Education & Schools

This page tells you about Northumberland schools and what support can be offered for learners with Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

This page tells you about Northumberland schools, what support can be offered for learners with Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and guidance for professionals.

Preparing your child for returning to school.

With plans being made to reopen more schools for more pupils, as a parent or carer you may feel concerned about your child returning to school, especially if they find change difficult to handle.

Please click here for some top tips that may help.

Click here to read a letter from Minister Ford to children and young people with SEND, their families and carers, and those who work to support them.

Introduction to Education & Schools for SEND

In England children are ‘school-age’ from the time they start Reception class to the end of Year 11. In Reception they have their 5th birthday and in Year 11 they have their 16th birthday.

The SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years states that the purpose of education is that young people:

achieve their best
become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and
make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training

It also states that a child or young person has special educational needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. It is the duty of the local area (schools and the local authority across education, health and social care) to ensure that appropriate special educational provision is made where it is needed.

Most children attend a mainstream school. Some children attend specialist schools for learners with SEND, or an alternative provision or they may even start college early aged 14-16 years. A very small number are not educated in a school due to illness or other reasons.

The local authority and health professionals support schools through training, additional funding and specialist staff who can advise on individual learners as required. For a small number of learners, extra provision might be needed, and the local authority may need to consider what that provision should be through an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment.

Each school or college must have a member of staff who leads on SEND. They are often called the school SENCo. They can provide you with more information or help if you think that your child may have a special educational need.

Links to all the schools within Northumberland and special schools in the North East are provided below:

Click here for a list of all Northumberland schools

Other specialist schools for learners with SEND in the North East include:

Ashbrooke School
Buzz Learning
GUST
ID Academy
Kirby Moor
Parkside House School
Percy Hedley
Northern Counties Hedleys Foundation
Nunnykirk School
Talbot House School
Thornhill Park School

In Northumberland, the majority of our learners with SEND will have their needs met in mainstream schools which are inclusive and person centred.

We have worked with parents/carers, learners and schools to produce the Northumberland Mainstream Local Offer - which describes what support all learners are entitled to.

When there is a concern about a child or young person having an SEND, the school will follow an ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ (APDR) model. This will help them to plan how to support any learning needs.

Cycles of support will take place with teachers (and sometimes the SENCo) assessing what the needs are, planning with parents/carers and the learner themselves what should be put in place to support their needs, carrying out the plans, and then reviewing how effective the plans have been.

Over time the cycles may be adjusted and repeated with the aim of the child or young person making good progress. If concerns about progress continue, despite appropriate support being provided, more specialist support should be put in place, again following the APDR model. This is known as the graduated approach to meeting need.

For more information refer to the Graduated Approach Information for parents and carers

All schools are required to publish an information report which explains how they meet the needs of learners with SEND. These SEN Information Reports can be found on the websites of individual schools, where you will also find lots of other useful information. The SEN Information Reports must be made available to everyone, and be updated every year.

We have developed a guide with schools, parents, and carers and learners to help Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) in schools to fulfil their role in meeting the needs of children with SEND.

This includes identifying, planning and monitoring the needs of children, supporting their progress, making best use of available resources. Schools can use this guide to help bring together all of the information needed to get a more detailed picture of the child’s needs.

It is intended to help all schools and settings with their approach to meeting the needs of SEND learners across Northumberland and will ensure that learners receive the same approach whichever school/setting they attend.

We have worked with schools, parents and carers and learners via ‘In it Together’, the parent/carer forum, to produce all guidance documents and forms to support schools to deliver the graduated approach and improve information for families.

To support their work, schools can now request Short Term Additional Resource (STAR) for learners who are receiving school/setting SEN support but who might need extra interventions temporarily (for a maximum of two terms). This will typically be as a result of a sudden or significant change in the learner’s circumstances.

For 2, 3 and 4 year old children in early years who receive funding for additional support, the pathway is slightly different due to national guidance and the requirement for Local Authorities to support SEND in early years via an early years inclusion fund.

If a child in early years requires support; nursery schools, private or voluntary settings or childminders can request support from the Early years Team. For guidance about Northumberland’s inclusion fund, eligibility criteria and application process click here.

