order for the Local Authority to decide whether it is necessary for it to make provision in accordance with an EHCP. (SEND Code of Practice 2015:9.1)

  Requesting an EHC Needs Assessment

  The EHC Hub is now available for new requests. Read our guidance for settings on submitting a request.

  Key features of the Hub

  Parents, young people or professionals can request an EHC Assessment where the request will be received and managed by a Devon County Council SEN 0-25 Team case worker.

  Parents/Carers will receive notification emails when stages have been completed including:

  • assessment decision
  • professional advice received
  • whether a plan will be issued
  • when the draft plan has been released (with an opportunity to comment)
  • the final plan

  System guidance

  Guidance for SENDCOs on using Devon’s EHC Hub

  • Account registration Step-by-step guide

  Please use the Education settings support request form to enter a new education setting, new education staff or to remove access.

  Professional contributors; please use this form to add a contributor to your team (Team manager role only)

  Please log any system issue, development requests, record merge, report requests or other Requests on this system support form.

  • SENDCO: request for assessment
  • Professional contributor/SENDCO – how to provide advice
  • Professional guidance for social care submitting advice as part of an EHC assessment

  What happens while I’m waiting for an EHC Needs Assessment or Plan?

  • The child or young person remains on roll at school/college.
  • Any alternative provision should be organised by the school.
  • Schools should continue to:
    • put in targeted support
    • work with professionals, for example, SEN advisers and educational psychologists
    • implement advice from professionals
    • follow the graduated response and ensure a robust assess, plan, do review cycle is implemented
  • If a part-time timetable is agreed, parents must agree and Annexe R must be completed.
  • Parents are still responsible for their child or young person’s attendance.

  System support

  • Email: educationsystems@devon.gov.uk
  • Telephone 01392 380434 (option 2)
  • Phone lines will be open 10 to 12 and 2 to 4, weekdays

• EHCP reviews using the EHC Hub

  Following feedback from schools, professionals, parents and young people the system we use to manage EHCPs has been improved.

  Settings can now plan reviews using the EHC Hub.

  If a child or young person’s plan is not available on the Hub please contact educationsystems@devon.gov.uk for assistance.

  Full guidance on using the EHC Hub to plan and complete reviews.

  This is also available as a downloadable document

  

  Setting guidance for using the EHC Hub for reviews

  For assistance on the EHCP review process or review form please contact the SEND 0-25 Team. Email specialeducation@devon.gov.uk.

• EHC Needs Assessments: quality assurance

  The Education Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment Quality Assurance Guidance and Toolkit describes how Devon measures and monitors the quality of the EHC needs assessment process and EHCPs for children and young people with SEND, aged 0-25 years.

  The EHC Needs Assessment Quality Assurance Guidance and Toolkit should be used to guide services and organisations to:

  • ensure all contributions to the EHC needs assessment and planning processes have been quality assured by contributing services/organisations
  • improve the experience of children, young people and parent carers
  • improve sustainable outcomes for children and young people with SEND

  Tools within this document have been developed to support the workforce in understanding the processes and requirements; this is targeted at practitioners, line managers/supervisors and senior managers across partner organisations.

  • Quality Assurance Guidance and Toolkit (2019)

• SEN provision descriptors

  • Calculator for SEND provision descriptors – example
  • SEND provision descriptors (November 2019)
  • SEN Funding – Key facts for SENCos (2018)

• Core competencies and workforce development

  Workers need to be committed to regular training and professional development around SEND. ‘The quality of teaching for pupils with SEN, and the progress made by pupils, should be a core part of the school’s performance management arrangements and its approach to professional development for all teaching and support staff’. (SEND Code of Practice 2015:6.4)

  • SEND Core Competency Framework – meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND in Devon.
  • What training is available for me?

• Data and statistics

  The percentage of pupils with SEN is increasing, and has been increasing since 2015. The number of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) has been increasing since 2015. The most common types of primary need have remained the same – for SEN support it is moderate learning difficulties (around 25%), for EHCPs it is autism (around 33%).

  November 2018 update 

  Calendar year data                                             (source – SEN2)	Jan – Dec 2015	Jan – Dec 2016	Jan – Dec 2017	Jan 2018 (up to 13/11/2018)
  Requests for EHC Needs assessments	334	513	1110	1215
  Final EHCPs issued	168	255	384	973

  Current ongoing assessments: 789

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Updated 13/11/18

• SEN funding

  Every school gets money to teach children and young people. Every school gets funding to support children and young people with SEN. This is calculated by a national funding formula.

