Slough SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030
SEND and Inclusion Strategy
2025-2030
Cover drawing by Jason Barganski
SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030
2 www.slough.gov.uk
Foreword 3
Introduction 4
What does SEND mean? 6
SEND in Slough 7
Challenges 8
Slough’s strategic partnership priorities 9
Priority 1: Thriving and achieving. Inclusion and Education Provision 10
Priority 2: Safe. Feeling safe and included 17
Priority 3: Loved and supported 19
Priority 4: Preparation for Adulthood 23
Priority 5: Healthy 25
Abbreviations 27
Glossary 27
Appendix 1: Data indicators for all areas 28
Appendix 2: Parent carer and young people outcomes framework 29
Contents
SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030
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Welcome to Slough's SEND and Inclusion Strategy which has been coproduced with our children and young people, their families, our education settings, and our other partners so that it is informed by the lived experiences of our SEND community. As well as setting out a framework for our continued improvement journey, it recognises and builds on our current strengths and what is already working well.
Slough Borough Council’s Corporate Plan 2023- 2027, “A Fresh Start”, puts high quality special educational needs [SEND] support at the centre of its first strategic priority, “a borough for children and young people to thrive”. This Strategy has been devised to set out several priorities for the next five years which will enable Slough to improve the experiences and outcomes for our children and young people with SEND. For each priority of the strategy there is a brief synopsis of the current position, planned outcomes and then an explanation of how we will know that we have achieved them.
We are determined that all our children and young people with SEND will have the same hopes and aspirations as their peers: to value education, to work, to make friends, to be full participants in their community and, most importantly, to be happy. The Slough Strategic Partnership Board has set out a vision for a continuum of coordinated education, health and social care support that identifies and meets children and young people’s SEND needs at the earliest opportunity ensuring that they can thrive at each stage of their education.
Most children and young people with SEND do not have an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan and rely solely on their education setting to make the adjustments they need to achieve their potential. For those with more complex needs, prompt access to targeted support, including a strong and coordinated specialist and alternative provision sector, is vital. This strategy sets out a framework and the key principles for Slough to move towards the Local Area system that our SEND community deserve.
Foreword
“When everyone is included, everyone wins”
(Jesse Jackson, Usa politician)
Sue Butcher Executive Director Children’s Services
Cllr. Bedi Lead Member for Children’s Services
SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030
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Our vision statement for Inclusion and SEND across the town that was co-designed with our partners is: “Through inclusive practice all children and young people are happy, healthy, safe, take an active part in their community and have fulfilled lives.” This aligns with our vision for the whole of Childrens Services namely that children and young people are “Happy, Safe and Loved, Thriving.”
This Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Inclusion Strategy will turn our vision into actions.
This strategy has been built on the priorities of the Children and Young People’s Directorate Plan and the work completed through the Written Statement of Action.
We want all children and young people in Slough to thrive, exceed expectations and live remarkable lives.
We will support children and young people to be confident, achieve their ambitions, be aspirational and progress positively into adulthood.
To do so we will grow together, work co- productively with children, families, education, health, and care services to have a shared responsibility so that locally we provide:
• A positive experience in their early years setting, school or out of school activity or other education setting.
• Joined up access to early support at the earliest opportunity, through 0-5 pathway programmes in the early years, through family hubs/children’s centres and using the agreed Graduated Pathway or statutory support through their Education, Health, and Care Plan.
• Opportunities to shape and influence the support children and young people, as well as their families, receive.
• Positive outcomes for all children and young people with SEND.
We know that providing the best provision for our children and young people with SEND requires:
• Listening to our parent carers,
• Consistent application of agreed quality assurance procedures.
• A focus on the outcomes for children, and young people with SEND and the impact of our SEND services.
• Shared accountability and collaboration across our services.
• Providing a Local Offer that is relevant and reflective of the needs of our children and young people with SEND.
By working in this way, we will demonstrate our understanding of what it is like to be a child or young person with SEND living in Slough and what makes a positive impact on their lives.
Introduction
The SEND and Inclusion strategy is a co-produced strategy that has been built on the priorities of the Children and Young People’s Directorate Plan and the work completed through the Written Statement of Action. It is the culmination of over 100 people’s views and ideas on the how we can improve the lives of children young people with SEND, and their families, across Slough.
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By placing children and families at the heart of our thinking and our actions, this strategy sets out how we will work collaboratively to ensure that Slough Borough Council acts within both the spirit and the letter of the 2014 Children and Families Act, and the Childcare Act in terms of securing provision pre-birth to five and childcare beyond in supporting families legal entitlements.
Our Strategy
Our strategy sets out our priorities for the next 5 years and how we are going to deliver them. It includes the outcomes we are trying to achieve; the actions we will take to achieve them and how we will know when we have fulfilled them.
All our priorities are based on an understanding of what we are doing well and what we still need to improve. Some of the things we are going to do are based on what children and young people with their parent carers have told us and we have considered national research and best practice with the key messages from Working Together to Safeguard Children, (DfE 2015, update 2018), the SEND Code of Practice (DfE/DoH 2015) and the Childcare Act 2006 & 2016.
The SEND and Inclusion strategy reflects the five key themes of Slough’s Children and Young People’s plan.
1. Thriving and Achieving 2. Safe 3. Prepared for Adulthood 4. Healthy 5. Loved and Supported
We recognise that improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND is everyone’s responsibility. Having a shared vision and a focused SEND and Inclusion Strategy will turn our vision into reality for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
What does it mean to be inclusive?