Our Early Years Team manage requests and will provide information and guidance, which may result in support to a setting to submit an Early Years STAR request. The involvement of the Early Years Team is an essential part of the process.

Guidance

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We have a number of specialist teams who are available to support schools to deliver the graduated approach for learners of school age, and advise on interventions appropriate for different types of special educational needs and disabilities.

They can also provide extensive training and professional development for staff.

Follow the links for further information, contact details and referral forms for Northumberland Inclusive Education Services:

Click here to find the Northumberland Inclusive Education Services Offer for Schools (2020-2021).

If a child or young person has been receiving SEND support at school for a while and is still not making progress, the school or setting (or a parent/carer or learner themselves) may consider requesting that the local authority carries out an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment.

An Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan may be required for a child or young person when their special educational needs cannot be reasonably met by the resources that mainstream nurseries, schools and colleges can normally provide. In these circumstances, we should consider undertaking an assessment of education, health and care needs to decide if it is necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person in accordance with an EHC plan.

The main focus for an EHC plan is education. Children or young people whose needs are mainly based around health or social care will not be given a plan, unless those needs affect their education.

Parents, carers and learners themselves can ask us to carry out an assessment if they think an EHC plan might be needed. However, because evidence will need to be provided by the school or setting about the learners’ needs and what is in place for them already, it is more usual for schools (in consultation with parents/carers/learner) to make the request. These requests are now called ‘Consideration of Statutory Assessment’ (COSA)

A request can be made by:

anyone at your child’s school or college
a doctor
a health visitor
a nursery worker
a young person over the age of 16, subject to the Mental Capacity Act.

The request forms asks for information about what difficulties the child or young person is experiencing, how school is supporting them currently, and the impact of the support. It must include supporting evidence including parent/carer views and learner views.

If a parent, carer or learner is requesting an assessment themselves, these requests should be put in writing and sent directly to the local authority SEN Monitoring and Assessment Team at County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2EF.

Request form for Consideration of Statutory Assessment (COSA) with evidence required and guidance (Word)
COSA form with guidance (PDF)

Our SEND Commissioning Panel is made up of representatives from education, health and social care professionals and advises the local authority on both decisions to assess and decisions to issue EHC plans.

Find out more about the role of the panel here.

If the assessment is agreed, parents/carers will be informed and the process explained. All professionals involved with the child and family will be asked to submit information about their special educational needs, and what might be needed to meet those needs. A case worker will be allocated, and they will collect the information. Parents/carers and learners will be asked for their views in writing. The case worker will then write a proposed support plan which will be shared at a meeting of everyone involved. Parents and carers will be central to the decision making process.

Guidance documents
Parent/Carer views for EHC assessment (pdf)
Learner views for EHC assessment (pdf)

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Parent/Carer views for EHC assessment (word doc)
Learner views for EHC assessment (word doc)

The proposed support plan will then be discussed at the SEND Commissioning Panel again, and the decision made as to whether an EHC plan needs to be issued.

We have 20 weeks from receiving the request for assessment to issuing a Final EHC plan.

Decisions can be appealed by contacting the SEN Assessment and Monitoring Team in the first instance, who will advise about the process.

The Education, Health and Care needs assessment may result in an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan being issued. The plan says what kind of support that child or young person needs, and how that support will be provided.

It is a legal document that lays out the child's specific needs, as each child and young person is different. The plan will say where the child will receive their education, and what extra support they will receive to help them learn. The plan will also list any health and social care that can be provided to help with their SEND.

For further information, see this video from the Council for Disabled Children (CDC) explaining EHC plans

For further information, see this video from the National Deaf Children's Society about EHC plans (with BSL)

If a learner has an EHC plan, it must be reviewed at least once every 12 months. The review will involve working with parents/carers and learners child and asking their views on what is working well and what is not working so well. It will focus on how well the support is working to help the child move towards the outcomes stated in their plan.

A meeting will be held by the school/setting and everyone involved with providing support will be invited, along with child or young person and their parent/carer. It should look at any changes that need to be recommended. A record of the meeting must be sent to the SEND team within 2 weeks of the meeting.

