Right support, right place, right time
‘The Department for Education acknowledges the current challenges which local systems are experiencing in delivering special educational needs and disability services (SEND). The Delivering Better Value in SEND programme (DBV in SEND) is aiming to support local authorities and their local area partners to improve the delivery of SEND services for children and young people whilst working towards financial sustainability.’
An Introduction to the Delivering Better Value in SEND programme
What is the scope of our work?
Using grant funding received from the Department for Education, Solihull MBC will deliver projects that will:
- Improve inclusion for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional needs through a structure of assessment, analysis, and training for inclusivity at mainstream schools and other settings.
- Develop a strong, comprehensive suite of resources for all schools, settings and partners that will help improve inclusion of children and young people with SEND in schools that best suit their needs.
What outcomes do we want to see in Solihull?
- Children and young people will have their needs identified early
- Schools will have the skills and resources to meet their educational needs at universal and targeted level
- Mainstream schools will have greater ability to effectively meet a wider range of SEND needs
- Special schools will have the capacity and resources to educate those children with the most complex needs
- Parents have confidence in their child’s setting to meet their needs and enable progress to be made
What are our objectives
The projects delivered will:
- Improve inclusion for children and young people with SEND or additional needs through a structure for assessment, analysis, and training for inclusivity at mainstream schools and other settings
- Engage schools through an audit process to help them understand the current position with inclusion at their school.
- Develop a report of inclusivity data analysis based on the inclusion audit completed by a school. The report will provide signposting to inclusion training based on the needs recognised in the audit.
- Develop a group of inclusion champions across Solihull schools to support the needs identified through school audits.
- Develop stronger inclusivity resources for schools.
- Improve support for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) through the Solihull Graduated Approach.
- Develop a range of digital delivery offers to support inclusivity within schools and settings that is comprehensive, clear and easy to engage with.
What projects will be delivered?
Area of work | Outcome | When |
|---|---|---|
Inclusion champions | 20 Solihull schools will have Equity, Diversity and Inclusion champions and are using classroom strategies to improve all aspects of inclusion | Work started with the schools in November 2023 and will continue until October 2024. |
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Training & Action Plan | All Solihull schools will have completed an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion training session and have developed clear and relevant action plans that they are working to deliver | 47 schools have completed the EDI training. These schools are working on their action plans. Further training will be delivered to schools during the 2024 / 2025 academic year. |
SEND Focused Visits | All schools in Solihull will have a SEND focused visit. The visit gives schools the opportunity to explore their SEND provision using practical activities which includes learning walks and discussions with pupils | All schools will have received a SEND focused visit by July 2025. |
Nurture in Schools Training | Solihull schools complete the National Nurturing in Schools Programme (NNSP) and are actively working towards achieving the National Nurturing in Schools Award. The award takes 18 months to complete | Nurture UK started the phased rollout of the NNSP to cohorts of schools in February 2024. Schools will be supported by Nurture UK and will start submitting their award applications from August 2025. |
Whole school Speech Language and Communication needs (SLCN) training | Schools in Solihull attend SLCN training. Schools will implement strategies provided during the training that will enable children to develop their communication skills further | Schools started receiving the training from January 2024. The training will continue until April 2025. |
Trauma informed training | Key staff in schools have information to help them support children and young people with presenting needs caused by attachment experiences, trauma or mental health problems, that act as a barrier to learning | Four training sessions will be delivered by July 2024. |
Solihull Parent Carer Voice (SPCV) School Engagement | Parent carer engagement groups will be established in 20 schools across Solihull. The aim of these groups is to improve working relationships with parents | SPCV are currently working with 27 schools across Solihull. Further schools will be supported as the work continues through the 2024 / 2025 academic year. |
Special school outreach support programme | Support is available to mainstream settings from staff at Solihull special schools that provides advice at a strategic level and individual pupil casework level | A pilot outreach support programme with 8 schools will be completed by August 2024. Further support programmes will be planned for the 2024 / 2025 academic year. |
Solihull Graduated Approach | The graduated approach is published on the extranet and the local offer and is being actively used by schools and parent carers. The content of the graduated approach is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. | Details of the Solihull graduated approach was published to parent carers and schools in April 2024. Promoting the graduated approach will continue through the summer 2024 term and the content will continue to develop and evolve. |