Inclusion is the continuous process of increasing the presence, participation, and achievement of all learners in education establishments and childcare settings. This requires educational settings to routinely and regularly review and reflect on their approaches for meeting the needs of those who are at greater risk of marginalisation, exclusion, and underachievement to improve learning and teaching in a way which is a benefit to all. For example, where a child has a disability, they would not be separated from other learners in the setting and learning assessments and progress would take their disability into account. In the United Kingdom the Equality Act of 2010 is the main legislation which lays out disabled people’s rights.
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Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.
• A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:
• Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post 16 institutions.
• SEND is a legal term derived from s.20 of the Children and Families Act 2014. A detailed description can be found in the SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years. Or you can read the easy-read version of the SEND Code of Practice from Mencap.
• The Equality Act 2010 legally protects people from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society.
What does SEND mean?
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In Slough and nationally, we know that there continues to be an increasing number of children and young people needing extra support, both in the short term, and in the longer term. We see this in the rise in Education, Health, and Care plans (EHCP) and hear this from our families, local schools, and settings.
All children and young people with SEND have barriers to learning which means they need additional support in their educational settings to ensure they can fully participate in and benefit from their education. Children and young people do not have to have a diagnosis to be identified as having special educational needs.
Children and young people with SEND may have needs in the following areas:
• Cognition and learning: how children and young people think about and learn new information.
• Communication and interaction: how children and young people express themselves, understand language and interact with others.
• Social, emotional, and mental health: how children and young people manage relationships, their emotions, and how they behave.
• Physical and sensory needs: for example, children and young people with a hearing or visual impairment or a physical disability.
You can find out some facts about SEND in Slough in our Self Evaluation Framework which can be found on the following link.
What do we mean when we talk about the Education System and multi-agency working?
When talking about the education system we are referring to all schools and education providers or settings in Slough, including childcare and early years, primary, secondary, specialist schools, further education (often described as post 16 education), as well as those that offer alternative provision. We are also referring to the Local Authority who support and work with schools and academies to ensure all children and young people aged 0-19 (25 with SEND) are able to access high quality education that prepares them for adulthood. When talking about multi-agency working, we are referring to the education system working collaboratively with our colleagues in the Police, Youth Justice, Housing, Health, Social Care and in the third sector.
What is the local area partnership?
The partnership includes children and young people with SEND, their families and carers, education, health, and care sectors (including the voluntary and community organisations). The partnership is responsible for the strategic planning, commissioning, delivery, management, evaluation, and monitoring arrangements for children and young people with SEND who live in Slough.
SEND in Slough
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Recent years have been challenging for some of our families. In Slough we are doing some things well but there are lots of things we need to get better at, so that more children and young people with SEND have the opportunities they want, need, and deserve.
Slough Borough Council’s financial position is also challenging. The council is subject to a statutory duty not to exceed its financial allocation while at the same time remaining committed to delivering its statutory duty to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. As the number of children with complex needs continues to rise, demand for services exceeds the resources currently available in some areas, commissioners and leaders are faced with difficult challenges around how to work differently while maintaining high quality, ambitious, and responsive services that are impactful and support improved outcomes.
Challenges
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1. Thriving and Achieving To create a system where the majority of children and young people with SEND can thrive in their local, mainstream early years setting, school or college. We want all our education settings to be skilled and confident that they can meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. We want children and young people who need a place in specialist/alternative provision to be able to access this quickly and close to their community.
2. Safe Access to different experiences and services We will improve the social inclusion for children and young people with SEND in Slough, so that they have opportunities to take part in a range of activities individually, with their friends, and with their families.
3. Loved and Supported - Listening to families Listen to what children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers tell us so we can make decisions together.
4. Prepared for Adulthood Support to be independent We want the children and young people that live in Slough to be ambitious for themselves and empowered to live fulfilling and independent adult lives.
5. Healthy
To promote, nurture, support, and maintain positive health and wellbeing outcomes for all children and young people with SEND.
Slough’s strategic partnership priorities
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To create an education system where the majority of children and young people with SEND can thrive in their local mainstream early years setting, school or college. We want all our education settings to be skilled and confident that they can meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. We want children and young people who need a place in specialist/ alternative provision to be able to access this quickly and close to their community.
Overview of current position
• In Slough children and young people do well against many of the key outcome measures. This is a testament to strong leadership and a workforce dedicated to ensuring all children and young people are enabled to do their best. Ofsted inspections in our schools, colleges and early years settings find that a higher percentage are ‘good’ or outstanding compared to the national and regional averages.
• Our outcomes for statutory education are good but our data shows that children’s take up of early years provision is below the national average.
• We have strong Early Years (Ey), Inclusion, and Educational Psychologist support Teams. These teams work with all education providers 0-25 to be inclusive in their practices and support the early identification of need and ongoing support in the educational environments.
• The SEND Early Years team 0-5, including Speech & Language Therapists, Specialist Teachers and Health personnel is a strength. The Early Years Team is proactive, works very well and is focused on early identification of SEN or disability.
• There is strong partnership working between educational setting (0-25) SEND and inclusion leads (SENDCo’s) with the Early Years team and the Inclusion and educational psychology support team.
• This partnership includes the development of the Local Offer for parent and professional advice/support including the Early Years and Preparation for Adulthood toolkits together with Slough’s Ordinarily available offer.
• There is close working with partner agencies such as Speech and language therapy (Salt/ Cypit), the Sensory Consortium (visually and hearing-impaired team), and the Social Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Outreach Service (Sebdos) to provide training and advice.
