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General | Local Services | Support

Sunderland Local Education Authority is a now part of Children's Services within the City of Sunderland council. For more information about the range of education services offered click here.

Some disabled children will have Special Educational Needs (SEN). Children with Special Educational Needs all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.

The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice gives guidance to early education settings, state schools, Local Authorities and anybody else that helps to identify, assess and provide help for children with special educational needs. It sets out the processes and procedures that all these organisations must or should follow to meet the needs of children. You can get a copy of the SEN Code of Practice by clicking here 3.2mb and a copy of a Guide for Parents and Carers by clicking here 326kb . The information above is taken from that booklet.

What is a SENCO?
SENCO stands for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, and each school has a teacher who takes on this role.

SENCO has responsibility for:

• The day to day implementation of the school’s SEN policy
• Co-ordinating provision for young people with SEN
• Giving advice to other teachers
• Liasing with young people, their parents or carers and external agencies
• Carrying out some in-service training for teachers and school support staff
• Overseeing school SEN records.

You can find out who the SENCO is at your child’s school by ringing and asking.

Sunderland School Websites
Many schools now have their own website. Click here to find the schools you are interested in, and visit their website. http://www.sunderland.gov.uk.

Removing Barriers to Achievement: Special Educational Needs (SEN) Inclusion Plan
This document sets out the Government’s vision for education of children with SEN and disabilities, including a sustained programme of action and review, nationally and locally over the coming years. It sets out the vision of Inclusion and how Local Authorities and schools will fulfil this. To download a copy of the Executive Summary click here 133kb

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Educational Psychology Service
Educational psychologists work with children and young people, their schools and families when the young person experiences difficulties in their learning, development or coping skills. They help schools to support pupils with a wide range of needs, offer training to teaching and non teaching staff, and also work as members of multi-agency teams. The service works with young people aged from 0-19 years who have been referred by their schools or by specialist teams such as the Child Development Unit (for more information click here) or the Pre-School Panel (for more information click here). Schools make referrals after they have completed their own assessment and intervention with the young person concerned, in accordance with the Code of Practice on Special Educational Needs.

For more information, contact:

Educational Psychology Service, The Stannington Centre, Stannington Grove, Sunderland, SR2 9JT

Tel: 0191 553 2230

Fax: 0191 553 2201

Study Support

As part of the Extended Services in and around schools programme, Study Support is learning activity that takes place outside normal lessons which young people (aged 4-18 years) take part in voluntarily. Its purpose is to improve young people's motivation, build their self-esteem and help them to become more effective learners. Above all it aims to raise achievement. Ask your school what study support activities they have on before school at lunch times, after school, weekends and during holidays

For more information, contact:

Extended Services Team, Children's Services, Sunderland City Council, Sandhill Centre, Grindon Lane,

Sunderland, SR3 4EN

Tel: 0191 553 8826

E-mail: extendedschools@sunderland.gov.uk

Website: http://www.sunderland.gov.uk/extendedschools

Inclusion and Achievement Service: Specialist Support Team

The following services are provided:

Hearing Impairment Support including:
Early Years specialist staff
Family support – home visits
Sounds Fun Nursery Group
Liaison with Sure Start for Parent and Toddler (Hearing Impairment ) group
For more information tel: (0191) 553 5706

Portage including:
Home visits
Training
Support to receiver nurseries
Registration of pupils for Formal Statutory Assessment
For more information click here.

Visual Impairment Support including:
Assessments
Advice
Home/nursery/school visits
Braille production and tuition
For more information tel: (0191) 553 5701

Language and Learning including:
Language Support Groups and training of staff
Individual Portage work for school age children
Observation of pupils, suggestions for Individual Education Plans, and liaison with appropriate services
For more information tel: (0191) 553 5711

Physical and Medical including:
Supporting schools with pupils with physical impairment (curriculum, policies, training, access issues) or medical needs
Training
Liaison with other services
For more information tel: (0191) 553 5704

Information Communication Technology including:
Assessment and advice regarding technology and resources to give access to the curriculum
Provision of assistive devices to enable recording
For more information tel: (0191) 553 5704

Autism Outreach Support including:
Support service to parents via Earlybird programme and follow up
Support service to schools
Support to individual pupils
Provision of In-Service Training
For more information tel: (0191) 219 3863

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Support

Parent Partnership Service
The Parent Partnership service offers support to parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs. You can talk to them in confidence about your concerns, they can help by explaining educational procedures, helping you to fill in forms, attending meetings with you, and helping you to put your views across. Information can also be provided about local and national groups which offer support to parents whose children have Special Educational Needs.