We must decide whether to keep the plan as it is, make changes, or stop the plan within four weeks of the review meeting.

For further information, see this video from the Council for Disabled Children:

Guidance

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If you have a child or young person with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) you may need to know about the SEND tribunal process.

This is part of a process that can help to resolve disagreements including decisions by the local authority not carry out a statutory assessment of your child, not to issue an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, what’s in the plan, or a proposal to stop the plan.

If you are still not satisfied there is also a mediation service who can help try to resolve your concerns.
If this does not help resolve your concern the next stage of resolution is to appeal to the SEND Tribunal.　
There are no legal costs to present your case to tribunal (unless you choose to engage a legal representative to act on your behalf).

Tribunals can have a judge and panel member or members who are considered experts in their field.
They are impartial and do not favour one party over another. They base their decisions on the evidence and information they are presented with from both parties.

Once they reach a decision they make findings, recommendations and orders for things to be done, not done or reconsidered.

Decisions made at tribunal are binding on all parties, Local Authorities and parents or young people.

The exceptions to this are decisions made through The SEND Tribunal National Trial - Single Route of Redress which is a new system that also looks at health and social care aspects of EHC plans rather than just the education aspects. It can make non-binding recommendations about health and social care aspects of EHC plans as part of the SEND appeal process. You still need an education complaint to go to tribunal, but now all aspects of the plan can be appealed in one place.

Parents and young people need to contact the Northumberland mediation service before taking their concerns to a SEND Tribunal.

Mediation aims to resolve disputes by involving an impartial third party.

In Northumberland the mediation service is provided by Barnardo’s Disability and Inclusion Support Service (DIAS). You can access this service by speaking to your Local Authority (LA) Officer, contacting the Information Advice and Support Service, or contacting Barnardo’s DAIS Service directly at 20 Bewick Road, Gateshead, NE8 4DP. Telephone 0191 4784667. Email: daismediationservices@barnardos.org.uk

Families are required to obtain a certificate either once they have information about mediation or following mediation.

You must have this certificate if you wish to lodge an appeal.

Taking part in the mediation process does not affect your right, subsequently, to appeal to the tribunal.

Parents and young people can appeal to the tribunal about:

a decision by Northumberland County Council not to carry out an EHC needs assessment or re-assessment
a decision by Northumberland County Council that it is not necessary to issue an EHC plan following an assessment
the description of a child or young person’s SEN specified in an EHC plan, the special educational provision specified, the school or other institution or type of school or other institution (such as a mainstream school/college) specified in the plan or that no school or other institution is specified
an amendment to these elements of the EHC plan
a decision by Northumberland County Council not to amend an EHC plan following a review or re-assessment
a decision by Northumberland County Council to cease to maintain an EHC plan

Parents and young people have 2 months to register an SEN appeal with the tribunal, from the date when the local authority sent notice containing a decision about a EHC plan which can be appealed or one month from the date of a certificate which has been issued following mediation, or the parent or young person being given mediation information, whichever is later.

The following people can make an appeal to a tribunal:

Parents of children aged 0-25 with SEND
Young People aged 16-25 (if they have capacity to make decisions relating to the case)

What is the outcome of the National Trial?
The National Trial commenced from April 2018 to August 2021 testing the extended powers for the SEND Tribunal. The department commissioned an independent evaluation of the National Trial which found broadly positive evidence in support of the Tribunal’s extended powers, which can be seen by clicking here.

Therefore, the Government has confirmed that they are continuing the extended powers of the First-tier Tribunal (SEND), sometimes referred to as the ‘SEND Tribunal’, to make non-binding recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

Previously, you have only been able to appeal the educational aspects of EHC plans. The continuation of the extended powers given to the SEND Tribunal, maintains your right to request recommendations about the health and social care needs and provision specified in EHC plans, in addition to the educational aspects, when making a SEND appeal. This gives you the opportunity to raise all your concerns about an EHC plan in one place.

It is only possible for the Tribunal to consider the health and/or social care aspects of the EHC plan where you are already making an appeal in relation to the education aspects of the EHC plan and the education aspect must remain live throughout the appeal.

