We have created a list of Hard Cases and schools are being notified if one of the pupils in the school needs this additional focus to bring the issues that have been raised to a positive solution.  As we progress…

The day runs from 10am-2pm and will be packed with exciting and inclusive activities run by our providers for children with disabilities and their families to try out. These include drumming, laser tag, badge making, tabletop games, giant Jenga, cricket,…

We’re trying to increase collaboration between professionals and their community, and increase the amount of early help that’s available for families and residents.  So the emphasis is absolutely on the existing brilliant joint working, volunteering, community resource such as hubs…

May’s Unstoppables meeting was full of hard work and laughter. We had a busy agenda to work through with some important topics to have discussions about. The topic for the meeting was the ‘CYPP’ (Children and young peoples plan). Every…

I have recently taken on responsibility for SEND Commissioning, alongside the fantastic Inclusion Commissioning Team currently working to Nathan.  I’ll mainly focus on strengthening our commissioning of Independent Non-Maintained Schools and Alternative Provision, getting data, costs and quality under control,…

What is the purpose of this consultation survey? We want people to have their say on the draft document to create a fully co-produced final version. The draft content in this document has already been developed by various stakeholder groups,…

As the half-term holiday approaches, local organisations are collaborating to support children and young people and prevent concerns around violence in key town centre locations. Sergeant Charmaine Dyne, Early Intervention Team, Avon and Somerset Police who is leading on this…

This survey has been designed to help us understand the support available for children and young people and what would be helpful. The survey will be used to help us decide how we do things in Somerset, with the view…

Calling all School SENCo’s – there is now an online webinar available to support you through School Entry Planning process. https://somersetcounciltraining.co.uk/Event/233435  As a School SENCo your role is to ensure children have a positive transition from their early years setting…

 Let’s Talk SEND & Inclusion Events We are delighted to announce the first of our Let’s Talk SEND & Inclusion events for this year. This event is for parent carers and practitioners in Somerset. The event will include a range of…

This half-day training session is open to any number of members from your school team at all stages of their careers. The training will take place at Hestercombe House and Gardens with access to the gallery. You are welcome to…

Date: Thursday 27th June 2024  Time: 4pm – 5:30pm (with 30mins optional supervision) Venue: Online  Price: Free for Somerset Schools This networking event is designed to help teachers and art leaders use the creative arts and music within Primary, Special School…

Earlier this academic year we held several consultation events with Somerset Wellbeing Framework schools and partners to discuss areas for development and improvement. Event one: 6th June 3.00 – 3.30pm Event two: 12th June 12.00 – 12.30pm (attendance at one…

Our Public Health team is encouraging everyone to take part and support the campaign to tackle stigma and get people talking about mental health. Research has consistently found that being physically active has a significant, positive impact on our mental…

Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to ensure they are safe to use. There are many myths about PAT but you can use these frequently asked questions to find the key facts about the inspection and…

A Safe System of Work (SSW) or Safe Working Procedure (SWP) as they are termed in EEC, puts in place control measures arising from a risk assessment, in order to eliminate identified hazards (where possible) and complete the task with minimum risk. A practical…

Throughout November and December 2023, we ran nominations and elections for our newest Members of Youth Parliament. Somerset’s three Youth Parliamentarians and their deputy will represent Somerset at the national UK Youth Parliament. Each MYP’s term of office will run…

There will also be an Early Years and SEND update section of the training informing you about local and national issues relevant to the sector. There will be two sessions. Tuesday 2nd July 2024 between 5pm and 7pm & Friday…

Hi, I’m Richard, welcome to the SEND newsletter. I’m responsible for the services we commission for children and families. I am really pleased to welcome Nathan and the team as we join up commissioning, procurement and service design. One of…

Unstoppables update – April April brought another jam-packed agenda! Our morning session was a priority item from our 2024 priorities. We thought it would be interesting to share some of the discussions that took place, we haven’t finished this topic,…