‘How to complete your Local Offer’

A Guide for education settings who do not have a duty to provide information under the SEN Information Regulations

This guidance has been specifically prepared for education settings (i.e. a setting that provides education directly e.g. nursery, pre-school, childminder providing early years education, College of Further Education). It does not cover maintained nurseries or schools or academy schools who have a duty under the SEN Information regulations. There is separate guidance published for education services.

Contents:

Part One: Guidance Page 2

a) What is the Local Offer?b) Why is it important for my organisation?c) How do I co-produce information with parents/carers, and young people? d) How do I answer the questions for my service?e) Education settings Guidance for Local Offer questions

Part Two: Local Offer forms for completion Page 8

a) Providing details about your organisation for the Local Offerb) SAMPLE LOCAL OFFER ON-LINE FORM

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Part One: Guidance

1a) What is the Local Offer?

From September 2014 every Local Authority will be required to publish information about services they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and /or disabilities aged 0-25 years. This will be known as the ‘Local Offer’.

The Local Offer website will put all the information about education, health and care services, leisure activities and support groups in one place, making it easier for families to access and use a vast range of information and resources. The Local Offer will seek feedback from families on local provision and gaps in services to ensure that the commissioning of services is more responsive to local needs and aspirations.

The new Children & Families Bill, and Draft SEN Code of Practice both specify that the Local Offer must be developed and reviewed in partnership with children and young people, parent carers, and local services. This is known as co-production.

You can read more about co-production with parent carers at http://www.se7pathfinder.co.uk/se7-useful-links/co-production-resources

1b) Why is the Local Offer important for my setting?

The Local Offer allows you to clearly communicate the support and services you offer to children, young people and their families in the local area. There are two main benefits to this:

families can easily find information about services that are most suitable and relevant to them and know how to access them;

Clear information will help to prevent misunderstandings and will minimise the number of inappropriate contacts and referrals you receive.

The Local Offer will also help you to find information about other organisations and assist you to sign post families more effectively, thus adding value to your service. It may also help you to identify any gaps in local provision which some organisations may wish to take advantage of.

Finally, co-producing your Local Offer with the people who use your service will help you to develop strong partnerships and provide you with an opportunity to review processes and ways of working together.

There is Education settings specific guidance in part 2b below

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1c) How do I co-produce information with parents/carers and young people?

Co-production is where parent carers, young people and services work collaboratively to shape and deliver services and processes. Co-production can take a little longer than working in isolation, but produces better outcomes and higher satisfaction levels. It is important that you work with the people who use your service to develop your Local Offer. You may wish to:

Invite parent carers/young people to an informal event to discuss the local offer and seek volunteers who will be willing to get involved.

You may choose to work with just a couple of young people and parent carers initially and then seek wider input/consultation at a later stage

It is a good idea to seek input from a range of people – those who are happy with the service and maybe those who have had issues in the past.

1d) How do I answer the questions for my service?

We are asking all services to answer a series of questions, designed to provide information to young people and their families based on questions that they have often asked. If you deliver more than one service then you will need to complete a Local Offer for each of your services. E.g. Rose Road Outreach Service, Rose Road Overnight Short Breaks etc. This will ensure that families find the service that they are looking for when searching. We are asking the same questions of everyone so that parent carers and young people can easily compare the information published on the Local Offer website.

Before completing the form, please read through it first. Consider how you will answer the questions and what information needs to go where. The italics below the questions will provide tips on what you could include.

Use simple language and short, bite sized sentences and paragraphs. Remember that both parent carers and young people will be reading the information provided

Do not exceed the word count for each section Imagine you are explaining your service to someone who has no prior

knowledge. Avoid jargon, abbreviations & acronyms. Be realistic and honest about the service you offer and what families can expect

from you. Be clear about the criteria for your service (when, how and by who they apply)

which will help you avoid dealing with inappropriate requests. Write your text in the second person, talking directly to the parent/carer who will

be reading the text, eg ‘We can help you and your family with….’ Include website links to other information sources where further detail/

investigation would be recommended, e.g. your service referral form. Get the final completed version proof read and checked for sense, preferably by

a parent and a young person using your service.