• Our data informs us that speech language and communication and autism are the largest areas of need for pupils who have EHC plans.
• We have recently increased the number of places at Arbor Vale School and Haybrook College. Nevertheless, we do not have enough specialist provision which means that our children and young people are often waiting for a special school place or have to travel out if the local area.
Parents, carers, and young people told us:
• SEND support for children and young people without an EHC plan in some schools can be poor.
• Slough doesn’t have enough specialist provision.
• Children and young people can find attending school/college stressful, and it can affect their mental health.
Priority 1 Thriving and achieving. Inclusion and Education Provision
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What are we going to do?
• We will strengthen our support offer to educational settings. This will improve their work with children and young people with SEND including supporting schools in implementing the agreed Graduated Response. This sets out Slough’s Ordinarily Available Provision and Reasonable Adjustments that should be available to all Children and Young People with or without an EHC plan.
• We will develop a Slough speech and language, all-age autism, and mental health strategy to improve provision in these high incidence areas of SEND.
• We will ensure that we have the right mix, amount, and level of provision to meet the needs of all our children and young people. To do this we will create sufficient specialist and alternative learning provision placements locally (as part of an inclusive approach) to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. This will include early years development centres to make sure that our most complex early years children have the right support from their earliest years.
• We will make sure that SEND support and provision are provided at the right time and make a difference for children and young people who are unable to attend school or an alternative learning provision (Alp) and require different arrangements.
• We will further develop our Early Years and Inclusion and Educational Psychologist support Teams to support settings in meeting the learning needs of children and young people that need support within our mainstream settings.
• We will develop and make sure that all education settings are knowledgeable of, and are using, SEND guidance to support children and young people with SEND from Black and Minority Communities.
• We will create ways for educational settings and Multi Academy Trusts (Mat’s) to share good practice and identify and implement ways to incentivise strong inclusive practice in all educational settings. This should include a focus on evidence based best practice.
We will know we have improved when:
• Educational settings tell us that they have the skills and understanding to meet the needs of the majority of children and young people’s SEND.
• We have sufficient places locally to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND who require a specialist placement.
• Children and young people with SEND are achieving their identified outcomes.
• Early years pupils with complex SEND have their needs identified and met through strong multi agency working before statutory school age.
• Data indicators for all areas are listed in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework is in Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us:
• Children and young people enjoy attending nursery, school training or employment.
• Children and young people have access to the right learning environment, at the right times helping them to thrive and achieve their aspirations.
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• Children and young people’s needs are identified early, and they receive the right support at the right time.
• Children and young people have the equipment, services, and the additional support that they need to fully participate in school, training, or work.
• Families report that they are confident and satisfied with the SEND support being given to their children.
1b Communication and interaction: Autism (Asc)
Overview of current position
• We have offered Autism Education Trust (Aet) training to all educational settings in Slough.
• The Slough Local Offer gives links to resources to support children and young people with Universal and targeted support for speech language and communication difficulties and or autism.
• The Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust have neurodiversity services that include:
o Autism Assessment Team for Children &
Young People
o Adhd Team for Children& Young People
o Autism Assessment Team for adults
o Adhd Team for adults
• We have Slough All Age Autism Strategy 2024-2029.
What are we going to do?
• We want Slough to be an autism-friendly borough in which children and young people with neurodiverse profiles can live fulfilling and rewarding lives within a society that accepts and understands them, and where they can reach their full potential at all stages of their lives. We will develop an All- Age Autism strategy that will outline intentions, key priorities, and an action plan for neurodiverse children and young people in Slough.
• We will support the development of an Autism Friendly Approach in line with National Strategy for Autistic People and Adults 2021-2026 by:
o Working with community and voluntary
sector to promote access to universal social activities for children and young people who have autism.
o Engaging with partners and
stakeholders to identify the training needs regarding autism and social communication difficulties for the priority groups for continuing professional development. This will include partners from health, social care, education, housing, employment, leisure, police, and criminal justice services to support continuing professional development.
o Expanding vocational options to
support young people who have autism into employment pathways, including supported internships and apprenticeships.
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o Co-designing training with young
people and parents/carers who have lived experience of autism and how best they can be supported at home, in the community and in education.
o Co-designing joint training with schools
to broaden the knowledge around children and young people with autism and how best to support them at home, in the community and in education.
o Developing inclusive environments
across all our partner services by offering training and other encouragement.
o Reducing waiting times for
appointments with the neurodiversity team.
We will know we have improved when:
• There are increased opportunities available in the community for children and young people with neurodiverse conditions as more providers will make reasonable adjustments to be autism accessible.
• Education settings and parents/carers will know how to access training, to boost their understanding of how autism and social communication difficulties affects children and young people and practical ways to support them.
• Children, young people, and their parents/carers will know what they should expect from their education setting and will report that they feel safe and happy within the education setting.
• Children and young people with autism will report that their interactions with Slough Borough Council members of staff are positive and that their needs are recognised and that reasonable adjustments are made.
• Specialist and mainstream services including health, social care, early years, education, employment, leisure, are inclusive, accessible, and accommodating for children, young people, and their parents/carers.
We will know we have been successful when children, young people and their families tell us that:
• Professionals work together to improve educational experiences and outcomes for children and young people with autism.
• The environment in all educational settings promotes a sense of wellbeing, security, and belonging for children and young people with autism.
• The network of professionals and the wider community around them really understand the needs of the children and young people with autism.
• Children and young people with autism have a greater choice of activities that they can access.