What does this mean for parents and young people?
If you are unhappy with a decision not to issue an EHC plan, or with the special educational content or placement in the plan, you can make an appeal to the SEND Tribunal. You are also able to request recommendations about the health and social care content of the plan at the same time, provided there is also an education element. This will mean the Tribunal will take a more holistic, person-centred view of the needs of the child or young person.

This does not prevent you also complaining about other aspects of your disagreement through other complaint procedures. You should seek advice about the different routes available, including from your local Information Advice and Support Service (IASS).

If the SEND Tribunal makes a recommendation about health or social care elements of an EHC plan, this is non-binding. The local authority and/or health commissioner is generally expected to follow such recommendations, but they are not legally binding. Where they are not followed, the reasons for not following them must be explained and set-out in writing to you and to the Department for Education through the evaluators. If they are not followed, you can complain to the Click here to complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) or Click here to complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) or seek to have the decision judicially reviewed. Further information on the roles of these bodies can be found on their websites.

When can a parent or young person request recommendations about the health and social care elements of an EHC plan?

You can request the Tribunal makes recommendations about the health and/or social care aspects of EHC plans as part of an appeal relating to:

the description of the child/young person’s special educational needs in an EHC plan
the special educational provision specified in an EHC plan
the school or other educational institution named in an EHC plan
a decision by the local authority not to issue an EHC plan
a decision by the local authority not to carry out a re-assessment for a child/young

person who has an EHC plan

a decision by the local authority not to amend an EHC plan following a review or

re-assessment

a decision by the local authority to cease to maintain an EHC plan

What does this mean for local areas?

The SEND Tribunal extended powers places responsibility on local authority SEND teams to:

Inform parents and young people of their new rights through decision letters and the local offer
Provide evidence to the Tribunal from the health and social care bodies in response to any issues raised within the timeframe set by the Tribunal, seeking permission to bring additional witnesses to the hearing as necessary

It also places responsibility on health and social care commissioners to:

Respond to any request for information and evidence within the timeframe set by the Tribunal
Send a witness to attend the hearing as required
Respond to the parent/young person and the LA SEND team within 5 weeks of a recommendation being made, setting out the steps they have decided to take or giving reasons why they are not going to follow the recommendation.

How can a parent or young person request a health or social care recommendation?

If you wish to appeal against a local authority decision on any of the grounds above and want to request that the Tribunal considers your concerns about the health and /or social care aspects of the EHC plan, you should follow the process for bringing an appeal to the Tribunal and tick the box on the form relating to a health and/or social care appeal. Advice on making SEND appeals to the Tribunal and the appeal form is available on the GOV.UK website and further guidance can be found in the toolkit of support.

As a parent or young person, do I have to consider mediation?

Before you can register an appeal with the Tribunal, you must contact a mediation adviser within two months of the LA decision you wish to appeal and consider whether mediation might be a way to resolve your disagreement with the LA. If you want to appeal only about the school or other institution named in the EHC plan you do not have to contact a mediation adviser.

You can go to mediation about the health and social care elements of an EHC plan, but this is not compulsory. You can request recommendations about health and social care issues without having to receive mediation advice or attend mediation about those issues, provided there is also an education issue about which you are appealing.

Once a mediation adviser has been contacted, or once you have taken part in mediation, you will be issued with a certificate. This will be necessary if you are still unhappy and wish to progress to an appeal with the Tribunal. An appeal to the Tribunal must usually be made within two months of the decision about which the appeal is being made or one month following the issuing of the mediation certificate, whichever is the later.

If mediation resolves the educational issues, you will not be able to appeal to the Tribunal on any health and/or social care aspects of the EHC plan. However, mediation provides an opportunity for us to resolve disagreements and it can be completed more quickly than an appeal. It does not affect your right to make an educational appeal, and some aspects of the disagreement can go to appeal even when other aspects are resolved.

Help and further information

Transitions, and moving on, can be an exciting and positive time for children and young people, but for others it can be daunting. Some children and young people may need additional support while others are able to move on with the support of their family and professionals they are working with.

