Norfolk Area Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND) Strategy 2019-2024
Norfolk Area Special Educational Needs
and/or Disability (SEND) Strategy
2019-2024
This strategy is the plan for how SEND services
in Norfolk will be improved
Autumn 2022
Changing lives together 2
This Norfolk Area SEND Strategy has been updated and developed by representativ es from across the council and health services in co-production with parent/carer organisations and Norfolk’s education providers.
Select the logo links for more information
What does co-production mean in Norfolk? Working together and communicating as equals. Understanding and valuing one another’s unique insights and expertise to create a plan to bring about positive change
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Contents
Page 4 Introduction
Page 5 Local context
Page 10 Priorities overview
Page 11 Priority 1 - Working together with children and young people with SEND
Page 12 Priority 2 - Improving what is in place for families and professionals to support children and young people with SEND
Page 13 Priority 3 - Communicating the SEND services and support available in Norfolk
Page 14 Priority 4 - Preparing young people for adult life
Page 15 Action plan
Page 16 What will the future look like?
Page 18 How to find out more
Page 19 Appendix 1: Text description of key information shown in charts
When we talk about
services, we mean organised systems that
meet needs, such as schools, colleges, health services, home-to-school
transport and social
services
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Introduction
We’re very happy to share our updated Norfolk SEND Area Strategy for 2022-23. We have the same four key priorities agreed in 2019 based on the outcomes set out by Norfolk Children and Young People Strategic Alliance (Cypsa).
These priorities keep the focus on making sure Norfolk is a place for every child and young person to Flourish no matter what their start in life or what level of help and support they need to achieve their full potential. Having worked closely with the Department for Education this year, we know our local plan fits well with national plans that the Government is likely to set out later this year.
The priorities are:
• Working together with children and young people (Cyp) with SEND • Improving what is in place for families and professionals to support children and young people with SEND • Communicating the SEND services and support available in Norfolk • Preparing young people for adult life
In this update we’ll be sharing a little more about the work we’ve carried out so far to improve and transform the lives of children and young people with SEND.
We’ve been working on 109 separate actions to improve services where Ofsted/Care Quality Commission told us it was most needed, and we await our re-visit later this year.
We’ve also been doing lots of work to make sure we understand the experience of children and young people with SEND, their parents/carers and the professionals who work with them. More than 1,200 people responded to our wide-ranging SEND survey this year which is helping us build a picture of SEND services and provision across education, health, social care and wider community support and has reassured us that our action plans and improvement work are focusing on the right areas.
Looking forward, it is vitally important that we continue to build on our strengths, trusted relationships and determination to work together, to support children and young people with SEND in Norfolk and change lives together.
Sara Tough Executive Director of Norfolk Children's Services
Tracey Bleakley Chief Executive Designate of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care
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Local context
This data gives a snapshot of SEND in Norfolk now.
Students in Norfolk schools 2022 – Reception to Year 13
15,747 have SEN Support (13.7%) - up from 15,015 (12.9%) in 2020 4,357
have an EHCP (3.8%) – up from 3,294 in 2020
115,308 children and young people in primary and secondary education, down from 116,067 in 2020
% of children aged 2 to 5 with EHCP or SEN Support in early years settings
Norfolk 2020 2021 2022
EHCP 0.5 1 1
SEN Support 4 5 5
England 2020 2021 2022
EHCP 0.8 0.9 1
SEN Support 6 6 7
Total number of EHCP 0−25 – up from 6,689 in 2020
8,671
20 weeks
New EHC Plans Issued within 54% Norfolk percentage including exceptional cases for 2022 compared to 20% for 2020
58% National percentage including exceptional cases for 2022 compared to 60% for 2020
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Where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in Norfolk
Where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in England
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Young people with an EHCP in Norfolk by age range 2021 to 2022
At 16 destinations by SEND students (state-funded mainstream schools)
Education
Norfolk 2018/19 83% 2019/20 83%
England 2018/19 81% 2019/20 82%
Apprenticeship
Norfolk 2018/19 4% 2019/20 4%
England 2018/19 4% 2019/20 4%
Employment
Norfolk 2018/19 3% 2019/20 4%
England 2018/19 4% 2019/20 4%
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Norfolk SEN primary need breakdown 2020-21 in schools
Norfolk permanent exclusions (Pex) 3 Term (includes state-funded primary, secondary and special schools)
Norfolk 2019/20 2020/21
Students with an EHCP 4% 10%
Students with SEN Support 50% 44%
Students without EHCP/SEN Support 46% 46%
England 2019/20 2020/21
Students with an EHCP 5% 6%
Students with SEN Support 40% 38%
Students without EHCP/SEN Support 55% 56%
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Norfolk persistent absenteeism (includes state-funded primary, secondary and special schools)
Norfolk 2018/19 2020/21
Students with an EHCP 6% 11%
Students with SEN Support 20% 21%
Students without EHCP/SEN Support 74% 68%
England 2018/19 2020/21
Students with an EHCP 7% 13%
Students with SEN Support 0.2% 0.1%
Students without EHCP/SEN Support 93% 87%
Sources: * Source: School and Pupil Census, Spring 2022
** Source: SEN2 Return 2022
Education, health and care plans government statistics 2022
Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic Year 2019/20 government statistics
Special educational needs in England, Academic Year 2020/21 government statistics
Education, health and care plans, Reporting Year 2022 government statistics
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Our priorities
Priority 1 Working together with children and young people (Cyp) with SEND
Priority 2 Improving what is in place for families and professionals to support
Cyp with SEND
Priority 3 Communicating the SEND services and support available in Norfolk
Priority 4 Preparing young people for adult life
Changing Lives Together
Communicating
Understanding
Valuing
Participating
Developing Co-producing
Consulting
Supporting
Improving
Helping
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Priority 1
Working together with children and young people (Cyp) with SEND
It is important that the education, health and social care needs of Cyp and actions that will help them are identified as soon as possible.