1c Speech and language communication needs (Slcn)
Overview of current position
• The Early Years team continue to improve and update the materials within the local speech and language toolkit, currently known as Italk.
• The early years settings in Slough continue to identify and train an early language lead practitioner (Ellp) to lead practice.
• Makaton training has been delivered to early years settings.
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• The speech and language therapy (Salt) Early Years team have developed several initiatives to enable children, young people, and families to get information and advice at the earliest opportunity.
• Berkshire Health Foundation Trust (Bhft) telephone advice line has been put in place for parents and professionals to use. They are able to speak directly to a speech and language therapist.
• Early years/nursery training sessions for speech and language therapy are being developed following feedback from the surgeries.
• An early years speech and language information pack has been developed implemented and is in the process of being updated.
• The Speech and Language Therapy team have developed a screening tool for schools as well as a mainstream schools service (Mss) resource pack.
• All mainstream schools within the current service level agreement have a named speech and language contact who offers termly planning meetings and consultations where children for whom there are concerns can be discussed, and to whom referrals can be made directly.
What are we going to do?
• We will embed consistent messages to parents/carers about the importance of the home learning environment and what is important in supporting communication and language development.
• We will develop a children and young people’s speech and language strategy that will outline intentions, key priorities, and an action plan for supporting children and young people with speech and language difficulties. This strategy will contain:
o A joined-up speech and language
pathway that outlines services for all children from universal to specialist.
o A primary and secondary language
programme to target children and young people at Key Stages 3 and 4, whose speech, language, and communication needs have not previously been identified.
o Strategies to strengthen the ways we
can promote speech, language and communication awareness across education settings and services who work directly with the Key Stages 3 and 4, as well as the post 16 SEND population.
o Information for how it will support the
educational settings Language Champion initiative.
We will know we have improved when:
• Education settings tell us that they feel confident in delivering speech and language provision as part of their ordinarily available provision.
• The number of pupils who have speech language and communication identified as their primary need on their EHC plan reduces.
• The number of children and young people who are referred to speech and language therapy reduces.
• The waiting time for speech and language therapy reduces.
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• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when children, young people, and their families, tell us:
• Their child receives support for their speech and language needs in a timely manner.
• Children and young people’s speech, language and communication needs are identified effectively and quickly.
• Parents and carers feel supported with information and resources to be the primary communicative partners for their child.
1d Mental Health
Overview of current position
• Several schools in Slough have trained a senior mental health lead.
• Slough Educational Psychologists offer annual Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (Elsa) training. Elsa is embedded in Slough schools.
• The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) offer has expanded considerably since Slough’s last Local Area SEND inspection with several new services now available, and a workforce that has almost doubled.
• There has been a reduction in waiting times across CAMHS.
• In 2024 Berkshire Healthcare developed a CAMHS Learning Disability Team to support children and young people with learning disabilities to access specialist support. Thrive (the Thrive Approach is a dynamic, developmental and trauma-sensitive approach to meeting the emotional and social needs of children). is embedded within many of our schools. We have a strong Semh outreach team (Sebdos) who support educational settings in Slough.
What are we going to do?
• We will deliver and embed Emotionally Based School Avoidance (Ebsa) and school avoidance training.
• All schools will develop a trauma informed inclusion strategy to ensure pupil are supported by trauma informed practitioners.
• We will support young carers and sibling carers to reduce their risk of developing emotional wellbeing and mental health issues themselves.
• We will provide an alternative provision for those pupils whose mental health needs mean that they are unable to access mainstream education.
• Educational settings will feel confident in supporting children and young people who are presenting with high anxiety.
• We will reduce the time children and young people with mental health difficulties have to wait before they receive support.
• We will agree how we are going to keep track of children and young people with social emotional and mental health difficulties and provide support earlier so that we can stop their lives from becoming too challenging.
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We will know we have improved when:
• Educational settings feel confident in supporting children and young people who are presenting with high anxiety.
• Children and young people, together with their parents/carers, l feel supported when their mental health is a barrier to accessing education.
• The number of ‘school refusers’ for emotionally based reasons decreases.
• Children and young people and their families report that they feel that they have the emotional resilience to manage everyday events.
• Children and young people feel safe in their educational environment.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us:
• The mental health support that children and young people receive from professionals has resulted in a tangible difference.
• That children and young people can access education with a reduced level of anxiety.
• They have the right knowledge and support at the right time to help with their physical and mental health.
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We will improve the social inclusion for children and young people with SEND in Slough, so they have opportunities to take part in a range of activities individually, with their friends and with their families/carers.
Overview of current position
• Slough has a SEND Youth Forum where they take an active part in decisions that affect children and young people in Slough with SEND.
• Slough offers a Holidays and Food (Haf) Programme (for children and young people in receipt of benefits related free school meals.
Parents, carers, and young people told us:
• Access to after school clubs, holiday clubs and sports activities can be difficult for children and young people with SEND.
• Feeling secure and having a sense of emotional and social safety is a crucial part of children and young people’s wellbeing. This included being able to be themselves without having to mask.
• The continued support from family members and being included in family activities is important. As is having friends who understand their needs, offer comfort, and include them in social circles. Online safety was another concern raised, stating that children and young people could benefit from more tools to help to keep them safe on the internet and social media.
• Young people felt that knowing what to do if they get lost or should an emergency arise would be beneficial.
• For all children and young people, a supportive environment is an important factor for thriving; a “positive vibes area,” or a “third space.” By this they meant a place outside of home and school where they can relax and recharge, providing an inclusive environment for a healthy social life.
