Education & Schools

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.

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 House School
Castle School  (Part of the Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust)
GUST
Harbour Schools Group
Kirby Moor
Northumberland College
Parkside House School
Percy Hedley
Northern Counties Hedleys Foundation
Nunnykirk School
Thornhill School
Kyloe House School  (part of Kyloe House childrens home)

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. This report should be available on the school website. Click here for a list of all school’s SEN Information reports.

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 need to complete a request for inclusion and early support  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.
 

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.

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. This is different to home tuition provided by a local authority or education provided by a local authority other than at a school. ‘Parents’ includes all those with parental responsibility, including guardians and carers.

For a summary please view and download our leaflet:

• 10 things you should know about elective home education

The local authority has duties under the Education Act 1996, with regard to Elective Home Education.  It has to ensure that pupils of statutory school age (5-16) receive their entitlement to full time education and are educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.

The responsibility for a child’s education rests with their parents.  In England, education is compulsory but school is not.

Under Section 175(1) of the Education Act 2002 local authorities also have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.  This includes ensuring that agencies that work with and have contact with children educated at home by their parents are aware of their responsibility to consider whether children are being adequately safeguarded within those settings and, where appropriate, to notify other agencies of their concerns. Section 175(1) does not give local authorities powers to enter the homes of children undertaking elective home education.  

The guidance on this webpage is intended to help parents who are either considering or have decided to educate their child at home rather than at school. The education of a child at home is a great responsibility for a family.  It demands a serious commitment in terms of time, patience and energy.  This information should make clear the current legislation, together with Northumberland County Council’s policies and ways of working.  We hope the questions and answers will clarify the situation and help you reach the best decision for your child.

• Elective Home Education: Guidance for Parents

Disagreements at school
Children should not be taken out of school because of a disagreement with the school or because you have been asked to.  There are ways of solving problems such as contacting the headteacher, the governors of the school or you can contact the Education Welfare Service.

EOTAS is the name given to education provision which is not at school. Alternative education is arrange by the local authority for pupils who are unable to attend school as a result of permanent exclusion or for health and medical reasons.

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.