On the 6th September the DfE announced they were going to carry out a major review of SEND. 

The review aims to improve the services available to families who need support, equip staff in schools and colleges to respond effectively to their needs as well as ending the ‘postcode lottery’ they often face.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-review-into-support-for-children-with-special-educational-needs?utm_source=d0af7e5c-13ad-49ae-885d-619b30bd5647&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications&utm_content=immediate

Special educational needs in England: January 2019 – DfE – July 2019

The DfE published the latest information from the school census on pupils with special educational needs (SEN) and SEN provision in schools.

  • 1.318 million pupils identified with SEND (14.9%)
  • 271.200 pupils with EHCP (3.1%)
  • Increase of 17,500 since Jan.18
  • 1.047 million on SEN Support (11.9%)
  • 23% of those on SEN Support – SLCN
  • 29% of those with EHCP  – ASD

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/814244/SEN_2019_Text.docx.pdf

 Keeping Children Safe in Education – DfE – September 2019

On 2nd September 2019 the DfE published the revised Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

The only real change from 2018, is the inclusion of the voyeurism activity ‘up skirting’.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education–2

Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education – DfE – July 2019

Following the announcement that these subjects would become compulsory from September 2020, the DfE have now published the statutory guidance for schools to follow. Although the new curriculum will be mandatory from September 2020 schools are encouraged to adopt the new curriculum early from September 2019.

Schools must have regard to the guidance and, where they depart from those parts of the guidance which state that they should, or should not, do something, they will need to have good reasons for doing so.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

National mental health programme between schools and NHS – DfE – July 2019

The previous Education Secretary Damian Hinds set out the next steps in bringing together services for young people in need of mental health support. He announced a national roll out of a £9.3 million training scheme. The four-year scheme will be led by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.

Starting in September, the training will be rolled out to schools and colleges in phases over four years, being offered to up to 22,000 schools and colleges, including alternative provision settings.

The Link Programme will deliver just under 1,000 training sessions across England involving two whole-day workshops for up to 20 schools at a time to cover all 22,000 schools, encouraging collaborative work so children do not fall between the cracks or experience poor transition between services.

https://www.annafreud.org/linkprogramme/

Teaching online safety in school – DfE – June 2019

DfE recently published guidance supporting schools to teach their pupils how the stay safe online. This guidance is for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies. It applies to all local-authority-maintained schools, academies and free schools.

The interventions and support information may also be helpful for early years settings, colleges and other post-16 institutions.

This guidance outlines how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of forthcoming and existing curriculum requirements.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools

Additional funding for schools includes £700 million for SEND – DfE – August 2019

On 30th August, the government announced a funding boost of £14 billion for schools, from 2020 until 2023. This will include an increase in the minimum per pupil funding, taking secondary schools to a minimum of £5000 per pupil and primary schools to £4000 per pupil, the money includes £700 million in 2020-21 for SEND. There are no details at the moment of how this money will be distributed.

Reception Baseline

Just over half of all primary schools that are eligible have registered to take part in the pilot of the Reception baseline assessment this September. They will administer the assessment within six weeks of a child joining Reception and will provide feedback prior to the assessment becoming statutory in September 2020.

https://www.nfer.ac.uk/for-schools/participate-in-research/information-about-the-201920-reception-baseline-assessment-pilot

JCQ ‘Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments’ 2019/2020

The 2019/20 JCQ ‘Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments’ document is now available on the JCQ website.

JCQ has removed the assessment and completion of Form 8 parts of the application process for those needing a reader (either a computer or human) in Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments 2019-20. Now, dyslexic students will be able to have a reader so long as it reflects their normal way of work and that this is evidenced by the school’s SENCO.

JCQ will not be sending out hard copies of the document as they have done in previous years. Instead they have been working on an interactive version of the AARA which will be available through AAO for those of you based in centres who can login to the AAO site.

The plan is for the interactive document to be available in early October.

The PDF version will remain available for those of us not based in a centre.

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/access-arrangements-and-reasonable-adjustments-2019-20

National Audit Office – Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in England

This long awaited report was finally published on 11th September.  As expected, it’s not good reading for the Department for Education. The report acknowledges that while some children with special educational needs and disabilities are receiving high-quality support, many others are not getting the help they should.  It also states that the Department does not know the impact of the £9.4bn that the NAO has estimated has been funding SEND for the last year.

A full copy of the report can be found on the NAO website: https://www.nao.org.uk/report/support-for-pupils-with-special-educational-needs-and-disabilities/#

A very good account of the report by Special Needs Jungle can be found here: https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/send-audited-is-the-system-affordable-whats-alternative/

House of Commons Education Committee – Special Educational Needs Report – 23rd October 2019

Eighteen months after the HoC Education Committee began their Inquiry into SEND they have finally published their report. The 127 page report states that a generation of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities are failing to receive the support they deserve, with poorly implemented legislation leaving families facing a nightmare of bureaucracy, buck-passing and confusion.

The Committee heard from more than 70 witnesses and received more than 700 submissions of written evidence.

The Committee concludes that while the reforms to support children and young people contained in the Children and Families Act 2014 were the right ones, poor implementation has put local authorities under pressure, left schools struggling to cope and, ultimately, thrown families into crisis.

You can read the full report here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201920/cmselect/cmeduc/20/20.pdf

Not going to plan? – Education Health and Care Plans two years on – Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman – October 2019

This report gives a fresh picture of the Local Government Ombudsman’s caseload since their report about EHCPs published two years ago in October 2017.