Parents/carers and professionals are supported to work together to understand how they can best help Cyp with SEND to learn and develop.
What needs to happen • Cyp and their parents/carers feel confident about sharing their experiences and that these will be used to shape improvements
• Cyp are supported to have an active role in decision making
• Communication about services is clear and understood by Cyp and their parents/carers and those working with them
• Cyp, their parents/carers and professionals work in co-production to develop ways to share information
• Timely and meaningful assessments are used to plan the support needed to enable Cyp to progress
An example of recent work: • improved knowledge, understanding and skills of school staff who work with Cyp with SEND through sharing good practice
When we talk about professionals, we mean
the people who work
to help and support
children and young
people with SEND.
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Priority 2
Improving what is in place for families and professionals to support children and young people (Cyp) with SEND
It is important that those who plan and provide services and those who use them work together, ensuring that plans for improvement use all relevant information.
What needs to happen
• All those working with or volunteering to support Cyp have the right skills and training for their roles
• Education, health and social care services for Cyp are shaped by a strong commitment to co-production
• All services regularly review how they collect, share and use data
• Those who plan services are using resources effectively
• Cyp and their parents/carers are part of conversations about SEND support, know what to expect and are included in decision making
• Cyp and their parents/carers have access to information to be able to make choices when making placement decisions
A few examples of recent work: • New SEND E-learning module to improve everybody's awareness of SEND and ways of working
• Better information about the provision available in Norfolk schools to help parent/carers make choices
• Developing a new central training framework so all those working with and or volunteering to support Cyp have the right skills and training for their roles
When we talk about
resources, we mean equipment, buildings, people,
time and money.
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Priority 3
Communicating the SEND services and support available in Norfolk
It is important that parents/carers and professionals know how to find out what they can expect, what they can access and how they can all take part in developing plans for improvement.
The Local Offer website is key to sharing SEND information for parents/carers and professionals.
What needs to happen
• Services produce and develop their information in co- production with children and young people (Cyp) and their parents/carers
• Services ensure that information is easy to use and understand, helpful and up to date
• Cyp, parents/carers and professionals work together to continuously review and improve the SEND Local Offer website.
• A wide range of communication methods is used to make sure that information is available to everyone who needs it
A few examples of recent work:
• New Special Educational Needs co-ordinators guide SENCO Guide with quick links to information they need to do their job
• New SEND communications guide SEND Communications Guide to help make sure information is easy to read and understand
• Two new SEND videos helping parents/carers to understand SEN Support and the SEND Local Offer
SEND Local Offer website The place to find SEND
information
The Norfolk local offer The services and support
available in the Norfolk area for Cyp with SEND
and their families
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Priority 4
Preparing young people for adult life
It is important that children and young people (Cyp) with SEND are supported from an early age to develop skills that will enable them to increase independence, make choices and plan for their future.
Services are in place to help all Cyp with SEND transition successfully into an adult life of their own choosing.