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1e) Education settings guidance for Local Offer questions

All education settings have a statutory requirement to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND covering 0-25 years. The answers to the questions need to explain clearly to parent carers, young people and other interested parties how this works at your setting. Some education settings have eligibility criteria – it is important to make it clear when, how and by whom these are applied, as it may be that this happens at an earlier stage before you meet the family. This might be relevant for Q 6, 11 and 12.(Please follow the guidance notes for more information about what to include under each of the questions)

1. How does your education setting know if children/young people need extra help and what do I do if I think my child has special educational needs?(Max 250 words)How do you identify children or young people with special educational needs? How will I be able to raise any concerns I may have? If the setting is specialist which types of special educational need do you cater for?

In this section please include details of how specific staff identify needs and how they work with families and organisations to meet those needs.

2. How will the education setting staff support my child / young person?(Max 250 words)Who will oversee and plan the education programme and who will be working with my child and how often? What will be their roles? Who will explain this to me? How are the governors or trustees involved and what are their responsibilities? How does the setting know how effective its arrangements/provision for children and young people with special educational needs are?

Expectation is to describe the responsibilities of the SENCO, College Learning Support Manager or Key Person and the processes they undertake to support a child or young person. Support roles and titles often vary between settings so please explain how it works in your setting.

3. How will the curriculum at your education setting be matched to my child / young person’s needs? (Max 250 words)

What are the setting’s approaches to differentiation? How will that help my child?

Expectation is to include Individual Education Plan, Development Progress System, Learning Journal and Observation, Assessment and Planning processes. If you plan and deliver an individualised curriculum please explain how you do this.

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4. How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child / young person’s learning? (Max 250 words)

In addition to the normal reporting arrangements what opportunities will there be for me to discuss his or her progress with the staff? How does the setting know how well my child is doing? How will I know what progress my child or young person should be making? What opportunities will there be for regular contact about things that have happened at the setting e.g. a home/school book or email or text? How will you explain to me how his or her learning is planned and how I can help support this outside of the setting? How and when will I be involved in planning my child’s education? Do you offer any parent training or learning events?

Expectation is to include details of how regular and productive contact is maintained with family carers and young people.

5. What support will there be for my child / young person’s overall wellbeing?(Max 250 words)

What is the pastoral, medical and social support available in the setting for children with SEND? How does the setting manage the administration of medicines and providing personal care? What support is there for behaviour, avoiding exclusions and increasing attendance? How safe is my child/young person in your setting? How will my child/young person be able to contribute his or her views? How will the setting support them to do this?

In this section include details about appropriate policies and procedures, and explain how they are put into practice in your setting. You may want to include information about the suitability of staff to undertake actions in support of the child. How safe a child or young person will be at your setting is very important .You could mention briefly your process of staff recruitment and how staff are supervised/managed. It is important to include all of the ways in which you support young people to self-advocate. You may also explain how support is given at lunch and break times.

6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by your education setting? (Max 250 words)

Are there specialist staff working at the setting and what are their qualifications? What other services does the setting access including health, therapy and social care services?

In your answer please include details of other professionals and organisations that you involve to provide support, as well as details of staff who have undertaken specialist training to support specific roles.

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7. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEN and Disabilities had or are having? (Max 250 words)This should include recent and future planned training and disability awareness.

Expectation is to include details of mandatory and specialist training undertaken. Identify particular strengths and where further training is required. Include details of relevant training providers and levels of achievement. Other types of support to enhance training received. It is often helpful if parent carers and young people know how you prepare staff if a child or young person comes to the setting with a need that staff are not familiar with.

8. How will my child / young person be included in activities including trips run by your setting? (Max 250 words)Will he or she be able to access all of the activities of the setting and how will you assist him or her to do so? How do you involve parent carers in planning activities and trips?

Expectation is to include processes used to determine suitability of activities for the individual child. Include details of how you liaise with families, carers and young people regarding activities. Include details of strategies and resources used to ensure the inclusion of the individual child or young person.

9. How accessible is your education setting? ( indoors and outdoors)(Max 250 words)Is the building fully wheelchair accessible? Have there been improvements in the auditory and visual environment? Are there disabled changing and toilet facilities? How does the setting communicate with parent carers and young people whose first language is not English? How will equipment and facilities to support children with special educational needs be secured?

Expectation is that the establishment will work with parent carers and young people to identify and address needs in collaboration with other services if necessary. Include details of visual support within your environment such as Makaton.

10. How will the education setting prepare and support my child / young person to join the education setting, transfer to a new setting and or the next education stage and life? (Max 250 words)What preparation will there be for both the setting and my child before he or she joins the setting? How will he or she be prepared to move onto the next stage? What information will be provided to his or her new setting? How will you support a new setting prepare for my child?

