SEND Newsletter October 2024
Specialist Teaching Support Service (STSS)
Team Updates September 2024
Autism Inclusion Team
The Autism Inclusion Team have delivered a range of successful parent training sessions on behalf of the National Autistic Society (NAS). The sessions were attended by parents of autistic children aged 5-9 (Early Bird Plus) and teenagers (Teen Life) at the Families First Centre.
The sessions ran between eight and ten weeks and explored a variety of important topics including sensory differences, communication and behaviour. As well as picking up some useful strategies, the parents also enjoyed the opportunity to meet others in a similar situation and to have the chance to talk with people who understood.
The NAS sessions are free to parents and will run again this year at the following times:
- Teen Life course starts on the 14th November and will run for 6 weeks.
- Early Bird Plus course will start on the 27th January and run for 10 weeks.
During the Summer term 2024 parent training sessions on Autism Awareness and Acceptance and Raising Self-Esteem were delivered by the Autism Inclusion Team in Rugeley and Stafford. The sessions were well attended and provided parents with an opportunity to not only increase their own knowledge of autism, but also to share experiences of raising autistic children and young people. Feedback from parents suggested that the information was presented in a way which made it clear and easy to follow and enabled additional support networks to be signposted to parents. One parent commented that the training was delivered in such a way that it felt like there was a genuine desire to support them with their children.
Autistic voices are at the centre of all training packages delivered by the Autism Inclusion Team, with the key message being ‘embracing difference’. Further sessions will take place throughout this academic year – information will be sent to schools in the ‘school bag’ and will also be advertised on Staffordshire’s Autism Inclusion Team’s Facebook page. Staffordshire Autism Inclusion Team | Facebook – please feel free to share!
AIT Parent Group Sessions
The Autism Inclusion Team are pleased to now be able to offer parent group sessions which will be running via Teams. These will be advertised on our Facebook Page and we will be putting out polls on Facebook so parents can vote for a topic of interest. These sessions will run at different times of the day to try and accommodate parents’ availability and will include a short workshop followed by discussions and Q and A time. We are excited to offer these sessions to continue to build on our collaborative work and positive relationships with parents.
The next session will be on Autism and Girls.
AIT Training Offer
The AIT Team offers a wide variety of well-respected training to school staff and are delivering a number of bitesize training sessions again this term throughout October at a cost of £10 / per person, please refer to ‘school bag’ for full details of the courses on offer or alternatively email below to request a flyer direct.
Further information on our training offer can be obtained by emailing:
sss.service@staffordshire.gov.uk.
AIT Traded Offer
Due to demand from settings and as mentioned previously in the ‘School Bag’ this term sees the continuation our ‘Best Value’ Traded offer for AIT support. Initially packages of support will be limited to one per setting to ensure we maintain equity and fairness across the LA, however in January 2025 we will be offering ‘top up’ packages of support which may be additionally purchased. Please discuss all requests in advance with your Specialist Teacher of Autism who will be able to advise further.
Click here for AIT Traded Offer support package booking form
AIT Intensive Support Service
The Autism Inclusion Team’s Intensive Support Service (ISS), (previously known at the Enhanced Team) provide support for autistic students who are struggling to access their mainstream curriculum and environment, and who may be at risk of placement breakdown.
The ISS work with students from Reception to Year 11. For a young person with a Staffordshire EHCP this can be accessed via our ‘Core’ Offer. For those without a Staffordshire EHCP attending a Staffordshire setting, our service can be accessed via our Traded Offer. (Please refer to ISS Core and Traded Offer leaflets.)
Kate Curzon
Autism Inclusion Team Lead
The Deaf/Hearing and Vision Inclusion Team’s
The children, young people and families who are supported by the Deaf /Hearing and Vision Inclusion Teams had great fun at a number of events over the summer term. The teams joined together for a bell boating session at Trentham Gardens – and all managed to stay dry!! There were many other varied events including the VIT families attending a performance of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre and D/HIT students were given the opportunity to ask questions and try out fire safety equipment at Burton Fire Station.
We are looking forward to joining together for an art’s day on Saturday 12th October 2024 when children and young people, supported by the teams, will be able to take part in drumming workshops, arts and craft activities and work with a storyteller.
Training Opportunities for Setting Based Staff this Term:
November 5th 2024 - the D/HI Team look forward to welcoming staff from settings to their training day; The Inclusion of Deaf Children and Young People in the classroom hosted at Faraday Road Children’s Centre, Stafford.
