SEND News

The Local Authority (LA) has decided to stop using the Valuing SEND Somerset Inclusion Tool (SIT). Over the past year, more than 220 schools used the SIT to assess how ready they are to support students with special needs. Many…

Earlier this month, the annual Somerset Supported Employment Conference took place at Taunton Rugby Club.  Supported Employment is a personalised approach to help people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities into real jobs, where they can fulfil their employment aspirations…

Somerset is one of the areas who are involved in the pilot of PINS funded by NHS England and the Department for Education. We have 39 schools taking part each receiving a 37.5 hour package of tailored support. All the…

Being a school governor is a challenging and rewarding role. As education professionals, you could bring valuable insight to another school while gaining experience of school leadership and governance that will support your professional development. Typically, boards meet every half…

Somerset Council’s Libraries service is relaunching its Winter Coat Exchange scheme, designed to support the community by providing access to warm coats for everyone in need. As children settle into the new school year, a ‘Back to School’ appeal has…

On 20th November, the Somerset Council building joined schools and other buildings, including the Eiffel Tower and Chichen Itza, celebrating the global day of action from UNICEF for children, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the…

#LearnForLove is a programme within Connect Somerset, a partnership between Somerset Council, Somerset NHS, Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprises (VCFSEs), schools, colleges and early years settings, which aims to make it easier for Somerset residents to get the help…

Our officers and councillors, like everyone else in the country, have been waiting to hear what the budget this week might mean for us. And while we are digesting those messages, again like everyone else, I wanted you to know…

This month, we’re highlighting our Health pages to ensure you have all the information you need. Whether you’re a parent carer unsure about how to approach your young person’s health, or a young person wanting to explore your options, our…

The Somerset Parent Carer Forum was delighted to host the second “Let’s Talk SEND and Inclusion” event of the year on the 8th of October at St Andrew’s Church Hall, Taunton. This event was an opportunity for parent carers and…

It’s been a busy couple of months for The Unstoppables. We have been involved in lots of important conversations and sharing our lived experiences. Some exciting work we’ve been a part of is the ‘Childhood to Adult Charter’ which is…

In the UK, between 2% and 5% of school-age children are currently considered to have ADHD (Gov.uk). As part of ADHD Awareness Month, we would like to highlight FREE online learning available to parents and carers of children who may…

Somerset Educational Psychology Service (ELSA) recently gained feedback from pupils who have taken part in ELSA sessions to understand their views on the effectiveness of ELSA. What is ELSA? ELSA stands for Emotional Literacy Support Assistant. Teaching Assistants, and other…

Connect Somerset is about all professionals from across the public and community sectors working in partnership to help families and residents. We are continuously updating the Connect Somerset website https://connectsomerset.org.uk/ to provide our partners with the tools and communications to…

For the children and young people (CYP) we support, our purpose is to ensure that challenges they face in childhood do not define their lives or limit their opportunities. Our Children and Young People’s focused service is designed to meet…

The voices of children and young people have been instrumental in shaping the new Somerset Children and Young People’s Plan. Over 6,000 children and young people in Somerset have shared their insights on what they need to lead healthy and…

An exciting opportunity for Parent Carers, School staff and Professionals across Education, Care and Health to attend a 3-hour webinar working collaboratively to support neurodivergent children and young people focussing on how the SCERTS framework can be useful for a…

Happy new term! It feels already like we are well into autumn and there are lots of things happening. From us at the council, our big ask is that everyone take a moment to consider our Consultation on Funding and…

Somerset residents are asked to have their say on the way services for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are funded. The consultation runs until the 21st of October and the results will be published as part of the…

Your regular bitesize update for new or updated information, services for professionals supporting children and young people aged 0-25 years old with additional needs in Somerset, and their families. So what was new during the summer holidays and start of…