In 2018-19 the Local Government Ombudsman received 45% more complaints that in 2016-17 and they carried out 80% more detailed investigations. Most concerning of all was that nearly 9 out of 10 investigations (87%) were upheld.

The most serious issues that were investigated were:

  • Severe delays – of up to 80 weeks delays
  • Poor planning and anticipation of needs
  • Poor communication and preparation for meetings
  • Inadequate partnership working
  • Lack of oversight from senior managers.

Case studies from some of their investigations can be found here:

https://www.lgo.org.uk/information-centre/news/2019/oct/a-system-in-crisis-ombudsman-complaints-about-special-educational-needs-at-alarming-level

EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Assessment and Reporting Arrangements (ARA) – STA – October 2019

The STA have published the ARA guidance for 2019 – 20. This guidance sets out the statutory requirements for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 national curriculum assessment and reporting for the 2019 -20 academic year.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-early-years-foundation-stage-assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-key-stage-1-assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2020-key-stage-2-assessment-and-reporting-arrangements-ara

Teacher assessment guidance has also been produced for KS1 and KS2

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-1-teacher-assessment-guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-2-teacher-assessment-guidance

Revised Access Arrangement information and guidance will be published in December.

Early Years Foundation Stage Reforms

The DfE have launched a consultation on proposed changes to the EYFS framework. This consultation seeks views on changes to the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS). This includes proposed reforms to the learning and development and early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) assessment requirements, as set out in the EYFS framework. In addition, it seeks views on an amendment to the safeguarding and welfare section of the framework.

The consultation is open until 31st January 2020.

You can find further information and how to contribute to the consultation on the DfE website:

https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-quality-outcomes/early-years-foundation-stage-reforms/

Relationships, sex and health education: guides for parents

The DfE have published guides for parents of primary and secondary age pupils that schools can use to communicate with them about teaching relationships and health education. The guides are published in a number of languages.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-sex-and-health-education-guides-for-schools

Character education framework

The DfE have recently published non-statutory guidance to schools on character education and development for pupils. This guidance is for school leaders and teachers considering the rationale for character education and personal development, and the practicalities of provision and delivery.

The guidance will support schools as they consider

•             the 2019 Ofsted inspection framework

•             the social, moral, cultural and spiritual development of pupils

•             preparations for the introduction of ‘Relationships education’ and ‘Health education’ in primary schools, and ‘Relationships, sex and health education’ in secondary school

The guidance provides schools with 6 benchmarking questions to support reflection and the self-evaluation of current provision.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/character-education-framework

SEND tribunal trial – plans to extend the current special educational needs and disability tribunal trial to 31 August 2020

Michelle Donelan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families recently wrote to all Directors of Children’s Services to set out her plans to extend the current Trial of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal. The Trial, which was due to run until 31 March 2020, will be extended until 31 August 2020. 

The Trial provides extended powers for the SEND Tribunal to hear, and make non-binding decisions about, appeals relating to health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-tribunal-trial-letter-to-childrens-services-directors

APPG report on Dyslexia is published

The British Dyslexia Association has published the report of the All Party Parliamentary Group into dyslexia, the ‘Educational Cost of Dyslexia’.

The Educational Cost of Dyslexia states that ‘our education system is often hindering rather than helping’ children and young people with dyslexia, and outlines why we need to change our current approach. It also offers some suggestions as to how this could be done, in order to identify dyslexia early, support it well, and save money both directly and through wider benefits to the economy.

Suggestions for improvement include:

  • removal of the spelling, punctuation and grammar marks from tests other than English Language GCSE
  • allow young people with dyslexia to use laptops/tablets in all classes and all exams, including English Language GCSE
  • have a specialist dyslexia teacher assessor in every school
  • training on dyslexia during ITT and as part of CPD, particularly for NQTs

You can read the full report on the BDA website: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/news/appg-education-report

School inspection update: academic year 2019 to 2020

The latest update for inspectors and stakeholders was published on 1st November. This update contains the latest information and guidance about Ofsted’s inspection work in schools.

This issue focuses on the minor changes to the section 5 and section 8 handbooks following the first two months under EIF.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-update-academic-year-2019-to-2020

Improving Social and Emotional Learning in Primary Schools

This guidance report aims to help primary schools support children’s social and emotional development. It draws on a recent review of the evidence about social and emotional learning conducted by the University of Manchester, which was funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF). It also draws on a wider body of evidence and expert input.

https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/public/files/Publications/SEL/EEF_Social_and_Emotional_Learning.pdf

Wellbeing, reading and writing resources from National Literacy Trust

National Literacy Trust research shows that children who enjoy reading are three times more likely to have good mental wellbeing than children who don’t enjoy reading

The report, based on a survey of almost 50,000 UK school children aged 8 to 18, found that:

•             Children who are the most engaged with reading and writing are much happier with their lives than children who are the least engaged

•             As children transition from primary to secondary school, their levels of literacy engagement and mental wellbeing both decline and continue on this downward path

•             Boys who are the most engaged with reading and writing have higher levels of mental wellbeing than girls who are engaged

NLT have worked with children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, to develop a series of free wellbeing-themed teaching resources for primary schools, secondary schools and parents.

https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/wellbeing-reading-and-writing-resources/


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