Parents should contact the Parent Partnership Officer direct at the address below, or a professional can do it on their behalf, with their consent.

For more information, contact:

Parent Partnership Officer, Stannington Centre, Stannington Grove, Sunderland, SR3 2NQ,

Tel: (0191) 553 2295

Fax: (0191) 553 2209
E-mail: ros.watt@sunderland.gov.uk

A resource booklet called ‘Local & National Voluntary Organisations that can help’ has also been produced.

Facilitating Agreement North East
Facilitating Agreement North East (FANE) is a regional service which offers independent mediation to parents/carers of children who have Special Education Needs, Schools, and Local Authorities. You may wish to access the service if you have already tried resolving any disagreement through the local arrangements already in place, such as arranging a meeting with your school's Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) or by contacting your local Parent Partnership Service. It is expected that most referrals will come through the local Parent Partnership Service, although parents/carers can contact the service directly. Involvement will be on a voluntary basis for all concerned and will not affect your right to appeal to the SEN Tribunal should you wish to do so.

You can contact FANE on telephone 01325 254548.

Education and Disability - A Parent's Guide to Rights from Nursery to University
Contact a Family, Skill (the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities) and Network 81 have jointly produced this information pack for parents of disabled children in England which gives details of parent's rights from nursery to university and includes information on the new Disability Discrimination provisions.

The pack is made up of ten brief factsheets :

Pre-School Education

Children not at School
The School of Your Choice

Transitions at 14+
SEN Assessments

Further & Higher Education
Complaints and Appeals

Who's Who
Help with School Expenses

Information for Teachers

To download the pack click here 236kb
To visit the Contact a Family website click here.

The Parent Centre
This is a website offering support, information and advice to carers to help their children to learn. It is divided into sections for different age groups and covers choosing a school, what your child learns, your rights, and special needs.    

Website: www.parentscentre.gov.uk/

IPSEA Freephone Helpline - 0800 0184016
IPSEA (independent panel for special educational advice) operate a free telephone helpline for parents of a child with special educational needs who have a problem around education. The phone number is 0800 0184016 and is open Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm and 7pm to 9pm, and Friday 10am to 1pm and 7pm to 9pm.

You can also visit the website by clicking here www.ipsea.org.uk

Sunderland Parents Network

Do you have a child who has special educational needs (SEN)? Would you like to know where to get information, which will help you get the best support for your child? Or would you simply like to talk to other parents who have a child with special educational needs?

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions then welcome to the Sunderland Parent's Network. We are a group of parents who like you have a child with special educational needs.  We can offer support and information about special educational issues as well as explaining procedures and attending meetings with you.  We believe that children with special educational needs are entitled to an education that can fully meet their needs.

We issue a termly newsletter to parent/carers providing up-to-date information on special education issues and details of local and national events that you may be interested in.

For more information, contact:

Tel: 07986 611001.  Please leave your name, address and telephone number and we will get back to you.

E-mail us: sundparentsnet@netscape.net

Website: www.sunderlandparentsnetwork.co.uk

Education Maintenance Allowance

From September 2004 students who stay on in Education after Year 11 (post-16) will be able to claim Education Maintenance Allowance. This is a weekly payment made to the student worth up to £30 per week, to help towards the costs of continuing education such as books, transport, equipment etc. The level of allowance granted to a student is dependent upon the family income, but any allowance awarded does not affect the family or young person’s benefits.

For more information:

Tel: 080 810 16 2 19
Ask your Connexions PA, or your school or college
Website at www.ema.dfes.gov.uk
Click here to read a leaflet about it  87kb

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