November 20th 2024 - The VIT Team look forward to welcoming staff from settings to their training day; The Inclusion of Children with a Vision Impairment in the Classroom’ hosted at Faraday Road Children’s Centre, Stafford.
For further details on how you can book your place on the above courses please either see the school bag, speak to your Specialist Teacher or contact the STSS Support Service direct: sss.service@staffordshire.gov.uk FAO Emma Smith.
Moira Cooper – Team Lead - Deaf/Hearing Inclusion Team
Donna McNaughton – Team Lead - Vision Inclusion Team
Together We Thrive Conference – 2nd October 2024
Moira and Donna will be co- presenting a workshop on how to successfully meet the needs of children, young people who present with hearing or vision loss at the Together We Thrive Conference. Come and experience what it’s like to have a sensory loss and learn lots of useful hints and tips on ways you can support and facilitate inclusion.
STSS will also be having a stand at this event. Please do come and say hello and have a look at the variety of support we can offer you from across our Service area. We look forward to meeting you.
Sam Turnbull
Head of STSS
Educational Psychology Service update
We welcomed four new Eps to the service this September: Tina Hart, Donna Wakefield, Victoria Andrews and Shauna McCreadie, to our Newcastle and Moorlands and our Lichfield and Cannock teams respectively. We all begin work with schools and settings as part of our 2024-5 traded offer this September, and this year we will cover approximately 87% of Staffordshire schools and settings. We received very valuable feedback from you in July and the summer term, thank you for taking the time to do so. If you are new to Staffordshire and would like to read about the things we do, and the things that are valued about our work, please see the service outcomes report.
We continue our involvement with the SEDIS and EAPDR preventative strategies, with Eps and assistants working in schools and settings across the county and also our statutory assessment work as part of the core offer to schools. The diagram here will give you the details of each team and who covers your district area.
Lastly, we have an event and two research projects that may be of interest to you and your teams. Please see below and get in touch with those hosting the events and research to find out more or sign up.
With best wishes for a vibrant and enjoyable Autumn term,
Melissa Jones.
Staffordshire Educational Psychology Service are developing a response to support Staffordshire schools following the race related unrest and riots in our county this summer, which included children either participating in or watching violent acts of hate. We hope to support school leaders to meaningfully navigate these issues in their communities.
From 21st - 25th October 2024, Staffordshire Educational Psychology Service are hosting ‘Curious Conversations: Investigating Biases’, a trailblazing week of FREE virtual events for schools and early years settings. We have a range of inspiring guest speakers who will talk about urgent topics such as the psychology of bias, belonging, fake news, hate and critical thinking, and give early years and school staff some key takeaways to enrich their setting.
We encourage all staff members, including Senior Leaders, SENDCos, Learning Mentors, ELSAs, Teaching Assistants and anyone who has an interest in this area to attend.
Please see the flyer for the timings of the week, and further information about our exciting speakers.
For any other enquiries please email us at curious.conversations@staffordshire.gov.uk
Grab a cuppa and join one or more of our Curious Conversations!
University of Birmingham
Participants wanted:
- Have you trained as an ELSA within the last 5 years?
- Do you attend half-termly supervision with an Educational Psychologist?
- Have you, or are you, delivering an ELSA programme, in a primary or a secondary school, to support a pupil who has been bereaved?
If so, you are invited to take part in a doctoral research project exploring ELSAs' experiences of supporting children who have been bereaved.
The research will involve an interview of up to an hour long, where you will be asked to share your experiences, as an ELSA, of supporting a pupil who has been bereaved.
Please contact Ruth Hardy via email to register your interest or for more details at mailto:reh232@student.bham.ac.uk.
We hope everyone had a restful break over the summer and we look forward to working with you again this year to support our care-experienced children and young people.
Last term, we welcomed Aimi Barton to our RRP team. This month, we are pleased to see Grace Money return to the Cannock and Lichfield team following her maternity leave.
To find out who is who in the Virtual School, please see Staffordshire’s website. Watch out too for our brand new website, coming soon!
Schools, if you haven’t signed up yet, there’s the WMVS CiC Foundation Designated Teacher Conference on 23rd October in Birmingham.
New Podcast and Webinar Series for Professionals, Parents, and Carers.
Aiming High is a programme of activities and short breaks for children and young people aged 0-18 years old with a special educational need/disability (SEND) who live in Staffordshire.
Find out more about our Creative Arts, Sports and Culture including Arts Awards and Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Contact Mary Gardener mary.gardner@staffordshire.gov.uk if you are supporting a child in care who would like to take part.