Education

School Age Education

Transition

Student Support in Sheffield HE and FE institutions

Disabled Students Allowance

School Age Education

Sheffield Local Offer: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Services

The Local Offer lets parents and young people know what special educational needs and disabilities services are available in Sheffield, and who can access them.

See https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/schools-childcare/local-offer

and

https://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/localoffer

Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans /
SEN Support

Statements of Special Educational Need (SEN) have been replaced by Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans. The EHC Plan gives the same statutory protection, but now cover from birth to age 25 and extends the rights to young people in further education and training, including apprenticeships, who currently have a Learning Disability Assessment (LDA).

For further information search the Sheffield Directory using the search term “EHC Plan”

Integrated Resources in Sheffield for ASC

Integrated Resources are set up in mainstream schools. They:

· Cater for pupils with certain types of very significant Special Educational Needs (SEN) which cannot be easily met at their local school
· Have extra staff with specialist knowledge
· Have specialist equipment
· If your child attends an Integrated Resource they:
· Will have a statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or EHC
· Will attend a mainstream school, but it may not be a local one
· May have to travel to school by bus or taxi, paid for by us
· Will be among other children in the school with similar Special Educational Needs (SEN)
· Will be able to take part in some of the school activities with the other children according to their individual needs
· May have speech therapy, physiotherapy or nursing help provided in school if this is agreed by the Health Authority

Schools that have an IR for severe communication disorder and autism spectrum conditions are:

Special Schools for ASCs and Learning Difficulties in Sheffield

Special schools are designated where:

All the pupils have Special Educational Needs (SEN) or EHC
All staff have specialist knowledge and expertise
Classes are small
Specialist equipment is available

Some of these schools have help for children from nursery age. Increasingly these schools develop links with mainstream schools.

If your child attends a special school they:

Will have a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN).
May travel to school by special bus or taxi provided by us.
Will be educated in a school where all children have Special Educational Needs.
May visit a mainstream school for some lessons.
May have speech therapy, physiotherapy or nursing help provided in school if this is agreed by the Health Authority

Sheffield’s special schools’ websites:

Sheffield Education Autism Team Support Line

Call: 0114 2736567
We have a dedicated phone service that is manned by experienced teachers from the team. The service is available Monday to Thursday during term time from 1pm to 4pm.

Sheffield Education Autism Team

“The Sheffield Autism Team supports schools and settings meet the needs of social communication difficulties including autism. We also offer direct work with children and provide advice and support to parents and professionals.”

Telephone or fax 0114 2736412
Sheffield Education Autism Team
Floor 4 North Wing,
Moorfoot Building
S1 4PL

Schools duty to make reasonable adjustments for your child

On disability discrimination in schools read this page from the National Autistic Society
“Here we explain the meaning of the word disability, the types of discrimination and what that can mean for your autistic child in a primary, secondary or local authority nursery school in England, Scotland and Wales. We also look at types of discrimination and the schools duty to make reasonable adjustments for your child.”

NAS School Exclusions Service

The National Autistic Society’s School Exclusions Service offers advice and information to parents of children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) on all aspects of school exclusion in England. This includes advice on informal (illegal) exclusions; fixed-period and permanent exclusions; how to challenge your child’s exclusion and what you can do if you are concerned that your child is at risk of exclusion.

In the academic year 2010-11, 2,480 pupils with ASD received one or more fixed period exclusions. The most common reasons given were ‘Physical assault against a pupil’ (20%), ‘Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult’ (20%), ‘Physical assault against an adult’ (19%) and ‘Persistent disruptive behaviour’ (19%)

However, in some cases behaviour associated with this hidden disability can be confused with disobedience because of a lack of awareness of the condition and a lack of empathy with the individual. Sometimes a pupil with ASD, trying to cope with school life can go into meltdown – the bewildering bombardment of instructions and demands; the deluge of sensory stimuli; the struggle to keep up with the flow of social interaction that comes naturally to those around them can prove too much and anxiety can build to stress and ultimately to aggression.

Headteachers may feel that exclusion is the only solution in order to maintain the safety and well-being of other pupils. Indeed it may be the case that a mainstream school is not the most appropriate setting for a particular child. However, disruptive behaviour can be an indication of unmet needs and schools have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to policies and practices to ensure that pupils with ASD also feel safe, confident and able to experience success.