Expectation is to include details of meetings, visits and resources to support the transitions.

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11. How are the education setting resources allocated and matched to children and young people’s Special Educational Needs and disabilities? (Max 250 words)How is the setting’s special educational needs funding allocated?

Expectation is to include details of funding and resources available depending on individual or whole setting needs.

12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child /young person will receive? (Max 250 words)Describe the decision making process. Who will make the decision and on what basis? Who else will be involved? How will I be involved? How does the setting judge whether the support has had an impact?

Expectation is to include how and why the Individual Education Plan (IEP) is developed, monitored and regularly reviewed. You could also explain how you manage Annual Reviews. It is important that Parent Carers and young people understand what rates of progress you are expecting to be made.

13. How are parents / young people currently involved in your education setting? How can I be involved? (Max 250 words)Describe the setting’s approach to involving parents and young people in decision making and day to day school life including for their own child.

In your answer describe the range of ways parent carers can contribute formally and informally to the daily routines of the setting. At a college of further education explain how parent carers can be involved in preparing young people for adulthood.

14. Who can I contact for further information? (Max 250 words)Who would be my first point of contact if I want to discuss something about my child? Who else has a role in my child’s education? Who can I talk to if I am worried? Who should I contact if I am considering whether my child should join the setting? Who is the SEN Coordinator and how can I contact them? What other support services are there who might help me and provide me with information and advice?

Expectation is to include name and details of anyone who has a specific role in providing information. There might be a suitable single point of contact who can support and signpost where necessary. It is important to remember that the Local Offer is providing information about any level of SEND so if there are a number of people who could be the first point of contact for information please explain their different roles.

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Part 2: Providing details about your organisation for The Local Offer

In order to publish your information on The Local Offer website you will be required to complete an on-line form. An example of the form has been provided below. The first part of the form asks for your contact details together with a series of ‘tick boxes’ that will help people to find your information when searching on-line. The second part of the form contains the ‘Local Offer questions. Each question allows for a maximum of 250 words so please check your word count before completing the on-line form.

We would suggest that you pre-prepare the answers to the Local Offer questions in a word document without any formatting (eg without any bullets or highlighted text etc.) formatting can be added later when completing the on-line form. The web editor will not recognise word formatting but will allow you to cut and paste the paragraphs from the word document into the on-line form and then use the web editor to add bullets, numbering and hyperlinks etc. (full guidance will be provided)

When you are ready to submit your Local Offer, send an email to localoffer@roseroad.org.uk and request the Education settings guidance for completing the on-line form. The guidance will contain detailed instructions of how to login to the Local Offer site, complete the on-line form and how to use the web editor. This part of the site is continually being improved so please only request the guidance when you are ready to submit your information.

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2b) SAMPLE LOCAL OFFER ON-LINE FORM (this form is provided as an example of the type of information you will need to provide when submitting your Local Offer and is subject to change as the site develops.)

Full Name of Education setting

The name that your Setting is known by e.g. XYZ Children’s Centre

Physical address Enter the 1st and 2nd line of your address (If you deliver services out in the community or in the home, this is the physical address that you co-ordinate your service from)

Town Enter the town for this address

District or Borough Select the District or Borough for this address from the drop down menu.

Postcode Enter the Postcode for this address

Contact Person Enter the contact Person for the telephone number listed below (if no contact then enter reception or persons designation)

Telephone Number Enter the main Contact telephone number for this setting

Email address Enter the email address for contact purposes

Website address Enter your website address

Facebook address Enter your facebook address (if applicable)

Twitter address Enter your twitter address (if applicable)

Logo or picture Maximum file size of 2MB

Short Headline Enter a short Headline. This is required for the ‘What’s New’ and ‘most popular’ features on the website which lists newly added items in a bulleted list. E.g. XYZ Children’s Centre Local Offer (there is a limit of 50 characters)

Brief overview of your service (30 words)Enter a 30 word description of your setting. This is the first thing that users of the website will see when searching for your information and will determine if they want to read your Local Offer

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The following details will help users of the website to find your information quickly and easily.

