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All children in England between the ages of 5 and 18 are entitled to a free place at a state school.  In Gloucestershire, children are able to attend Reception Class the September following their fourth birthday and parents will be contacted in the previous November asking them to submit a preference to a school place.  Details of admissions within Gloucestershire can be found by visiting http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions/

Most state schools have to follow the national curriculum. The most common ones are:

  • community schools: controlled by the local council and not influenced by business or religious groups
  • foundation schools: more freedom to change the way they do things than community schools
  • academies: run by an governing body, independent from the local council - they can follow a different curriculum
  • grammar schools: run by a foundation body or a trust - they select all or most of their pupils based on academic ability and there is often an exam to get in

There are also the following types of school:

  • Specialist schools
  • Free schools
  • Faith schools
  • Academies
  • City Technology Colleges
  • and Private Schools

For more information about all of the above you can visit the GOV.UK website

*REVIEWED JANUARY 2024*

Support in School for children and young people with SEND

The Children and Families Act (2014) introduced many changes to support for young people in Education with Special Educational Needs Disabilities (SEND). In Gloucestershire, there is a graduated pathway to support all children with additional needs, this includes the MyPlan, MyPlan+ and the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). 

If you have any concerns about your child's development, talk to their school in the first instance.  You will probably need to speak to the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO).  The SENCO will be able to discuss what support they can offer your child in school. This support would usually be detailed in a “MyPlan”.  If a higher level of support is needed then a formal meeting may be called with more professionals and a MyPlan+ put in place. There are specialist Education Professionals who may be able to support your child Educational support - Gloucestershire County Council.  For those with significant levels of need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) may be required.  Children do not require a specific diagnosis to have an EHCP but it is for those with the highest level of needs and will usually require an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment to be completed Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) | Glosfamilies Directory.

You may feel that your child’s challenges are due to an underlying health need such as Autism or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), don’t wait for a formal diagnosis to get them the help that they need.  Schools base the support they offer on your child’s needs and not on a diagnosis. 

If you need any additional information, advice or support on matters relating to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) please contact SENDIASS Gloucestershire.  SENDIASS has a free enquiry line 0800 158 3603 which has a 24 hour voicemail facility. Callers who are using a mobile phone can dial 01452 427566/7 as an alternative. Emails can be sent to: sendiass@gloucestershire.gov.uk or messages can be submitted via the ‘Contact Us’ page on our website: https://sendiassglos.org.uk

Children and Families Services across Education, Health and Care have been working closely with Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum, Gloucestershire SENDIASS and Gloucestershire’s Carers Hub to provide information in response to common queries. For up to date information about local services, what’s going on in Gloucestershire and more, take a look at the Families in Partnership Newsletter and the responses below.

Who can support with School Inclusion and Exclusion?

The Education Inclusion Service provides advice on exclusion procedures, preventative measures and other relevant issues. Telephone: 01452 427360 Email: schoolexclusions@gloucestershire.gov.uk What to do if your child is excluded from school - Gloucestershire County Council

When should a part-time timetable be put in place?

Part-time timetables should only be implemented in rare circumstances, and where all other interventions to try and ensure that a pupil can access full time education have been exhausted. Examples of when a reduced timetable may be appropriate are:

  • As part of a student’s planned re-integration to school following an extended period out of school due to non-attendance (including anxiety related nonattendance)
  • Following an extended absence due to ill health or other medical reasons
  • As a temporary fixed term intervention when a student is at risk of exclusion, to allow alternative education arrangements to be made to meet the needs of the student, or to allow interventions to be put in place enabling the student to return to full time education within the school setting.

 

They MUST be agreed jointly by both school and parent. The reduced timetable should be as short as possible (preferably less than 12 weeks) and follow a clear reintegration programme which should be reviewed regularly. Any pupil on a part-time timetable is expected to have a My Plan + in place (along with a My Assessment) to ensure needs are identified and SMART targets set in conjunction with parents; this will enable pupils to work towards attending school full time with appropriate support in place. If you have any queries regarding the use of a part time timetable then please contact the Education Inclusion Service helpline on 01452 427274 and your school’s inclusion officer will be able to help.

For those children and young people who have an EHCP it is recommended that a review takes place before a part time timetable is agreed. This is to ensure that this would be appropriate and that appropriate provision remains in place to meet needs. It may also mean that outcomes need to be adjusted for a period of time which can be recorded in the My Plan/My Plan + document that should underpin the EHCP. A clear understanding of next steps should be documented with a clear plan of reintegration so the child and young person are able to return to school full time as quickly as possible.

How does flexi-schooling differ from part time timetables?

Flexi-schooling is different from temporary part-time attendance arrangements which the school or parent/carer may seek to make (for example when a child has been away from school for a long time through illness and is reintegrating back to full time attendance). Such arrangements are monitored and reviewed with the intention that the child be returned to full-time attendance as soon as possible. A child following a flexi-school arrangement, although not in school everyday, is receiving fulltime education.

How does flexi-schooling differ from Elective Home Education?