  Key Facts: Funding for children and young people with SEND describes SEN funding available to schools and education settings to support children and young people with SEND.

  SEN Funding Update – High Needs Block Review (06/12/18)

  You can find out how much funding your school gets through the School Budget Share calculator (this is a secure link for schools).

  • The SEN Funding Evaluation Tool (MS word document, editable)
  • The SEN Funding Evaluation Report (PDF)

  EHCP funding updates for mainstream schools

  • Calculator for SEND Provision Descriptors – Example (2018)
  • SEND Provision Descriptors ( November 2019)
  • SEN Funding – Key Facts for SENCos (2018)

  There is information for parents about EHCP funding in mainstream schools.

  How does SEN funding work?

  

• Additional guidance

  School resources

  • Expectations of Inclusive Provision
  • Babcock LDP SEND Strategic Support
  • Devon Education Inclusion Service
  • Flowchart for identifying a reading or spelling difficulty – from Babcock LDP
  • Guidance about educating out of year group – from Babcock LDP
  • How to write a SEND information Report – Babcock LDP (February 2019)
  • Devon’s Maintained and Academy Special Schools ( Jan 2021)

  Health needs

  • Quick guide – Guidance for health services for children and young people with SEND (July 2018)
  • Quick guide – Commissioning for transition to adult services for children and young people with SEND (July 2018)
  • Meeting Health Needs in Educational and other Community Settings: A guide for nurses caring for Children and Young People (2018)
  • DfE Guidance – Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions
  • Devon Guidance – Education for Pupils with Medical Needs
  • Health Checks for Teenagers with a Learning Disability 
  • Mentally Healthy Schools – resources and practical ideas aimed at Primary schools

  Preparing for adulthood

  • CSW Group guidance and information
  • Preparing for Adulthood Choices and Options – for pupils in Y9/Y11 (updated September 2017)
  • Complete the referral form to request services from the Preparing for Adulthood Team. This form includes a privacy notice, explaining the information we record and how we will use it.

  Multi-agency working

  • Good Practice example – when GPs and SENCos work together

  Visiting officers

  Visiting officers attend annual reviews to:

  • check whether the statement/EHCP accurately describes all of the current special educational needs of the child/young person and to report back to the SEN 0-25 Team whether the (SMART) outcomes recommended at the review for the coming year are appropriate to meet all of them
  • ensure that the school has organised the specified support for the child
  • check that progress is being made
  • check that there are no safeguarding concerns (as far as this is possible on the day of their visit)

  Visiting Officer form (September 2018)

• SEN 0-25 Team

  Devon’s SEN 0-25 Team carries out Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessments and maintains and reviews EHCPs for children and young people with SEND. They use the information from education, health and care professionals to co-ordinate the writing of EHCPs.

  • Meet the SEN 0-25 Team
  • SEN 0-25 Team structure and management chart

  Email specialeducation@devon.gov.uk or call 01392 380434 (option1). Phone lines are open 10 to 12 and 2 to 4 weekdays.

• Who can I contact for help?

  There is a Devon helpline for teaching staff, school leaders, school governors and SENCos to give you support.

  What does it provide?

  Advice and guidance on implementing the SEND Code of Practice (2015) including:

  • the assess, plan, do, review cycle (including using the Devon Graduated Response Tool).
  • recording and reporting progress to parents
  • promoting high-quality inclusive teaching in classrooms
  • monitoring and evaluating impact
  • general advice on statutory processes such as requesting a statutory assessment of need, holding an annual review*.
  • working with multi-agency partners
  • working with families
  • early help and working with multi-agency partners

  When can I call?

  Tuesdays 12 to 4 pm in term-time (01392 287248)

  Or email on LDP-SencoHelpline@Babcockinternational.com (please note emails will be responded to as quickly as possible but are accessed on Tuesdays 12 to 4pm only. If your enquiry is urgent please call the Babcock central number for support).

  * Please note that any enquiries related to named individuals undergoing EHC Needs Assessments or annual reviews process should be directed to the appropriate 0-25 SEN Team. Contact details for the team are on this page or email specialeducation@devon.gov.uk

  * Online Portal: For technical support using the EHC Hub please call 01392 380434 (option 2) or email educationsystems@devon.gov.uk.

  There is support and guidance available for families as part of the SEND Local Offer.