Age range of Educational SettingYou will be asked to select all ages from 0-25 that your setting accommodates.E.g. If your education setting accepts pupils aged 16-25 then you will need to select16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. (A select all feature will be available)

Which of the following best describes your education setting? (tick all that apply)Mainstream Special

Resourced Provision (Mainstream with resourced unit)

Academy

Community school Foundation

Free school Education Centre (pupil referral unit)

Faith school Residential 38/44 weeks

Early years SEN provision Residential 48/52 weeks

Hospital school Independent

Opportunity school SEN Hub

Childminder (Early years education) School Nursery

Day Nursery ( 38/50 weeks) Preschool playgroup

What communication methods are you familiar with? (Tick all that apply)

Signs and symbols PECS (Picture exchange communication system )

British Sign Language Braille

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

Sign supported English

Makaton

What facilities does your education setting have? (tick all that apply)Hydrotherapy pool Sensory room or area

Wheelchair Access Accessible changing area

Accessible toilets Low stimulus environment

Secure environment Soft play facility

Sensory adaptations (such as colour scheme)

Physical adaptations (such as hand rails)

Accessible parking

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If you are a special school or your setting has a resourced unit, please select from the list below, any areas that you specialise in? (select all that apply)Complex Health needs Autistic Spectrum Conditions

MLD (Moderate Learning Difficulties)

PMLD (Profound and multiple learning Difficulties)

SLD (Severe Learning Difficulties) Social, mental and emotional health

SpLD (Specific learning Difficulties) Hearing Impairment

Challenging Behaviour Visual impairment

Physical Disabilities Personal Care Needs

Communication needs (Speech, Language and Communication)

Any Impairment (Any condition or impairment)

Are any of the following made available on site at your education setting?Needs led school nurse Needs led SALT (speech and

language therapy)

Needs led O/T (Occupational therapy) Needs led physiotherapy

Personal Care

Key search words.The website will use ‘keywords’ to search for information. Please provide a list of the key words that users of the website may use to find your setting? e.g. special needs, impairment, inclusion. (maximum of 10)

Key words The keywords will auto fill if the keyword has already been entered. Each Key word entered must be separated by a comma.

Sections and subsectionsThe website will have a number of sections to assist navigation. Please advise which of the following sections you would expect users to look for your information? (Please do not tick them all only the ones that are relevant to this service)

Respite & Support Respite & Short Breaks

Funding and Direct Payments

Common Assessment Framework (CAF)

Emotional Wellbeing Advocacy

Support groups and Voluntary Organisations

Disabled Children fostering and adoption

Support and family members

Health Childrens Nurses Specialist Clinics

Sensory Pre-birth & birth Dental Care

Complex health needs Doctors and Hospitals Emotional Health & Wellbeing

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Equipment and Therapies Wheelchair Services Speech & Language

Continence Services Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy

Other Equipment Other therapies Grants

Education & Childcare In school therapies SEN Support

Childcare & Early yrs. Learning from home Schools

Colleges & Post 16 Transport Transition

Leisure & Play Clubs & activities Things to do

Holidays Sport & fitness Friendships & relationships

Hampshire Gateway

Preparation for Adulthood Getting involved Independent living

Parents, siblings and Family carers

University and work Staying healthy

Money Getting around Being an adult

1. How does your education setting know if children/young people need extra help and what do I do if I think my child has special educational needs?(Max 250 words)

Input your response here

2. How will the education setting staff support my child / young person?(Max 250 words)

Input your response here

3. How will the curriculum at your education setting be matched to my child / young person’s needs? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

4. How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child / young person’s learning? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

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5. What support will there be for my child / young person’s overall wellbeing?(Max 250 words)

Input your response here

6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by your education setting? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

7. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEN and Disabilities had or are having? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

8. How will my child / young person be included in activities including trips run by your setting? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

9. How accessible is your education setting? ( indoors and outdoors)(Max 250 words)

Input your response here

10. How will the education setting prepare and support my child / young person to join the education setting, transfer to a new setting and or the next education stage and life? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

11. How are the education setting resources allocated and matched to children and young people’s Special Educational Needs and disabilities? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

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12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child /young person will receive? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

13. How are parents / young people currently involved in your education setting? How can I be involved? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

14. Who can I contact for further information? (Max 250 words)

Input your response here

Publishing your Local Offer

When you are ready to submit your Local Offer, send an email to localoffer@roseroad.org.uk and request the Education settings guidance for completing the on-line form. The guidance will contain detailed instructions of how to login to the Local Offer site, complete the on-line form and instructions on how to use the web editor. This part of the site is continuously being developed and is subject to change so please only request the guidance when you are ready to submit your information.

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