When we talk about transitions, we could be thinking about:

Moving from one school or setting to another eg moving from an early years setting into school
Moving between schools, perhaps from primary to secondary
Moving from a school to a college, other post 16 provider or pathway
Moving from children's social care into adults
Moving from children's health services into adults
Leaving school and moving into adulthood

If you or someone in your family is going to be experiencing a transition, it’s best to start to think about this early on. When moving between different educational settings, discuss with your setting what information is important to share with the new setting and how this will be shared. In Northumberland, schools and settings are expected to share information. This might include EHCPs and SEN Support Plans, but also what is working well in supporting your child / young person at the moment.

You may want to think about arranging a visit, either with or without your child to find out more about what to expect. You can ask your school what plans they have to support the transition so that it is as smooth as possible. Some children and young people will need a number of extra visits which can help to reassure everyone that steps will be taken to ensure support is in place before the child or young person starts at the new school. A teaching assistant can sometimes be released to accompany a child to reassure him or her and to pass on relevant tips and information to new staff.

You might also want to talk it through with other professionals who support you and your child such as health and social care professionals who could also offer advice and support.

Elective Home Education (EHE) is the term used by the DfE to describe a parent's decision to provide education for their children at home instead of sending them to school.

The responsibility for a child’s education rests with their parents. In England, education is compulsory but school is not. If a child is not educated at school then parents should be providing a suitable full time education at home, and this is referred to as elective home education (or EHE).

For further information and contact details:

If you are considering home educating and would like advice then please contact the Education Welfare team educationwelfare@northumberland.gov.uk

To find information about our adult education skills programme, levels of study, our centres, enrolment and course fees, and support for learners please below.

Find out information about adult education.

EOTAS is the name given to education provision which is not at school. Alternative education is provided by the local authority for pupils who are unable to attend school as for health and medical reasons.

The EOTAS Health Needs team provides for learners who are of statutory school age but who are unable to attend school full time due to health and medical needs. Tuition is provided on a one to one basis or in small groups depending on the needs of each individual pupil. Pupils can still attend school part-time and receive EOTAS tuition, or have their full time education provided by our team of teachers.

Medical needs: referrals are usually made by Education Welfare Officers or school pastoral managers/heads of year with confirmation in writing from a medical professional (usually a consultant rather than a GP) that the learner is unable to attend school because of their medical condition.

Mental health needs: referrals are usually made by Education Welfare Officers or school pastoral managers/heads of year with confirmation in writing from a mental health professional that the learner is unable to attend school because of their mental health condition.

For advice or guidance if a pupil has medical or health needs, please telephone 01670 624182.

The EOTAS Health Needs team provides for learners who are of statutory school age but who are unable to attend school full time due to health and medical needs. Tuition is provided on a one to one basis or in small groups depending on the needs of each individual pupil. Pupils do not attend school while accessing EOTAS, when they are ready to return to school EOTAS will work with the school regarding a transition and the pupil will be discharged from the service.

Medical needs: referrals are usually made by Education Welfare Officers or school pastoral managers/heads of year with confirmation in writing from a medical professional (usually a consultant rather than a GP) that the learner is unable to attend school because of their medical condition.

Mental health needs: referrals are usually made by Education Welfare Officers or school pastoral managers/heads of year with confirmation in writing from a mental health professional that the learner is unable to attend school because of their mental health condition.

The quality of education provision for pupils who attend alternative education providers on the Council's procurement framework iis monitored through the Education Welfare Team. The service is delivered with the Children's Commissioning Team.

To learn more about the alternative providers on the Council's framework please view the most recent brochure (updated version due January 2020):

Alternative Education Provision Framework Catalogue, January 2018

A Lead Education Welfare Officer has responsibility for monitoring the attendance of pupils engaged in alternative provision to ensure that they are effectively safeguarded and receive their entitlement to a full time suitable education.

For advice or guidance if a pupil has medical or health needs, please telephone 01670 624182.

See below drop down sections for further information on school exclusions.

Every child or young person with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) in Northumberland will have an allocated SEND case officer and SEN coordinator who will be the point of contact and responsible for carrying out statutory duties and processes relating to the EHCP.

Contact us by phone at 01670 622757
Email us at SEN@northumberland.gov.uk

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