• The importance of family members providing continued support and making them feel included in family activities.
What are we going to do?
• We will ensure a stronger support network and opportunities for young people who are in the 18 to 25 age phase so that social opportunities don’t just stop.
• We will work in collaboration with partners to improve the accessibility of holiday activities, after school clubs and sports and art activities for children and young people with SEND.
• We will support and signpost wellbeing groups for parents/carers so that they feel empowered and more able to access activities in the community for themselves and for their child.
• We will develop volunteering opportunities for young people with SEND in their communities to allow them to experience a range of different experiences. We will support the council’s approach to working with the voluntary community and social enterprise organisations to make sure enough support is available for children and young people with SEND.
Priority 2 Safe. Feeling safe and included
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• We will Develop and support non- educational Inclusion Champions within the community to educate and advocate for inclusion across all areas and sections of our Slough community. This will raise awareness of the importance of making reasonable adaptations and creating opportunities outside of school for children and young people in all aspects of their lives. Make sure our Local Offer is easy to access, navigate and includes up-to-date and accessible information about community activities and resources available to children and young people with SEND. Provide community short breaks that are based on experience of children and young people and parent carers who use them and make sure that they are helpful to families. Work with all children and young people so that they understand diversity, what they can do with peers with SEND to make them feel valued and create a sense of belonging in education settings. Increase the number of community activities that are available and make sure different groups of children with SEND can take part. Set up a safety online and in our community good practice group for educational settings and encourage them to share their good practice.
We will know we have improved when:
• Young people and their parents have greater opportunities to access out of school activities.
• There is an increased choice of appropriate good holiday and after school provision for children and young people with SEND.
• There are greater opportunities to volunteer within the community for children and young people with SEND.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when children and young people tell us:
• Children and young people that they lead happy and fulfilling lives.
• Children and young people with SEND tell us that they have an active and interesting life, feeling fully involved in family activities and that they are able to socialise in appropriate groups/activities outside of school.
• Children and young people with SEND and their families can access a supportive environment including a strong support network to support their well-being.
• Children and young people with SEND are able to play, have friends and socialise.
• Children and young people with SEND and their families feel safe in their home and valued in my community.
• Children and young people with SEND and their families are included in their community.
• Children and young people with SEND and their families have the knowledge to keep themselves safe online, when they are lost or in another emergency situation.
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Listening to what children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers tell us so that we can make decisions together.
Overview of current position
• We have a communications and engagement strategy.
• We have a Local Offer website.
• We have strong governorship (appendix 3).
• We have a successful Parent Carer Forum, ‘Special Voices’ who take an active part within the Slough Local Area.
• A successful Slough Youth Forum has been developed. We have developed Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy 2024
• We have a SEND parent newsletter.
Children, young people, and their parents/ carers told us:
• All professionals need to listen to children, young people, and their parents/carers so that they understand their lived experiences and work together.
• They need to know what’s happening, why decisions are being made and have a voice that is heard.
• They need to feel understood by teaching staff.
What are we going to do?
• We will improve our Local Offer so that it is easy to use for families and includes information that children and young people with SEND as well as their parents need.
• We will make sure that we know our Local Offer well so we can signpost families effectively.
• We will embed the Children and Young People’s Participation Strategy 2024 at the heart of how we engage with children and young people across Slough so that their voices are heard and acted upon.
• We will increase the level of involvement of children and young people in decision making in relation to their own agency at SEN Support Level and in their contributions to their EHCP outcomes.
• We will ensure closer working with Special Voices and other groups so that the views of children and young people and their families influence the work we do with ‘You Said, We Did’ feedback part of all co-production activity.
• We will ensure that communication with parents/carers from services across education, health and social care and Slough Borough Council is clear, timely, consistent, and helpful, so that parents/carers are well informed and enabled to participate in co- production meaningfully. We will develop a SEND co-production strategy that outlines how we will work co-productively across all teams with parents/carers.
• We will make sure that we hear and act on the views of children and young people, their parents/carers who we don’t usually hear from, recognising the additional things we need to do to build trust and keep people safe during conversations.
• We will make sure leaders and people who work directly with children, young people and their families spend time in local communities and educational settings, so that they understand what life is like for children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers to inform their decisions.
Priority 3 Loved and supported
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We will know we have improved when:
• The views of children and young people and their families help to develop Slough services.
• We have the right services in place to support children, young people, and their families/carers.
• Children and young people and their parents/carers voices are seen as important and heard across the Local Area.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us:
• That the Local Offer is accessible, and the information is relevant.
• That they can express themselves, speak out and are listened to.
• That it is easy to access the services they require for information and support.
• That theyknow where to find information, local services, and know how to get help with understanding their rights.
• That people work together to provide me with support, so they don’t have to repeat themselves.
• That they feel that they have a say in the way that services are developed and delivered.
3a Delivery of services to the people of Slough
Develop a culture of professional trust and respect, sharing expertise, data, and resources to deliver our priorities with equity, timeliness and compassion to all children young people and their families across Slough.
Overview of current position
• Slough Borough Council has a secure, settled senior leadership team.
• We have developed a comprehensive data dashboard.
• A multi-agency EHC plan Quality Assurance Toolkit is used effectively.
• We have strong partnership governance.
What parents, carers, children, and young people said:
• They need a service that communicates effectively to parents and carers. A service that cares about the mental health of people with SEND and the mental health of parents and carers.
• They want to deal with the same person wherever possible.
• They want a signposted “front door” where they can go and talk to someone face to face even if they are not their case officer.
