Below are two important updates from Inclusion SEN Support Services. School Entry Planning (SEP) Review – SENCO and Parent feedback forms We hope that the Early Years Foundation Stage children with special educational needs have settled well at school and…

The Community Inclusion and Activity Team’s (CIA Team) February Half Term Calendar is available! There are a host of activities to keep everyone busy over half term Please check out the varied activities for children with disabilities and additional needs,…

Place2Be lead on Children’s Mental Health Week and the theme for this year is – Express Yourself – My Voice Matters! Public Health have developed this resource bulletin offering ideas for hearing the voice and views of children and young…

Easy to follow online modules enable children to learn English or over 120 other languages – all for free with a Somerset library membership! Children can now access up to 120 language learning modules via the Transparent Languages Online ‘Kidspeak’…

Somerset Youth Forum is inviting all young people in Somerset aged 10-18 years (or up to 25 years with SEND) to a special session to discuss what young people need to have a happy and healthy childhood in Somerset. The…

Measles is a highly infectious disease, spreading quickly from person to person, especially in schools. A child with measles will infect almost all unprotected children they have contact with. Measles can be a very serious disease, leading to ear and…

Hello and welcome to the December issue of the SEND Newsletter! This month felt like a perfect opportunity for me to introduce myself. I am Nathan Jones, and I joined Somerset on the 1st of November as Strategic Manager Inclusion…

Happy December all! Gaby will be filling you all in on our last meeting of the year but first I’d like to express my gratitude to The Unstoppables. What a year 2023 has been. I’d like to thank our fantastic…

WISE up Workshops The Somerset Parent Carer Forum have created a range of fantastic workshops based on topics parents have expressed would be helpful – Workshops for Information, Support and Education (WISE). All the workshops are delivered or co-delivered by someone with lived…

In December, professionals and service directors from Somerset Council and the Local Area Partnership met to discuss the progress on Somerset’s SEND Strategy. Attendees met at Taunton Racecourse and spent the day in workshops led by the Somerset Parent Carer…

Somerset Council are asking members of the public to have their say on the proposed changes to admission arrangements for Somerset schools from the academic year 2025 to 2026. Admissions arrangements can include catchment area boundaries, published admission numbers and…

Supporting families with additional needs to get into the festive spirit, the Community Inclusion and Activity Team’s Christmas Calendar is now running! Exciting inclusive activities include festive arts and crafts, presents from Santa, activity packs, woodland fun day and more.…

Connect Somerset has been launched to improve early help in the community. It is about all professionals and community groups working together to help families and residents to improve their lives. This work also helps to reduce the cost of…

Social Communication; Emotional Regulation; Transactional Supports (SCERTS) is an evidenced-based assessment and intervention framework to support autistic children and young people and those with social, emotional, and mental health needs. This training is FREE to the Somerset workforce and education…

The Young Carers in Schools (YCiS) award is an England-wide initiative that aims to provide schools with the tools and resources to help support their young carers have the same access to education and opportunities as their peers. The award…

The Educational Psychology Service is running training for all schools and their communities, this academic year (2023-24). This free three-hour training session will look at ADHD, what it is as well as what it isn’t, explore differences (neurodiversity), and offer practical strategies…

Fancy trying something new? Or maybe you are a seasoned skater already! Featuring real ice, the 550 square metre undercover ice rink offers 45-minute ice-skating sessions which are pre-bookable with skate hire included. Open until January 7, the ice rink…

Somerset SENDIAS (Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support) can give children, young people and their parent carers information, advice and support about SEND. This can include information on Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessments and Plans.…

In November, the Youth Forum met to discuss the NHS crisis and the proposed changes for 2035. We welcomed young people from across the county to participate in the event, which took place over Zoom. In the session, Youth Forum…

Somerset Youth Forum is inviting all young people in Somerset aged 10-18 years (or up to 25 years with SEND) to a special session to discuss what young people need to have a happy and healthy childhood in Somerset. This…