How to use the School Exclusions Service:

      • Call the Autism Helpline on 0808 800 4104 (Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm). The Helpline will take details of your query and arrange a telephone appointment for you with our Exclusions Adviser, who will call you back at the agreed time to discuss your query in detail.
      • Email your enquiry to schoolexclusions@nas.org.uk. It would be helpful if you could provide as much detail as possible regarding your enquiry.

They aim to reply within 5 working days. Please note that it may take them longer than this if their Exclusions Advisor is away.

More on Education from the National Autistic Society

NAS Advice on getting more support at school www.autism.org.uk/education

NAS /Ambitious About Autism Held Back Campaign

NAS /APPGA Report on Autism and Education in England 2017 can be downloaded here: APPGA-autism-and-education-report

Sheffield Parent Carer Forum

An independent group of parents and carers of children and young people (0-19) with disabilities and special educational needs. The Forum’s main aim is to ensure the needs of their children are met. They bring together parent carers from across Sheffield to provide mutual support, exchange information, and influence policy.

St Mary’s Community Centre
Bramall Lane
Sheffield
S2 4QZ
Telephone: 0300 321 4721 (local call rate)

Our office is staffed Monday to Friday, 9.30am- 3pm.
www.sheffieldparentcarerforum.org.uk

Independent Parent Specialist Education Advice (IPSEA)

IPSEA is a national charity providing free legally based advice to families who have children with special educational needs.
Advice on: Problems with schools; requesting statutory assessment; proposed statements; annual reviews; possible disability discrimination; exclusion from school, etc.
Please go to the IPSEA website to book an appointment with their Advice Line
For next-step advice on SEN appeals and disability discrimination claims go to the IPSEA page about the  Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.
For the Tribunal website go to https://www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/first-tier-tribunal-special-educational-needs-and-disability

Sheffield SEN & Disability Information, Advice and Support (SSENDIAS – formerly Parent Partnership Service)

SSENDIAS provides impartial, confidential information, advice and support to parents/carers of children with special educational needs on all matters relating to their child’s education. There is a statutory duty upon the Local Authority to provide the service but for the service to operate ‘at arm’s length’ from the Local Authority.
See this entry in the Sheffield Directory: http://www.sheffielddirectory.org.uk/kb5/sheffield/directory/service.page?id=Lu-7zBMsv6o
You can call SSENDIAS on 0114 2736009 or email ed-parent.partnership@sheffield.gov.uk.
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Transition

Moving Between Life Stages: Advice from the National Autistic Society about strategies and support that can help during key life transitions – including starting or changing school, leaving school, and starting or leaving college or university.
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/transition.aspx

National Autistic Society Transition Support Service: “Our transition support service is a free service for young autistic people aged 14 years plus and their parents or carers, looking for information and advice on the transition to adulthood. This includes young people preparing to leave school as well as further and higher education.” http://www.autism.org.uk/services/helplines/transition-support.aspx

Student Support in Sheffield HE and FE institutions

Sheffield Hallam University

Student Support Page
Disability Support
– disability-specialist advice and guidance appointments
– daily drop ins for students
– support with applications for Disabled Students’ Allowances
and carry out study needs assessments at the Sheffield Regional Assessment Centre
– individual packages of support through learning contracts
– psychological assessments and support for students with specific learning difficulties
– information and training on assistive technology
– in-house support worker services

University of Sheffield

Services and Support for Students
Disability and Dyslexia Support Service
If you have an impairment or condition that can make it difficult for you to undertake study-related tasks like sitting exams, reading, planning and writing assignments, attending classes and taking notes in them or delivering presentations, then you are likely to be eligible for disability support.

We will put specifically tailored support in place for you following a discussion with you about your individual requirements. The pages on how to set up support for current students and for prospective students explain how you can make contact with us so that we can begin to talk about what support would work for you.

See the page What Support is Available

Sheffield College

Student Support
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

The college offers a wide range of assistance to students with additional needs. We believe that all students should have an equal chance of success and offer specialist learning support, equipment and resources.

Students with additional needs include those who have physical or mobility difficulties, a visual or hearing impairment, communication and learning difficulties such as autism and dyslexia, medical conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes and heart disease, and mental health difficulties such as depression. You will need to complete a disability disclosure form so that your needs can then be assessed and the appropriate support is put into place.

Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)

See this government web page for eligibility and how to apply.