• They need to have a service where the phones and emails are answered in a timely manner.
• They want us to improve the time that assessments and appointments take to happen.
• They want all staff to be educated and understanding of a child’s needs to apply appropriate accommodations to their services and ensure a more comfortable experience for children, young people, and their families.
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What are we going to do?
• Develop a simple Outcomes Framework to record the educational journey taken by our Children and young people with SEND so that we can monitor the impact of our services through our annual Children and Young People and Parent/Carer Survey.
• Develop a comprehensive data set for SEND and inclusion, which brings together education, health and care and publish updates on the local offer website. Agree a partnership approach to recruiting and keeping permanent staff based on a strong understanding of the things which make people want to work in Slough and improving the things that make people want to leave.
• Identify improvements needed in information sharing between services and possible digital solutions.
• Develop quality assurance measures for high quality health and social care contributions for EHCP needs assessments and annual reviews. Ensure staff wellbeing across the Children and Young Peoples services and our settings is a key consideration so that they are supported and, in turn, that they are better able to support our children and young people. Develop a SEND Workforce Development Offer within Slough Borough Council and with Slough education settings to support recruitment and retention. This will include the Learning Academy on the Local Offer and a Slough Borough Council SEND Induction Programme.
• All services across education, health and social care will have arrangements to evaluate the impact of their work and use this information effectively to work together to improve experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.
• Develop and extend opportunities for practitioners across education, health & care to learn more about their roles and how to work together effectively.
• Develop and implement a successful recruitment and retention strategy for the Childrens Services Directorate.
• Develop and deliver a SEND team workforce development and Induction programme linked to Kpi’s and individual performance development targets.
• Develop and deliver a school workforce development and induction programme for teaching assistants, Early career teachers and new SENDCo’s through Slough’s Learning academy.
• To embed person-centred approach in all meetings.
• Develop an outcomes dashboard that focuses on what is important to children and young people and how we measure progress for that.
• Ensure efficient use of resources through sharpening our focus on the impact and outcomes for children and young people.
• Services will be sustainable within the limits of the High Needs Budget.
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We will know we have improved when:
• Employee retention will improve.
• We will receive fewer complaints.
• Our SEND Statutory compliance around EHC needs assessments and responding to annual reviews will improve.
• Employees will have the knowledge and information to make them feel confident to support the families’ children and young people within Slough.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us:
• Children and young people, parents and carers will say that they can contact professionals in a timely manner.
• Employees will feel supported and have the resources and knowledge that they require to feel confident to deliver services.
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We want the children and young people that live in Slough to be ambitious for themselves and empowered to live fulfilling and independent adult lives.
Overview of current position
• We have an agreed ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ strategy that is in the process of being embedded.
• We offer pupils supported Internships.
• The Early Years team, work with parents and nursery settings to offer support on sign posting and accessing health, education, and care services.
What parents, carers children and young people said:
• Provide more support to parents and carers earlier before their child becomes an adult.
• Know who the adult social worker will be earlier.
• More choice for adult services.
• More information about college and other options.
• Better transitions.
• “I know what I want to do but I don’t know how to get there” and all of the other group members agreed that they would benefit from more support around planning for their future.
• a need for more inclusive work experience opportunities for young people in an environment where they feel comfortable.
• Children and young people did not always feel like the adults in their life were ambitious for them due to them not always providing appropriate guidance about their future.
• Knowing what to do if they get lost or should an emergency arise would be beneficial.
What are we going to do?
• We will be pro-active in gathering feedback from young people about their aspirations and use this to commission pathways that will enable them to pursue their goals.
• We will engage with children and young people who are likely to require further support or bespoke pathways to pursue their aspirations and convene local education providers and wider partners to shape corresponding pathways.
• We will further develop vocational options to support young people who have SEND onto employment pathways, including supported internships and apprenticeships.
• We will engage with local employers, in the private, public, and voluntary sectors, and support them to develop opportunities for young people with SEND to make a successful transition to the world of work.
• We will ensure that there is a strong, joint local offer of education, health, and care options to enable young people with the most complex needs to make a successful transition to adult life.
• We will work with education settings to promote more lessons on life skills, including, travelling, money management, and learning about paying bills.
• We will deliver and expand independent travel training offer.
• We will enable parents and carers to access information that helps them to support their children and young people to make decisions about their future.
• We will develop day activities for young people over the age of 18 that wish to be active in the community but may not wish to access education, employment, or training.
Priority 4 Preparation for Adulthood
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• We will improve children and young people’s experiences of moving between educational settings including into college, post 16 provisions, and between children and adults’ services through well thought out transition planning.
We will know we have improved when:
• There are a wider range of courses for young people with SEND to engage in which will allow for progress either towards developing life skills or employment.
• Children and Young people will develop their skills to allow them to be as independent as they can be.
• Young people will be able to take a more active role in their community and access a wide range of activities.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us:
• Young people will say that there are the right courses, training, and volunteering opportunities available to them that support their aspirations.
• Parents and Young people will report that they have information to make informed career decisions.
• Parents and young people will say that they have developed the skills to be as independent as possible.
• Increased participation of young people in decisions concerning their preparation to adulthood.
• Young people who have completed Independent Travel Training will report that they feel confident about traveling independently to school.
• That they understand their own citizenship, including budgeting, paying taxes and their rights.
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To promote, nurture, support, and maintain positive health and wellbeing outcomes for all children and young people with SEND.
