- For residents
- Schools, learning and early years
- Adult courses and learning
- Subsites
- SEND Local Offer
What the tool is, how to use it, who can use it.
About the tool
The learning disability screening tool is a short questionnaire that can help identify if a child or young person aged between 6 and 18 may have a learning disability.
The tool cannot:
- tell you if the child or young person definitely has a learning disability or not, it can only give you an indication
- diagnose the specific learning disability the child or young person may have
The tool was developed by NHS clinicians based on feedback from families.
We're trialling the tool in the Bristol area to find out how useful it might be. After the trial period, we'll review the tool to understand the benefits of using it.
If you use the tool, we might contact you to ask you if you'd like to give us any feedback about it.
Why use the tool
Early assessment of SEND in children and young people helps their families and professionals identify what they need. This means the child or young person gets the best support for them and their family.
Assessment can be a complex and time-consuming process for everyone involved. Services recognise the challenges faced by families and are looking for faster and more efficient ways of getting families the support they need.
If the tool indicates that the child or young person may have a learning disability, this can help:
- identify the appropriate services for the child or young person
- their GP add them to the Bristol Children's Disability Register
Who can use the tool
The learning disability tool is designed to be used by:
- young people
- parents and carers
- families
- professionals such as nurses, teachers, social workers, health visitors, GPs and police officers
You can use the tool with or on behalf of the child or young person.
The tool is not suitable for children and young people aged:
- under 6
- over 18
Remember that the tool can only give an indication of whether the child or young person has a learning disability or not. You must always get an assessment from a professional, such as your GP, to confirm what the tool tells you.
Use the tool
Use the learning disability screening tool
Possible tool outcomes
When you've answered the questions in the tool, you'll get one of two outcomes.
Outcome 1
Your responses indicate that it's likely the child or young person has a learning disability. You should ask the child or young person's:
- GP for support and an assessment
- school nurse and Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) for support
You could also ask your GP to:
- add the child or young person to Bristol Children's Learning Disability Register
- arrange an Annual Health Check for the child or young person
Outcome 2
Your responses indicate that it's unlikely the child or young person has a learning disability.
If you still have concerns, talk to the child or young person's:
- GP
- school nurse
- Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)
More support
Bristol Parent Carers: a group of parents and carers of children with SEND, offering support and advice to other parents and carers.
Bristol SEND Local Offer for parents and carers of children with SEND: Bristol City Council support and advice for parents and carers.
Community Children's Health Partnership: specialist service for children with learning disabilities.
Sirona care and health: advice and signposting for children and young people.
What SEND resource bases are, why we plan to open them, responses to our consultation, the decisions.
What the plans are
Bristol City Council plans to open 3 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) resource bases in Bristol.
We'll work with the schools to make sure all admissions are handled effectively and efficiently.
These plans are not expected to have any limiting impact on other local provision, including local schools. They will contribute towards parental choice.
Why we're opening the resource bases
We've developed the plans in response to the need for SEND provision for children and young people in Bristol.
Bristol City Council has a statutory duty to make sure that:
- there are enough school places for pupils with SEND (Children and Families Act 2014)
- school places for children with SEND provide high quality support and value for money
We believe the provision will:
- provide additional capacity to manage demand for SEN school places in Bristol where demand is high
- support improved educational outcomes for children with SEN
About the resource bases
In accordance with Section 19(1) of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (as amended by the Education Act 2011) and the School Organisation (Prescribed Alterations to Maintained Schools) (England) Regulations 2013, Bristol City Council is proposing changes to:
- Broomhill Infant School, to open a 24-place resource base for children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and register it with the Department for Education (DfE)
- Broomhill Junior School, to open a 16-place resource base for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH) and Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and register it with the Department for Education (DfE)
- Sefton Park Infant and Junior School, to open a 12-place resource base for children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and register it with the Department for Education (DfE)
The SEN designation of the provisions will be inclusive of children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Needs and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) to support the needs of children who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The resource bases will receive children with SEN from the local area, not limited to the school's mainstream catchment.
We hope to open:
- Broomhill Infant School and Sefton Park Infant and Junior School resource bases in January 2024
- Broomhill Junior School resource base in September 2024
The resource bases will increase capacity in Bristol by 52 places, with the expectation that the provisions will increase the number of places available as appropriate.
The Published Admissions Number of the schools will stay the same. The plans will not affect them.
The consultation
The proposals were published for 4 weeks from 9 October 2023 until 6 November 2023 on:
- the Broomhill Infant School website
- the Broomhill Junior School website
- the Sefton Park Infant and Junior School website
- this webpage
A copy of the proposals were sent to the governors and headteachers of each school. Parents and carers could get copies of the proposals:
- from the schools
- by contacting Bristol City Council
- on the schools' websites
- on this webpage
The proposals were also published in a local newspaper.
