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What's New
DfE 19 January 2012: Special Educational Needs information Act - An analysis 2011
The information in this publication supports the vision for reform set out in ’Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’ which included wide-ranging proposals to improve outcomes for children and young people who are disabled or have special educational needs.
Hertfordshire SEND Pathfinder Update
- January 2012
You may know that Hertfordshire is one of 20 special educational needs & disability ‘pathfinder’ areas. This means that we are testing how some of the proposals in the government’s SEN Green Paper can best be delivered. This includes:
- Developing and piloting a new single assessment and 'Education, Health and Care plan'
- Giving more families a 'personal budget' so that they can decide and manage the services they receive
- Improving transition pathways into adulthood and employment
- Strengthening the engagement of parents and carers
- Involving the voluntary and community sector
We are currently running an online survey, in order to get the views of schools, SEND professionals, parents and other about how well Hertfordshire's services for children and young people with SEND are currently doing in these areas. Please take a few minutes to complete survey, at
We are now establishing the ‘working groups’ for each strand of the pathfinder, with involvement from schools. It is intended to identify and ‘recruit’ families in February and March, in order to begin piloting new arrangements with them from April 2012.
You can find out more about the Pathfinder programme on the website, at:
The website includes answers to ‘frequently asked questions’, and the presentations and conclusions from a local Pathfinder Conference that was held in November.
If you would like to find out more about Hertfordshire’s SEND Pathfinder, please contact: edward.maguire@hertscc.gov.uk
10 Week Autism Module
Children's Services Communication Disorders Team are once again offering in the Spring Term 2012, a centrally funded course for all Hertfordshire Teachers and Learning Support Assistants working with pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. This is a 10 week modular course accredited by The University of Birmingham. Venue: Larwood Special School, Stevenage.
The course will discuss the triad of impairments in ASD and the educational implications of theses. It will discuss some of the eduational approaches used with pupils with ASD and look at ways of working in partnership with parents. THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THIS COURSE. For further details and an application form, please contact Jenny Wiseman, Children's Services, 01707 320697 or Email : jenny.wiseman@hertscc.gov.uk
Access Arrangements Summary 2011-2012 - Issue 11 Updated
Guidance regarding access arrangements and reasonable adjustments relating to general and vocational qualifications which is published annually by JCQ. The regulations set out the responsibilities of Heads of Centre and will be of interest to Heads of Centre, examinations officers, specialist teachers and SENCos in secondary schools and colleges. More...
SEN Children Make Big Step Forward in English and Maths New
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have made remarkable progress in attainment, behaviour and attendance under a Government-funded pilot, according to a new report published. Results from the Achievement for All programme, which has been running in around 450 schools for the last two years, saw children make greater progress in English and maths than other SEND children across the country. A significant number even exceeded the progress of non-SEND children.
HAND Newsletter for Parents and Carers of Children and Young People with Additional Needs New
The Autumn term edition of HAND News, our online newsletter for parents and carers of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities is now published. It contains information and news about activities, support groups, courses and much more.
DfE 4 November 2011: Voluntary and Community Organisations to Play a Key Role in Helping Children with Special Needs and Disabilities New
Voluntary and community organisations will help deliver key reforms to support children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities, and their parents.
Guidance for Admission to Hertfordshire Special Schools/HI & PNI Provisions for Pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need New
New guidance has been published which will be be reviewed and evaluated throughout the year and issued in final form in September 2012. More...
SEND: Learning for Living & Work – a New Approach to Transition Planning
We are committed to improving and developing the involvement of young people and their families in transition and are committed to embedding a person centred multi agency approach. From September 2011 all young people with SEND should have access to a Person Centred Plan from Year 9 which will underpin and inform the transition planning documentation. More...
Improving Early Intervention and Targeted Support through Local Partnerships - July 2011
From September 2011, the delivery of early intervention and targeted support for children with additional and special educational needs in Hertfordshire will be through actual, local, multi-professional teams, called the Hertfordshire Integrated Targeted Support (HITS) teams.
Local partnerships of schools have also been identified across the Hertfordshire district areas, with a nominated ‘lead’ school for each area. For the full briefing and details of the local partnerships...
Hertfordshire Guidance
- How to welcome disabled children and young people
- Guidance for Medical Needs in Mainstream Schools
- Guidance for Specific Needs in Mainstream Schools: Hearing Impairment
- More...
Local Authority Funded Accredited SpLD Training: 2011-2012
Teachers and Teaching Assistants (TAs) working in school can apply for funding for a range of accredited SpLD courses:
- OCR Level 5 Certificate (teachers only)
- OCR Level 7 Certificate (secondary teachers with OCR Level 5 cert)
- OU E801 (teachers and TAs with degrees other than foundation degrees)
- University of Hertfordshire STA Certificate (TAs)
- University of Hertfordshire SpLD Short Course: Working with children with SpLD - 1 semester (TAs)
Teachers wanting to study other SpLD courses may ask for other accredited courses to be considered.
Primary
See application forms for course and contact details.
Secondary
See application forms for course and contact details.