Overview of current position
• We have a strong Newborn Hearing Screening and Sensory Consortium Programme which ensures early identification of hearing loss and supports families with timely access to a Qualified Teacher of the Deaf. This secures early intervention and support for the children and families who need it. The same approach is taken for children with visual impairment and other sensory needs. Education Settings and parents are provided with high quality support that is valued. The Sensory Consortium has been commissioned by Slough to provide these services.
• There are health representatives that attend the weekly SEND panel.
• There are online referrals for some services by Berkshire Healthcare.
• The Neuro-Developmental Pathways (Ndp) are being redesigned based on the NHS England initiatives. Transformation leads have been identified and inaugural governance has been established.
• Specialist School nursing team screen all children with significant health needs before starting school to ascertain health/nursing need - nursing assessment and care plans carried out accordingly.
• Specialist school nurses attend admission panel for Arbor Vale school for children with complex needs.
• Neurodiversity Service have increased the number of clinics including offering weekend clinics to address waiting times.
• The Bhft Neurodiversity service offer a holistic assessment, which includes consideration of differential and/or co- occurring conditions. Assessment reports focus on support with recommendations for identified challenges and needs along with any signposting, resources or onward referral required.
• Children adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) have introduced a new Children and Young Person (Cyp) Mental Health Support service based in the Gp surgeries. They provide specialist mental and emotional health and neurodiversity support for children, young people (under 18), and their families, including connecting them to the most appropriate support at the earliest opportunity.
• The CAMHS offer has expanded considerably since our last SEND inspections with a number of new services now available, and a workforce that has almost doubled.
What parents, carers and young people said:
• Waiting times are too long.
• We need clear information about the services that are available.
• Professionals to listen to parents/carers.
• More support for children with SEND in terms of Salt Ot and sensory integration.
• Having access to inclusive physical activities.
• Access to therapies to address mental health needs especially around social isolation and anxiety.
What are we going to do?
• We will improve access to health provision within school for children and young people where Health provision has been identified in their EHC plan.
Priority 5 Healthy
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• We will improve access to education for children/young people with health needs, including Semh, through early intervention.
• We will deliver partnership workforce training and development, and personalised planning in line with the graduated approach.
• We will further develop the system which provides a clear plan and seamless transition for young people moving into adult services with complex health needs.
• We will provide access to high quality educational and psychology advice and consultancy.
• We will review and improve the identification of children with SEND in the Early Years, including the effectiveness of the SEND Under 5’s process and links with Ehcna process.
• The children and young people’s autism and Adhd pathways will move towards a needs led model of assessment, which should see an improvement to waiting times.
• CAMHS will structure services in a more needs led way, based around the principles of ithrive.
• The children and young people’s autism and Adhd pathways will be transformed to shift towards a needs led model of assessment which should see an improvement to waiting times.
We will know we have improved when:
• Reduced waiting times for therapy appointments.
• Children and young people’s needs are identified at the right time.
• Professionals, children and young people and parents/carers will know where and how to access health services.
• Therapies outlined in the EHC plan will be delivered to all children and young people across Slough.
• Waiting times, and/or clinical diagnosis are not a barrier to accessing the information and support they require and are needs led.
• Data indicators for all areas in Appendix 1.
• Parent carer and young people outcomes framework Appendix 2.
We will know we have been successful when families, children and young people tell us.
• They know where to get the correct information and advice to support their health needs at the earliest point of time.
• Children and young people and the people who care for them feel supported to be as healthy as they can be.
• Children and young people and their parent/carers with long term conditions report that their condition is well managed.
• SEND - Special Educational Needs and Disability
• Special Voices - Sloughs Parent Carer Forum
• Local Offer - The local offer is a wide range of information about all the support and facilities which families can expect to find in their area for children and young people who have special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities
• Neurodiversity - is the different ways a person’s brain processes information
Glossary Abbreviations
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• Adhd - Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder
• Asc - Autistic Spectrum Condition
• Bhft - Berkshire Health Foundation Trust
• Cyp - Children and Young People
• CAMHS - Children, Adolescent Mental Health Services
• EHC Plan - Education Health and Care
• Ehcna - Education Health and Care Needs Assessment
• Gp - General Practice Doctors
• NHS - National Health Service
• Salt - Speech and Language Therapy
• Slcn - Speech Language and Communication Needs
• Semh - Social Emotion and Mental Health
No. of Cyp for whom Slough maintains an EHC Plan No. of Cyp for whom Slough maintain an EHC Plan that attend a Slough school No. of Cyp identified with SEN support in Slough Schools No. of Cyp identified with an EHCP in Slough schools No. of Cyp with SEN support missing in education (Cme) No. of Cyp with an EHCP missing in education (Cme) No. of Cyp with SEN support electively home educated (Ehe) No. of Cyp with an EHCP electively home educated (Ehe) % of school aged Children Looked After with SEN support % of school aged Children Looked After with EHCP % of school aged Children in Need with a disability % of school aged Children in Need with SEN support % of school aged Children in Need with EHCP % of 16-17 year olds with SEN support Eet % of 16-17 year olds with EHCP Eet No. of stages 1 SEND complaints received to LA Average number of days taken to resolve stage 1 complaints No. of SEND complaints resolved within timescale No. of SEND complaints received to LA partially or fully upheld Percentage of SEND complaints received to LA partially or fully upheld No. of referrals received for Sendiass No. of requests for an EHC mediation No. of EHC mediation cases that have been held No. of SEND tribunal appeals registered No. of requests for EHC needs assessments received Late running EHC needs assessments Late running EHC needs assessments between 21 to 30 weeks Late running EHC needs assessments between 31 to 40 weeks Late running EHC needs assessments between 41 to 52 weeks Late running EHC needs assessments over 52 weeks No. of requests for EHC needs assessment refused No. of EHC plans issued following assessment Number of Annual Reviews completed each month