Each school sent regular updates to the parents and carers of all registered pupils, by post or online.
We collected comments on an online survey, by email and by post.
Responses
Broomhill Infant School
9 respondents completed the survey and were from a range of backgrounds. Of those:
- 57.14% of respondents strongly agreed with the proposal for a SEND resource base at Broomhill Infant School
- 14.29% agreed with the proposal
- 14.29% disagreed with the proposal
- 14.29% strongly disagreed with the proposal
Respondents:
- mentioned the high demand for specialist provision in the area
- said that more SEND provision is positive for the city
- raised concerns about the resource base being located on a different site and asked how this would be managed
We understand these concerns but have confidence in the school's ability to deliver high quality provision at a nearby site.
Broomhill Junior School
3 respondents completed the survey and were from a range of backgrounds. Of those:
- 66.67% of respondents strongly agreed with the proposal for a SEND resource base at Broomhill Junior School
- 33.33% strongly disagreed with the proposal
Respondents mentioned the need for more specialist provision in Bristol. The respondent who strongly disagreed did not leave a comment.
Sefton Park Infant and Junior School
5 respondents completed the survey and were from a range of backgrounds. Of those:
- 80% of respondents strongly agreed with the proposal for a SEND resource base at Sefton Park Infant and Junior School
- 20% strongly disagreed with the proposal
Respondents:
- believed the resource base would enrich the lives of the children attending the school
- mentioned personal experiences of their children needing such support
The respondent who strongly disagreed did not leave a comment.
Decisions
These proposals do not require cabinet approval, which means approval is delegated to officer level and was taken by the director of Education and Skills in consultation with the Executive Member for Children and Education. To comply with statutory guidance, a decision must be made within a period of two months of the end of the representation period.
Overview
The Department for Education is inviting applications from proposer groups to open a new special free school in Bristol.
Applicant groups can access the key school specification information, along with the full ‘How to Apply' guidance, on GOV.UK. You should read these documents carefully before completing mandatory pre-registration.
The school specification document sets out the key factual details about the proposed school, including the proposed size, SEND designation, age range, suggested top-up funding, and proposed site.
This page provides applicant groups with additional contextual information provided by Bristol City Council, which includes:
- The rationale, context and need for the school;
- Details on the commissioning of places, including the involvement of any other LAs commissioning places;
- A brief description of the existing provision in the area;
- Future expected growth in pupil numbers; and
- How the LA expects places within the school to be filled.
Rationale, context and need for the school, including proposed commissioning arrangements
Bristol City Council view the new school as a necessary step in delivering on The Bristol Local Area Written Statement of Action WSoA and the Bristol Belonging Together Strategy. The WSoA highlights inclusion, independence, belonging and involvement as values underpinning our work across the city. The WSoA aims to address the underachievement and lack of inclusion of young people with SEND in Bristol. The Bristol Belonging Strategy supports this commitment to developing and implementing a system-wide, trauma-informed approach. Both our WSoA and Belonging Strategy are committed to providing young people with SEND with networks promoting access to support tailored to their needs. There are a number of issues these strategies seek to address such as:
- high suspension rates and multiple suspension rates
- high levels of students NEET
- lack of specialist support for young people with higher needs
- high proportion of students placed in independent provision
Currently, the averages of students being suspended at least once in Bristol have remained 43% higher than the national average of 2.17 for the past 3 years, also standing 17% above our statistical neighbours. The average number of students in Bristol suspended multiple times has been consistently higher than both the national average and our statistical neighbours for the last 3 years, with this rate currently 34% higher than the national average. These considerably high rates are reflected in both primary and secondary provisions, spiked by many challenging behaviours triggered by unmet needs. The rates in Bristol suggest there is a severe need for a new school in the area to cater for students whose needs require more specialised support. It is critical that children in the area are provided with an alternative to prevent exclusions and avoid a long-lasting impact on future opportunities for individuals within Bristol's cohort. In 2021 the number of NEET students in Bristol was 590, accounting for 7% of 16-17-year-olds. This is higher than the national average, and highlights challenges the council has been facing in supporting individuals with SEND in transitioning into adulthood.
Currently 0.7% of our children are being home-educated. Further to this, there has been a 22% increase in EHCP assessment requests between January 2022 and May 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. In addition, for the academic year of 2021/2022, Bristol has a total of 192 pupils in independent non-maintained settings and independent specialist provisions, at a huge cost to the council. A significant proportion of this cost is made up from commissioning therapeutic aids/specialists to support pupils who benefit from this. The therapeutic offer is not currently accessible within the Bristol provision, meaning that outsourcing is required for children who need access to occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, art therapy, hydrotherapy and specialist therapeutic communities. Commissioning young student in these places also incurs enormous cost to the council in terms of transport, 43% higher than the national average.