Download application form and return fully completed by Friday 20th May 2011 to:
Jonnie Yates,
SpLD Advisory Teacher
We are currently unable to process on-line applications.
Annual SEN Conference
Held on 10th February 2011 at Hertfordshire Development Centre, Stevenage.
Keynote presentations from:
Janet Thompson HMI, Ofsted National Adviser (learning difficulties and/or disabilities)- Janet Thompson led the recent Ofsted review into SEN and disabilities "A Statement is Not Enough".
Lorraine Petersen CEO of NASEN - NASEN is the leading organisation in the UK which promotes the education and training, advancement and development of all of those with special and additional support needs.
Angela Scott SEN Hub Co-ordinator - An excellent practitioner and popular speaker. The hubs have provided feedback to the DfE and National Strategies on the impact of policy.
Aiming High for Disabled Children - Spring 2011
Aiming High for Disabled Children ‘Working to Include Disabled Children and Young People’ - A Free Training Programme for Universal Services in Hertfordshire
Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) is a national programme which aims to increase the quality, quantity and range of short breaks for disabled children and young people, particularly those with autistic spectrum disorder and/or challenging behaviour and children with complex health care needs.
One strand of the AHDC programme in Hertfordshire focuses on increasing the understanding of all people working, volunteering or in contact with children in universal services, to ensure that the the services are accessible and available to disabled children and young people. Universal services include children’s centres, extended schools, leisure facilities, sports centres, youth clubs, community centres, playschemes and many other groups and clubs.
 A free training programme ‘Working to Include Disabled Children and Young People’, is now available to anyone working, volunteering or in contact with children. Courses have been set up in venues across the county and trainers can visit staff onsite if requested.
The Project Team, led by Sheila Reynolds, held a number of events with both training providers and representatives from different organisations and settings around the county, to plan a co-ordinated approach to the training to ensure that it met the needs of staff, volunteers, parents/carers and the young people themselves. People said they wanted:
- the training to be available both onsite and offsite
- accreditation for both the trainees and the services giving parents/carers confidence that staff and volunteers have the appropriate knowledge and skills to support young people in their activities
- training at flexible times such as evenings and weekends
- mentoring schemes to help staff understand the difficulties these young people and their families experience
- practical help and advice in working with young people with specific challenging behaviours.
To find out more or to book a course, please visit:
For more information about the AHDC programme in Hertfordshire, visit:
or telephone Sheila Reynolds on 01992 555757.
Free Training Courses Available Now - Spring 2011
If you work, volunteer or are in contact with children and young people in Hertfordshire, we are offering a programme of Free training until the end of March. If you prefer, a trainer can come to your organisation and provide staff training on site, and on-line training modules are also available.
For further information please contact Reba Deighton on 01438 844815
Email: ahdc.training@hertscc.gov.uk
Primary & Secondary National Strategies SEND/LDD Newsletters
The emphasis of these newsletters is to highlight a number of developing and emerging initiatives which present schools and local authorities with key opportunities for improving the education of youngsters who have special educational needs, learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Special educational needs/learning difficulties and/or disabilities newsletter for schools and local authorities:
Issue Autumn 2009
Special Educational Needs and Disability Update
SEN & Disability update is a termly newsletter issued by the DCSF. The updates report on recent key developments for pupils with SEN and disability. These newsletters are available as hard copies or as downloads. You can subscribe to receive it by email or as a hard copy — essential reading for those working in special educational needs and disability fields.
Current and back issues can be downloaded from this page:
Special Educational Needs and Disability Update 25 (October 2008)
This edition features articles on:The work of John Bercow, Brian Lamb and Sir Jim Rose: How does it all fit together?
SEN Regional Hubs of Effective Practice; Quality Standards for SEN Support and Outreach Services; Tackling Bullying of Children with SEN and Disabilities and Implementing Schools' Disability Equality Duty; Progression Guidance Project 2008-9; Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
; Aiming High for Disabled Children Programme
Special Educational Needs and Disability Update 22
This edition features articles on: The Children and Young People’s Review, information about DfES workshops on developing a disability equality scheme in primary schools, special schools and pupil referral units, the 2005/06 social services performance assessment framework indicators for children and a case study of Educational Psychology at a Young Offender Institution
Special Educational Needs and Disability Update 21
This edition features articles on: the Government’s response to Education and Skills committee’s report on SEN published in October 2006, news about SEN Specialist Schools, information on resources and training to meet the needs of pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, regional centres of Excellence and simple steps to supporting pupils who stammer.
Special Educational Needs and Disability Update Update 20
This edition features articles on the P Scales update; Implementation of Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings; Regional Partnerships, case studies and more.
SENCO Update
SENCO Update is a monthly newsletter written specifically to provide news, analysis and practical guidance for SEN co-ordinators.
Regular features include:
- News: Important events, issues, announcements and developments affecting SEN
- Research Digest: Summaries of key research papers relevant to SENCOs
- Case Studies: Each month an in-depth analysis of a key SEN issue, supported by school case
studies illustrating good practice
- Professional Update: Each month the nature and characteristics of different SEN requirements are looked at and sources of help and advice given.
To subscribe to this publication follow the link to SEN on the website below:
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