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Appendix 1: Data indicators for all areas
Conversation rate from Draft Plans one month to Final Plans next month (%) Proportion of Request for Assessment are accepted* (%) % of children who received a 2-2½ year child development review Child development: % of children achieving the expected level in communication skills at 2 to 2½ years Child development: % of children achieving the expected level in personal social skills at 2 to 2½ years Child development: % of children achieving a good level of development at 2 to 2½ years No of EHC health assessments requests received % of EHC health assessments completed within 6 weeks (EASTwide) No of Cyp on the waiting list for Occupational Therapy (Ot) Cyp waiting 53+ weeks for Ot Number on waiting list for Adhd Specialist Pathway (data is Berkshire East-wide) Number on waiting list for Autism Assessment Team 5-18 (data is Berkshire East wide) Number on waiting list for Autism Assessment Under 5 (data is Berkshire East wide) No. of new Ecp plans issued within 20 weeks (including exceptions) % of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (including exeptions) No. of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (excluding exceptions) % of new EHC plans issued within 20 weeks (excluding exeptions) Number of pupils on SEN Support who were recorded as persistently absent (>10%) Number of pupils on Echp who were recorded as persistently absent (>10%) Fixed period exclusion rate for pupils with SEN support as a percentage of the school population Fixed period exclusion rate for pupils with EHCP as a percentage of the school population Permanent exclusion rate for SEN Support pupils as a percentage of the school population Permanent exclusion rate for pupils with an EHCP as a percentage of the school population
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Contents
Introduction Key Objectives Slough’s 5 SEND and Inclusion priorities The Framework When should the Children and Young People’s Outcomes Framework be used? Measuring Success and Impact
Introduction
The Children and Young People’s Partnership Evaluation Framework has been developed to assess the Partnerships progress towards our SEND and Inclusion strategy 2025-2030 outcomes and priorities.
The framework provides a common set of statements that are linked to our 5 main priorities. We will ask children and young people and their parents and carers who have barriers to learning to monitor the impact of our services through our annual Children and Young people and Parent/Carer Survey.
Key Objectives
Universal and Consistent
The framework will be applied to all the outcomes whether they are owned by education, health, social care.
Interactive and transparent
The framework provides ‘easy to understand’ statements this will enable us all to engage positively with children, young people parents’ carers and professionals in a clear and relatable way.
Accountability
The Framework will ensure that children, young people and families are provided with clear lines of accountability in relation to what the SEND partnerships is delivering to meet our outcomes.
Measure success We want to be able to measure the impact of what we do as a partnership not just by using data but also from the perspective of the children, young people their parents and carers who access our services. The Framework will help us to measure progress and implement a cycle of assessment and improvement.
Appendix 2: Parent carer and young people outcomes framework
Children and Young People’s SEND and Inclusion Strategy Evaluation outcomes 2025-2030
Slough’s 5 Priorities
Slough’s strategic partnership priorities.
1. Thriving and achieving. Inclusion and Education Provision To create an education system where the majority of children and young people with SEND can thrive in the local mainstream early years setting, school or college. We want children and young people who need a place in specialist/ alternative provision to be able to access this quickly and close to their community. We want all our education settings to be skilled and confident that they can meet the needs of children and young people with SEND.
2. Safe. Access to different experiences and services We will Improve the social inclusion for children and young people with SEND in Slough, so they have opportunities to take part in a range of activities individually with their friends and with their families/ carers
3. Love and supported. Listening to families Listen to what children and young people with SEND and their parent/carer tell us so we can make decisions together.
4. Prepared for adulthood. Support to be independent We want the children and young people that live in Slough to be ambitious for themselves and empowered to live fulfilling and independent adult lives.
5. Healthy To promote, nurture, support and maintain positive health and wellbeing outcomes for all children and young people with SEND
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Thriving and achieving. Inclusion and Education Provision
Safe. Access to different experiences and services
Love and supported. Listening to families
Prepared for adulthood. Support to be independent
Healthy
I enjoy learning in the education setting or training I attend.
I have an active and interesting life.
I am able to express myself, speak out and I am listened to.
I enjoy school/ training/work.
I have someone I can talk to about my wellbeing or mental health when I need to.
I get the support and encouragement I need to achieve my best.
My family is able to have an ordinary and a happy life most of the time.
I know where to find information and local services and I know how to get help with understanding my rights.
I am supported to plan for my future such as where I live, and how I spend my time.
I have my physical and emotional wellbeing checked at least once a year by a medical professional and if I have a learning disability I have had an annual health check from my 14th birthday onwards.
I have the equipment, services, and additional help I need to fully participate in school/training or work.
I am able to play, have friends and socialise.
My views about services I access are listened to and I can inform them of how I would like services to develop.
I am supported to develop independence skills at home and at school/ training/work.
The carers in my life are as healthy as they can be.
I receive the right support at the right time to help me learn.
I feel safe in my home and valued in my community.
Professionals in my life treat me with respect and understanding.
I have access to volunteering, work experience or training opportunities to learn more about employment.
I have the right knowledge and support at the right time to help with my own physical and mental health.
My achievements are celebrated.
I am included in my community.
I have family and friends in my community.
I know how to access different services and I can access them when I need to.
The Framework
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SEND and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030
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