Responding to Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health Needs of CYP: Event

by BeckiNo Comments
Join the National Children's Bureau as they present information about strategic responses to the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of children and young people. You can view the full advert below: Image Depicts: The Lottery Community Fund logo on the left, and on the right states "Delivered by" with the National Children's Bureau logo. Responding to emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of children and young people: learning from HeadStart partnerships Please join us to hear about strategic responses to the emotional wellbeing and mental health needs of children and young people. Wednesday 20th October 2021 1-4pm. Please register here This event is delivered by the National Children’s Bureau in collaboration with the HeadStart Partnerships. Evidence shows that children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health is worsening.1 As the current pandemic continues, local areas are considering how best to identify need, address vulnerabilities and increase access to support and treatment quickly and effectively. This is an opportunity to hear...
Read More
Nadhim Zahawi replaces Gavin Williamson as Education Secretary

Nadhim Zahawi replaces Gavin Williamson as Education Secretary

by BeckiNo Comments
Yesterday, we shared on our social media that it had been confirmed that Gavin Williamson has been replaced as the Education Secretary. We know that this may create a mix emotions in the professionals, parents, carers, young people and children that we support. It has now been announced that Williamson has been replaced by Nadhim Zahawi who has most recently been the Vaccines Minister, and previously worked as a children's minister between 2018 and 2019. Further changes in the Department for Education saw Nick Gibb removed as schools minister after nine years in the role. Michelle Donnelan remains as universities minister, however, no announcement has been made about the future of Vicky Ford as children's minister. ...
Read More

Coronavirus Vaccine Parents Perceptions Survey

by Martine CunninghamNo Comments
Coronavirus Vaccine Parents Perceptions Survey At present the JCVI advises that children and young people aged 12 years and over with specific underlying health conditions that put them at risk of serious COVID-19, should be offered COVID-19 vaccination, as well as children and young people aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of persons (adults or children) who are immunosuppressed. Young people aged 16 and 17 are recommended to have the first dose of the vaccine. The Public Health Health Improvement Team would like to hear the views of parents on the vaccine. They also want to hear about where you are getting your information from to help you make a choice about your children having or not having the vaccination. https://surveys.leics.gov.uk/snapwebhost/s.asp?k=162694062795 ...
Read More
Employ Autism: Resource Hub

Employ Autism: Resource Hub

by BeckiNo Comments
Are you an autistic young person?Are you a parent of an autistic young person? Are you worried about employability?Ambitious About Autism have designed a collection of toolkits to help more autistic young people access sustainable and meaningful employment opportunities.  The resources will help employers to develop their awareness and understanding of autism. They will support the hiring and retaining of talented autistic young people. These resources are also relevant for autistic young people, their parents/carers, teachers, and other relevant professionals to support a young person to make informed choices about their future employment opportunities. The resource has been co-produced in partnership with Ambitious about Autism Youth Patrons as experts by experience and expert partners Creased Puddle, utilising best practice and up-to-date research, the Autism Education Trust, and the Department of Education. Click the button below to access the hub. Employ Autism ...
Read More
Lessons Learned Through Lockdown – Council for Disabled Children

Lessons Learned Through Lockdown – Council for Disabled Children

by BeckiNo Comments
Between February and March 2021, as part of the Making Participation Work programme which is funded by the Department for Education and jointly delivered by Council for Disabled Children and KIDS, the Council for Disabled Children commissioned Kaizen to deliver an England wide consultation with children and young people with SEND. The consultation was co-designed between Kaizen, CDC and the FLARE young advisory group, and is based on the feedback of children and young people participating in CDC and KIDS led youth groups. The full report can be downloaded here: Lessons-Learnt-From-LockdownDownload ...
Read More
Contribute your views to the OFSTED inspection of Leicester City SEND services

Contribute your views to the OFSTED inspection of Leicester City SEND services

by BeckiNo Comments
Re-visit of Leicester from Wednesday 5th May 2021 to Friday 7th May 2021. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will carry out jointly a re-visit of your local area following the previous inspection that took place between 30th April 2018 and 4th May 2018. The re-visit will evaluate how effectively leaders have addressed the areas of significant weaknesses detailed in the written statement of action (WSOA). The re-visit will be carried out in line with updated guidance about the return to Area SEND inspection, you can read this guidance here. During the re-visit, Ofsted and CQC inspectors will be keen to speak to as many children and young people and their parents and carers as possible, specifically about the weaknesses identified in the WSOA. These meetings may take place online How can local children, young people, parents and carers contribute their views during this local area re-visit? There are several ways in which children, young people, parents and carers can engage with the re-visit...
Read More
SEND pupils treated as an afterthought during pandemic, report says

SEND pupils treated as an afterthought during pandemic, report says

by BeckiNo Comments
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been treated as an afterthought by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic, a report has warned. The report warns that advice to special schools was frequently published later than guidance for mainstream schools when pandemic restrictions, including lockdowns and school closures, were ordered by government. “This led settings and young people with SEND to be seen as, and feel like, an afterthought,”  the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for SEND says The report, called Forgotten. Left behind. Overlooked, details the experiences of children and young people with SEND during the pandemic in 2020. Remote teaching was particularly hard to access for some SEND children, found the report, which includes recommendations for change from a raft of charities and children’s organisations. Among those contributing was the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), which said that remote learning options were not accessible for deaf children without additional communication support, such as speech to text software or sign...
Read More

10-point Version of the DfE’s Back-to-School Guidance for SEND learners

by BeckiNo Comments
With the news that everyone will be returning to school/college" from March 8th, the Department for Education has once again issued separate operational guidance for schools and for specialist settings: Additional operational guidance for special schools, special post-16 institutions and alternative provision. Below is a bit of a breakdown of some of the important points that you should be aware of. 1. Attendance The attendance section in the specialist and alternative settings guidance emphasises that from March 8th, attendance is mandatory for all, unless they receive a positive test result or have to self-isolate. It is vital for pupils and students to attend school or college to minimise, as far as possible, the longer-term impact of the pandemic on their education, wellbeing and wider development. The usual rules on school attendance apply to all pupils including:- parents’ duty to secure their child’s regular attendance at school (where the child is a registered pupil at school, and they are of compulsory school age)-...
Read More