One of Somerset’s greatest assets but also greatest challenges is its rural geography.  Whilst the vast expanse of countryside provides much beauty and opportunity it also presents some of our biggest obstacles in achieving the ambition that all children can…

Our SEND Young Persons Champion has written about the youth event see details below 😊 On August 6th it was the youth event where young people came to meet and do some important work. The Youth groups that attended was…

Founded by Inclusive Employers, National Inclusion Week (NIW) is a week dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. This year’s theme is, ‘Take Action Make Impact’ #TakeActionMakeImpact. It highlights not just taking action, but also understanding…

After a few challenging years in the building and development of Somerset’s Specialist Free School we are incredibly excited to share news of the appointment of a Multi Academy Trust to run the provision.  Over the school summer holiday Local…

Transparent Language Online offers Somerset Libraries members the chance to learn over 110 different languages for free! Suitable for everyone to complete, from beginners to those wanting to improve their language skills. It offers a wide range of learning tools suitable for…

Somerset Council has been at the centre of developing a range of initiatives for those young people with SEND who aspire to having employment opportunities as part of their future life choices. Supported Internships have been running for over 10…

Celebrating and sharing the many successes of our children and young people with SEND is a crucial element of us being able to grow a truly inclusive society.  For our future issues of SEND news we would like to invite…

The Somerset SEND Network groups 23-24 will be starting shortly. They are intended for SENCOs and take place 3 times a year face-to-face. There will also be 3 newsletters per year, with service updates.  The Networks are run in 6…

Welcome back to a new academic year, we hope you all had a wonderful summer, although it almost feels like our summer was before the schools broke up and since they came back! Over the summer the Inclusion Transformation team…

The Department for Education has published a short survey to seek the views of early years practitioners, teachers, school and setting leaders on assessment in the EYFS. The survey includes questions on assessment of children with special education needs and…

Have you ever considered undertaking a degree look no further there is a new Foundation Degree in Education and Development. The Degree features three specialist pathways including: SEND Teaching and Learning Outdoor Learning Please see flyer below for more details:…

The Hearing Support Team is part of the Children and Young People’s specialist service (previously known as SPOT), SEND and Inclusion support Somerset. The Hearing Support Team works with children and young people from birth up to 25 years old (post 16…

Welcome to the final issue of SEND news for this academic year. It has certainly been a year of change for Inclusion services at the Local Authority, and for me as the strategic manager for Inclusion Transformation. We end the…

On the 18th of July, the government launched a consultation seeking views on the proposed Disability Action Plan and the new areas for action it includes. The consultation is aimed at anyone with an interest in the action the government…

In April 2024, Ofsted will commence inspections of services that are registered to provide supported accommodation for looked-after children and care leavers aged 16 or 17. Our primary focus is to ensure that these services effectively support and safeguard children.…

The Ministry of Justice has recently published a toolkit to help parents and carers better understand their rights and what they need to do under the Mental Capacity Act to manage the finances of their child – should they lose the…

For June’s meeting, we attended a Family Fun Day at Brookside Academy, organised by Somerset Parent Carer Forum & Community Inclusion Activity Team. Our SEND Young Persons Champion has written about the day below 😊 Brookside Family Fun Day by…

With the summer holidays fast approaching, it feels like a good time to reflect on the work that has taken place this year. It was exciting to see the creation of a new foundation degree with a Special Educational Needs…

In 2021, the Inclusion Champions Network was established, uniting a dedicated group of employees and volunteers from across the system in Somerset. The primary goal is to create and embed an inclusive culture that supports individuals with Special Educational Needs…

We are pleased to inform you that the latest updated pre-assessment pathway documents for Autism and ADHD are now available on our website. These documents have been carefully developed in collaboration with education, health, and care colleagues, as well as…