Flexi-schooling is different from Elective Home Education in that a child remains on the school’s roll, but in consultation between the parents and the school, the child receives education on the school site part of the time with parents taking responsibility for the education the remainder of the time. Whereas parents have a legal right to choose Elective Home Education they do not have the same right in regard to flexi-schooling. Parents can request a school supports flexi schooling, but the school is under no obligation to agree to this, it is the Head Teacher who makes the final decision. The DfE sets out that: 1.3 Although children being home educated are not normally registered at any school or college, you may choose to make arrangements for a child to receive part of his or her total education at a school (‘flexi-schooling’) - or at an FE college or other 16-19 provider if the child is aged 14 or above. The purpose of this will often be to provide education in specific subjects more easily than is possible at home. Schools and colleges are under no obligation to agree to such arrangements, but some are happy to do so.  Further Information on flexi-schooling can be found here.  Information on Elective Home Education is also available Home education - Gloucestershire County Council

 

If a school says that a child needs more support than they can provide what should I do as a parent?

It is not appropriate for schools to be having discussions with parents/ carers regarding resources allocated to an EHCP. This is an agreement between the Local Authority and the School and should be raised with the EHCP Service from the school directly. Parents should only be concerned with the provision that is detailed in the EHCP and the appropriate delivery of this in the setting. The Schools Forum meet each financial year to set the level of high needs funding that is allocated to schools to support SEND provision in schools which includes resources attached to EHCPs. On this forum there is representation from both primary and secondary schools. Contact your Caseworker or the Lead Coordinator or Locality Lead for your area to discuss your concerns and they will pick this up with the school on your behalf

Contact the Lead SEND Coordinator for the area or the Locality Lead as per the contact list for information

EHCP Locality Lead for Gloucester and Forest: 01452 324071

  • Forest Lead SEND Coordinator: 01452 425179
  • Gloucester Lead SEND Coordinator: 01452 42 7901

 

EHCP Locality Lead for Stroud and Cotswolds: : 01452 427399

  • Stroud Lead SEND Case Coordinator: 01452 427569
  • Cotswolds Lead SEND Coordinator: 01452 427538

 

EHCP Locality Lead for Cheltenham and Tewkesbury: 01452 328378

  • Cheltenham Lead SEND Coordinator: 01452 328267
  • Tewkesbury Lead SEND Coordinator: 01452 427643
How far might my child reasonably be expected to travel to a special school?

There are no maximum distances for home to school travel support as any education setting named on a young person’s EHCP will reflect the nearest that can meet the young person’s needs. For more specialist settings, this may be some distance away and possibly in a different county. Government guidance based on best practice states that the maximum journey time for a child of primary school age is 45 minutes each way and for a young person of secondary school age it is 75 minutes each way, although the County Council does try to keep journey times for students of all ages within one hour where possible. This can be difficult due to the rural nature of the county and when students need to attend a special school that is some distance from their home. For some students with special educational needs and/or a disability, journey times may need to be kept even shorter than the guidance.

Admissions to Secondary School for children with an EHCP

Details of the school admissions process within Gloucestershire can be found by visiting http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/education-and-learning/school-admissions/

Admissions to secondary school for children with an EHCP

Moving on to the next stage of education is an exciting time for children, young people and their families. However, it can also be a worrying time. If your child has an EHCP, you may be wondering which schools might be suitable and what additional support will be available.

Most children and young people with EHCPs go to their nearest mainstream school along with their friends. However, children and young people with EHCPs follow a different admissions process to ensure that the new school can provide the right support for their additional needs.

How does the admission process for children with EHCPs work?

At the Annual Review in Year 5, you will be asked to name a school as your parental preference for secondary school. The Annual Review meeting will also look carefully at Sections A, B and C of the EHCP to check that all the information about your child is accurate and to add anything that it will be helpful for a new school to know.

Following the Annual Review meeting the Annual Review paperwork will be sent to the EHCP Casework team, along with the name of your preferred school.

Consultation with secondary schools

The amended EHCP and key reports will then be sent to your preferred school as well as to your nearest mainstream school. We may also send the information to other schools we feel might be suitable.

Considering a special school

If you are requesting a special school place for your child, the Local Authority will need to get up to date information from all those who work with your child. The SEND panel will then consider all this information and decide whether a special school would be able to provide the right support for your child’s additional needs. Your EHCP Case Coordinator will contact you to discuss the SEND panel decision and the next steps.

When will you know your child’s secondary school?

We aim to send you the Amended Final EHCP naming the school by February 15th of Year 6 at the latest. The Amended Final EHCP takes the place of the Secondary Transfer Allocation letter which informs children, without an EHCP, about the secondary school they have been allocated and are sent out on March 1st of Year 6.

If your preferred school tells us that they are able to provide the additional support your child needs, then we will name the school on the EHCP, ready for them to start in Year 7. If the school is not your nearest school, it is likely you will have to provide transport to and from school.

I haven’t been offered a place for my child to start secondary school in September. They have an EHC Plan. What should be happening now?

The Local Authority takes it duties very seriously. We are facing exceptional challenge as schools increasingly respond to consultations stating they are unable to meet the needs of a young person. The LA, in discussion with parents agrees next steps and will provide robust challenge to schools where appropriate, unfortunately this process sometimes takes longer than we would like and we would like to assure parents and guardians that we are working as quickly as we can to ensure that placements or type are named as soon as possible. Your Caseworker will update you should you have any questions. If your child is newly issued with a Plan, we will look to name the school as soon as possible. 

School Uniform Support

If you need help buying a school uniform, please talk to your school

The county no longer provide the school uniform grant.

The uniform grant is now controlled by the individual schools so if you are on a low income you will need to direct your enquiries to the school.

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