What needs to happen
• Cyp are supported to take an active role in their community, including employment and living an independent adult life
• Cyp are supported to understand and look after their health and wellbeing
• Education, health and social care services will work together with Cyp and parents/ carers to understand and meet the needs of Cyp
• Services are shaped by a clear understanding of the needs of Cyp and by reviewing the impact of services on their lives
• All Cyp and their parents/carers will know where to go for help and support with transition and preparing for adult life
A few examples of recent work:
• An employment action group has been set up to improve pathways to work for young people with SEND
• Exploring a wrap around skill development offer for young people with more complex SEND needs to be offered alongside their Post 16 provision
Preparing for adult life (PfAL) outcomes Norfolk has high aspirations for the futures of all Cyp and is committed to achieving the four
PfAL outcomes, which are:
• Being healthy • Having employment • Being part of your community • Independent living
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Action plan
There is an action plan for each of the four priorities
Examples of actions we are working on
Priority 1 – working together with children and young people (Cyp) with SEND: • improve knowledge, understanding and skills of school staff who work with Cyp with SEND
• develop guidance to support educational settings to hold person-centred reviews that fully engage Cyp with SEND and their families
Priority 2 – Improving what is in place for families and professionals to support Cyp with SEND • A co-produced, accessible training platform will be created to inform and offer development opportunities to those that work or volunteer with children and young people with SEND and their families
• Information regarding SEND provision in Norfolk schools will be improved to support parent/carers, children and young people make an informed decision about appropriate school placement
Priority 3 – Communicating the SEND support and services available in Norfolk • Promote opportunities for Cyp with SEND and their parent/carers to get involved and have their say on a range of subjects
• Promote accessibility to all venues in Norfolk
Priority 4 – Preparing young people (Yp) for adult life • Develop a ‘buddy’ scheme to support Yp with SEND to develop their skills and confidence when they are out and about in the community
• Develop and publish a plan that makes sure that there is Post 16 education to meet current and future needs
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What will the future look like?
“Listening to children, young people and their families… supporting inclusion,
meeting needs and changing lives together means that...’’
Everyone is committed to
working together
Cyp are ready for education, training and/or employment
Services respond to the changing
needs of Cyp with SEND
Children and young people (Cyp) are supported locally
Services gather feedback and explain
what they will do to improve
Three new specialist schools are opened and existing special schools
have more places
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Over a hundred new learning places are
created in our specialist resource bases
Settings have the resources
to meet needs
Information is co-produced,
accurate and reliable
EHCPs are always high quality and
within the required timescale
Settings confidently identify needs
at an early stage
Settings have an inclusive culture,
supporting Cyp and their needs
Cyp feel confident to aim high and
have ownership of their future
Improved quality and sufficiency of placements for looked after children
with disabilities
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How to find out more
SEND Local Offer for Children and Young People Web pages designed for children and young people aged 10-25 to use.
Making Sense of SEND Regular information and participation events for parent/carers who have a child with SEND
SEND Forum Termly events for SENCos and other SEND professionals, to get updates and specialist advice and support.
SEND Youth Forum New youth forum for 11−25-year-olds where they can share experiences, discuss issues and create change.
Animations Explaining what the Norfolk Local Offer is and how it works and Explaining what SEN Support is and how it works
SEND Bulletin Read the latest edition of the bulletin which features news from across education, social care, health and wider support and subscribed to receive it free by email every half term.
Norfolk SEND Local Offer social media Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
SEND Participation Strategy A plan which sets out how children and young people with SEND can have a say in things which happen in their lives
Visit our SEND
local Offer
website at www.norfolk. gov.uk/SEND
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Appendix 1: Text description of key information shown in charts
Where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in Norfolk
The bar chart shows where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in Norfolk in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020. This year:
• 34% were in mainstream school (down 3%)
• 31% were in special school (up 3%)
• 2% were in elective home education (no change)
• 2% were in alternative provision (down 1%)
• 30% were in further education (no change)
• 0.7% were awaiting provision (no change)
Where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in England
The bar chart shows where children and young people with an EHCP are learning in England in 2022 compared to 2021 and 2020. This year:
• 42% were in mainstream school (no change)
• 37% were in special school (down 1%)
• 0.9% were in elective home education (no change)
• 0.8% were in alternative provision (no change)
• 18% were in further education (no change)
• 1% were awaiting provision (no change)
Young people with an EHCP in Norfolk by age range 2021 to 2022
The bar chart showing children and young people with an EHCP in Norfolk by age range. In 2022 there are:
• 318 under-fives (59 more than 2021)
• 2,223 five to 10 year olds (116 more than 2021)
• 2,799 11 to 15 year olds (351 more than 2021)
• 1,966 16 to 19 year olds (70 more than 2021)
• 1,365 20 to 25 year olds (322 more than 2021)
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Norfolk SEN primary need breakdown 2020-21 in schools
Bar chart showing Norfolk Special Educational Needs primary need breakdown in schools from 2020 to 2021 in Norfolk.
• Social, emotional and mental health (Semh) accounted for 22%
• Speech language and communication needs 19%
• Moderate learning difficulty 17%
• Specific learning difficulty 13%
• Autism spectrum disorder 9%
• Sen support but no specialist assessment of type of need 6%
• Other difficulty/disability 6%
• Physical disability 3%
• Severe learning difficulty 2%
• Visual impairment 1%
• Hearing impairment 1%
• Multi-sensory impairment 0.7%
• Profound and multiple learning difficulty 0.3%
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