News and Events

ETF news, events and courses

News

The Centres for Excellence in SEND newsletter

The monthly Centres for Excellence in SEND newsletter brings you all the latest news and activities from the three Centres, as well as highlighting the Foundation's SEND CPD opportunities. You can access editions of the newsletter below. You can sign up to receive the newsletter by email by visiting our newsletters page and filling in your details, making sure you tick the ‘SEND’ box.

Events

The ETF Events

he following list gives the dates and times for Part 1 and Part 2 webinars in the Everything you need to know about SEND funding for FE learners programme. You can attend one or both webinars.

14 January (Non-high needs funding) 14:00 - 16:00
25 January (High needs funding) 09:30 - 12:30
27 January (High needs funding) 09:30 - 12:30
28 January (Non-high needs funding) 14:00 - 16:00
1 February (High needs funding) 09:30 - 12:30
2 February (Non-high needs funding) 14:00 - 16:00
3 February (High needs funding) 09:30 - 12:30

For more dates is the ETF's online booking system.

Centres for Excellence in SEND

Free events and in-house offers delivered by our three Centres for Excellence in SEND (CfE) are available including:

7 January, Monthly effective practice share and support sessions in creating an inclusive curriculum (online), 16:00 - 16:45
14 January, How to deliver inclusive information, advice and guidance (IAG) for learners with SEND webinar 16:00 - 16:45
25 January, What's positive and possible during a pandemic webinar, 10:00 - 13:00

For more details about the CfEs, the events, or how to join a hub or a SEND Community of Practice please visit the Centres for Excellence pages.

Courses

The ETF's in-house offer

The Essential SEND Managers, Everything you need to know about funding and specific needs programmes are now all available to book as in-house courses using the Foundation's online booking system. Information and additional resources associated with the individual programmes can be found by following the associated programme link.

To learn more about the ETF SEND offer take a look at our SEND Brochure.

And don't forget the professional development opportunities available on Foundation Online Learning. Do take a look at the Education and Training Foundation's (ETF) wide range of courses, many of them relevant to those supporting learners with SEND, together with our bespoke SEND offer

SEND CPD Framework

Are you looking for specific training? As part of a mapping exercise of SEND CPD training and qualifications available from the ETF and a wide range of other organisations we have produced a SEND CPD Framework. The information is provided to raise awareness to the SEND workforce of the variety CPD opportunities available. The inclusion of information from other organisations does not indicate a recommendation by the ETF of this offer.

We cannot guarantee the quality of any events not organised by or on behalf of the Foundation.

Publications, reports, research and resources

New publications

Planning, commissioning, funding and supporting post-16 high needs students

In January 2020, the Local Government Association (LGA), the Association of Colleges (AoC) and Natspec commissioned a review of arrangements for planning, commissioning, funding, and supporting provision for post-16 high needs students. The published report, Planning, commissioning, funding and supporting post-16 high needs students, identifies opportunities for local authorities and providers to use existing practice to develop a stronger and more robust approach to post-16 high needs provision. It makes recommendations not only based on what is possible based on what is already in place in the sector but also what could be possible through its radical change suggestions.

If you'd like to further your knowledge, the ETF's Everything you need to know about SEND funding for FE learning course, is being run online.

Tomorrow's leaders: a world beyond disability

Tomorrow’s leaders: a world beyond disability is a publication featuring young people who are all achieving great things in their own lives, in their communities and wider society. The Education and Training Foundation worked with the Council for Disabled Children to develop and publish the resource.

The publication contains inspiring stories from young people who are achieving their goals in:

arts, sports and leisure
campaigning, advocacy and inclusion
entrepreneurship and employment

The publication is written for those learning and working in education. It highlights the importance of having the highest aspirations for our young people and supporting them to achieve them.

New resources

Making the SEND reforms work

Commissioned by The ETF, The National Development Team for Inclusion (NTDi) have produced two case study videos showcasing how local authorities and FE providers work together to support learners with SEND achieve their aspirations inclusing progressing into employment.

The first case study video shows how Greenbank College in Liverpool and its local authority worked in partnership to promote independent living and the second case study video shows how several learning providers in Nottinghamshire and the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire local authorities worked successfully together so that learners with SEND gained employment.

New research

READY

The University of Manchester are leading on a long term research study funded by the National Deaf Children's Society, READY (Recording Emerging Adulthood in Deaf Youth) following young people who have a hearing loss as they become independent adults. They are looking to engage with young people aged 15-18 who have a hearing loss or see themselves as deaf. For more information, see the project website or email: ready@manchester.ac.uk.

New reports

Inclusivity and intersectionality

The Women and Work All Party Parlimentary Group (APPG) have published a new report, Inclusivity and Intersectionality. An image of the Inclusivity and intersectionality report 2019Women by the Women and Work APPG In 2019, the Women and Work APPG’s theme was Inclusivity and Intersectionality. Throughout its work over the past four years, the APPG has recognised and highlighted the fact that women are not a homogenous group, and that a focus on gender alone can sometimes be misleading. They heard evidence from witnesses as to how different aspects of identity such as age, race, disability or income can affect an individual’s experience of recruitment and employment.

Out of this work, they have produced a toolkit of practical suggestions and strategies for employers to support an inclusive workplace and to put intersectionality into practice. This report aims to equip employers with the tools to create more inclusive workplaces which benefit employees at all levels.

Gatsby benchmarks

The Gatsby Foundation, has published a new resource using the Gatsby Benchmarks with students with SEND. The resource, Good Career Guidance: Perspectives from the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities sector, can be downloaded from their website.