This new free school proposal will provide specialist support to students whose needs are not currently being met in mainstream settings, reducing the number of suspensions and students NEET and reducing the enormous cost incurred through placing and transporting students to independent settings.
We have worked collaboratively with nearby local authorities, including Bath & Northeast Somerset and South Gloucestershire in the development of this new free school proposal in order to confirm their support for our proposed new school, and align our local strategies. We agreed both LAs will be commissioning several places to provide for children from their areas. We will continue to engage with both B&NES and South Gloucestershire through the opening of the new school and beyond to ensure greater access to high quality, specialist education for young people with SEND needs in Bristol and surrounding Local Authorities.
Existing provision, expected future growth in pupil numbers, and how places in the new school will be filled
Bristol currently has 11 special schools, all of which are full with limited spaces available in any new academic year. Since the 1st September 2021, the average wait time for a pre-14 specialist placement is 82 days and 52 days for post-14. This has led to an increase of pupils with complex needs being placed in mainstream schools and resource bases and an increase in permanent exclusions, as well as pupils being placed in out of authority non-maintained settings.
SEND data and trends in Bristol demonstrate the rapid and continuing growth of students with an EHCP. Between the academic year 2015/16 and 2021/22, there was a 52% increase in EHCPs. Alongside the increase in students with EHCPs, Bristol has also seen a substantial increase in SEMH needs. Between 2015/16 and 2021/22, there was an increase of 212 students, equivalent to a 62% uptrend. On a more recent comparative scale, between January and May 2022, there was a 22% increase in pupils with an EHCP request in comparison to the same period in 2021. Following the rise in requests for EHCPs, there has been a 52% increase in these plans being finalised within the first 5 months of 2022 compared to 2021, with 299 EHCPs finalised, contrasting to just 197 in 2021.In addition to this, Bristol has seen a considerable increase in pupils with ASD. Since 2015/16, there has been a growth of 397 students identified with ASD - a rise of 96%. This alarming increase reflects the growing need for a new special provision in Bristol.
We have been working alongside North Star 82° Academy, an SEMH school for primary-age pupils in North Bristol, who have historically had vacant places within their provision. They have welcomed a growing cohort of ASC pupils. However, this cohort is not suited to a mainstream environment, and they currently have no option in the area for secondary provision, as they are unable to transition to North Star 240°- which solely caters for 11-16 years old children with SEMH needs. Therefore, this free school would provide secondary education for pupils in North Bristol who would otherwise have to travel out of county or across the city.
We anticipate that these trends will continue to rise, with a higher proportion of children in Bristol having EHCPs. The increasing number of children requiring specialist education support will continue to grow, therefore a new special school will be increasingly essential to cater to this demand for specialist provisions.
Use Google Translate to translate any page on this website, how to ask for formal translations.
Use Google Translate to translate a page on this site
To use Google Translate:
- Copy the website address (URL) of the page you want to translate.
- Go to Google Translate Go to https://translate.google.co.uk/?sl=en&tl=fr&op=websites (opens new window).
- Paste the website address into the website field.
- Choose the language you want to translate to.
- Click the blue arrow button.
Google Translate is a free translation service that instantly translates text into different languages. Translations are generated by computers, so may not always be accurate. Bristol City Council is not responsible for the quality or accuracy of information translated using Google Translate.
Ask for formal translations
If you need a specific page or section on this website formally translated into another language, email bristollocaloffer@bristol.gov.uk and tell us:
- the page or section you want us to translate
- which language you want the text translated to
We'll respond within 10 working days.
Training for schools staff who work with children and young people with SEND.
A renewed programme of training sets out the development opportunities currently available to build skills, understanding and the confidence to meet the requirements of Bristol school children and young people (CYP) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Following the Ofsted and CQC inspection of Bristol's approach to SEND in 2019 and as part of the pdf Written Statement of Action (306 KB) , the SEND Workforce Development Board has worked with Trading with Schools to compile and make available a rolling programme for teaching staff to book onto.
The courses are a mixture of:
- paid
- free
- in person at venues
- online
We've also extended the programme to embrace e-learning opportunities.
How to book
To find out more and book, visit SEND Workforce Development | Trading with Schools
To see all SEND-related opportunities at any one time in the rolling programme, type “SEND22” in the search bar and you'll get a list of the whole offer.
Please encourage staff to make bookings today. Together we can help Bristol to establish and maintain a robust, evidence-based and well-supported performance culture across SEND services.
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- Schools, learning and early years
- School admissions
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- Early years and childcare
- Special educational needs and disability
- Education outside mainstream schools
- Free school meals and school travel support
- Adult courses and learning
- Information for young people in Bristol
- Children in care or previously looked after children
- Governing schools and academies
- What the council spends on schools
- Complain about a school