This page tells you about Northumberland schools and what support can be offered for learners with Special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
Click here for a list of all Northumberland schools Other specialist schools for learners with SEND in the North East include: Ashbrooke School GUST ID Academy Kirby Moor Parkside House School Percy Hedley Northern Counties Hedleys Foundation Nunnykirk School Talbot House School Thornhill Park School
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.
What is the National Trial?
The government are extending the powers of the SEND Tribunal to make recommendations about the health and social care aspects of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans as part of a two-year trial. The trial will apply to decisions made on EHC plans issued/amended from 3 April 2018. The important thing to understand is that you cannot go to a SEND Tribunal if you don't have an education complaint. The trial gives you new rights to request recommendations about the health and social care needs and provision specificied in EHC plans, in addition to the educational aspects, when making a SEND appeal. What does this mean for parents and young people?
This gives families a "one stop shop" (or single route of redress) where they can seek redress for concerns in an EHC plan. The tribunal can make "non-binding" recommendations about health and social care provision in EHC plans. This means that the law does not require health and social care commissioners to follow the judgements. Although the judgements are non-binding, the local authority and health care commissioners are expected to follow them and because they are recommendations from a specialist tribunal, they cannot be rejected lightly. The health or social care commissioner must write to the family and the local authority within five weeks to tell them if they are going to follow the recommendations or not. If they are, then they need to explain the actions they are going to take. However, if they decide not to follow the tribunal judgement, they must explain why they are not following the tribunal’s recommendations. In these instances, you can still take your case to the relevant ombudsman (for social care or for health) and / or judicial review as you can now. What happens once the SEND National Trial ends?
The government are trialling this new process for two years. At the end of the period, they will assess how well it has worked and make a decision whether the new tribunal recommendation powers should continue after March 2021. IFF Research will be contacting parents and young people who have been through the trial to find out about their experiences. They will be gathering evidence to help the government make this decision. More information can be found at:
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.
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