Research Study

In July 2019 the AOC published a research report, Meeting the needs of students aged 16-19 who were not in school for part or all of Key Stage 4: The contribution of general FE (GFE) colleges. The aim of the research to understand better how GFE colleges are working with young people, aged 16+, who ceased to attend school during Key Stage 4 and went on to enrol at college aged 16+. The research project focused on four colleges of different sizes and locations to learn about numbers of such learners, their needs and circumstances, the provision offered, the challenges, and to learn from providers what high-quality provision for those students should look like and how it might be achieved.

Work experience for young people with SEN

The Department for Education published a Work experience and vocational/technical provision for young people on SEN support: A rapid evidence assessment report. The aim of the rapid evidence assessment was to identify evidence on the benefits (or otherwise) of work experience for these young people as they prepare to enter paid employment. The report highlights a number of principles of good practice for post-16 providers in finding work experience/placements for young people with less complex special educational needs.

DfE Announcements

Additional guidance on restricting attendance

The Governemnt published additional guidance on 14 January for special schools, specialist post-16 providers, and alternative schools (including hospital schools) during the national lockdown period. It should be read alongside the main guidance document: Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools and the Further education guidance for restricting attendance during the national lockdown, which covers the main operational issues.

Mass asymptomatic testing in specialist settings

The Government have published guidance on mass asymptomatic testing in specialist colleges.This guidance supplements the guidance in the Testing handbook for schools and colleges, recognising that there are distinct issues for settings in the special school, specialist college and AP sectors. It is part of guidance and resources for schools and colleges to support preparations for coronavirus (COVID-19) testing in education settings which begins January 2021.

Covid-19 announcements

EHC plans legislation changes update to document

The Department for Education announced that Section 42 of the Modification notice: EHC plans legislation changes expired on 31 July 2020, it follows the Secretary of State’s announcement on 2 July that, unless the evidence changes, they will not be issuing further national notices to modify this duty. The focus will increasingly be on supporting local authorities, health commissioning bodies and education settings as they work towards full provision being restored for all young people with EHC plans. The Regulations made to provide additional flexibility over the statutory timescales for various EHC needs assessment and plan processes remain in force until 25 September 2020. The change is reflected in the Education, Health and Care needs assessments and plans: guidance on temporary legislative changes relating to coronavirus (COVID-19).

What FE colleges and providers will need to do from the start of the 2020 autumn term

The DfE have updated guidance that sets out the actions that FE and Skills providers need to take to enable learners with SEND to return to full-time provision from September 2020.

Other DfE announcements

Incentives for new teachers

The Department for Education has just announced a new series of incentives for 20/21 for Further Education initial teacher education: Bursaries and Grants. Bursaries are available for pre-service trainees in SEND of £15,000 (conditions apply), and Grants to employers of £18,200 to cover the cost of the training and release from teaching. For more details see our FE Advice page.

SEND Tribunal Announcement

In April 2018, the Department for Education began a national trial to extend the powers of the SEND Tribunal to hear appeals, and make non-binding decisions about, health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care plans. The trial was due to end on 31 August 2020. However, given the pressures local areas and families are under as a result of coronavirus, the Government believes it is not the right time to introduce any changes to this policy. They have therefore decided to extend the trial until 31 August 2021, further details are available in Minister Ford's open letter.

SEND Review

On the 6 September 2019, the Government announced the launch of a cross-cutting review of SEND five years on from the Children and Families Act. The aim of the review to see if the reforms introduced are supporting children and young people with SEND and to make sure they are being implemented as well as possible. The internal review will look across education, health and care to consider:

the evidence on how the system can provide the highest quality support that enables children and young people with SEND to thrive and prepare for adulthood, including employment
better helping parents to make decisions about what kind of support will be best for their child
making sure support in different local areas is consistent, and that high-quality support is available across the country
how we strike the right balance of state-funded provisions across inclusive mainstream and specialist places
aligning incentives and accountability for schools, colleges and local authorities to make sure they provide the best possible support for children and young people with SEND
understanding what is causing the demand for education, health and care plans
ensuring that public money is spent in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner, placing a premium on securing high quality outcomes for those children and young people who need additional support.

The government also announced today that Tony McArdle, Lead Commissioner in Northamptonshire County Council, will be the new chair of the SEND System Leadership Board, which brings together sector leaders across Education, Health and Social Care to drive improvements. He will act as an independent advisor to the review, alongside Education Endowment Fund Chair Sir Kevan Collins and Anne Heavey, National Director of Whole School SEN.;

Revisits to local areas with a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) for SEND

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a programme of revisits to those local areas which were asked to produce a WSoA following their SEND inspections. The revisits programme will run alongside the current programme of local area SEND inspections, which is in place until 2021. The revisits do not represent a re-inspection of SEN provision. Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will only revisit those areas which were asked to produce a WSoA and the focus of the visit will be on the progress made since the original inspection. Revisits will allow Ofsted and the CQC to assess the progress which local areas have made against each of the actions in their WSoA. They will also provide additional reassurance to families on the progress local services are making, identify where further work is needed, and enable local areas to demonstrate the improvements they have made to SEND services and in delivering better outcomes for children and young people.

Local areas will usually be revisited within 18 months of their WSoA having been accepted as fit for purpose by Ofsted and CQC. The local area will receive ten days’ notification of the revisit, which will last up to four days, depending on the number of actions in the WSoA. A report will be published on the Ofsted and CQC websites, usually 33 days after the inspectors have finished the revisit. It will set out whether the local area has made sufficient progress against each area of the WSoA.

For more information, visit the Government website. The inspections will be carried out in line with the Local Area SEND Inspection Framework and the newly updated (April 2019) Inspection Handbook.

Special Educational Needs and Disability

Meeting the needs of learners with learning difficulties and / or disabilities

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