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- SEND Local Offer
Where to find information about the SEND Local Offer for education in neighbouring local authorities.
If your child lives in Bristol and goes to school in another local authority area, you'll need to access SEND support for education through that local authority's SEND Local Offer.
Find out about the SEND Local Offer in:
Check which local authority your child's school is in on GOV.UK.
How the Sensory Support Service works with children and young people who have hearing, vision or multisensory impairments.
What is sensory support
Sensory support is for children and young people from birth to 25, who are:
- deaf
- hearing impaired
- blind
- partially sighted
The National Sensory Impairment Partnership (NATSIP) website Go to https://www.natsip.org.uk/doc-library-login/eligibility-framework/916-eligibility-framework-document (opens new window) includes the eligibility criteria for sensory support.
Sensory support helps children and young people to learn at home, in early years settings and schools by working with families and a range of professionals from educational settings and services, health care, social care and voluntary organisations.
Support is available from the time your child is diagnosed to when they leave school or further education.
How your child can get sensory support
Local or specialist hospitals make most referrals for children with visual or hearing impairments after they’ve been identified as having a sensory impairment.
If you’re concerned that your child has a possible visual or hearing difficulty, get an appointment with a health professional, such as your doctor. They can refer your child on to check if they have a vision or hearing impairment.
If you, your child’s early years setting or school is concerned about their hearing or vision, call 0117 903 8442 to refer your child to the service. Medical information is needed before support is given.
Early years settings or schools should fill in the document vision referral form (62 KB) if they're concerned that your child may have a visual impairment.
What happens after your child is referred
The team will contact you, your child’s early years’ setting or school. Depending on your child's needs, they'll either give you information or visit you and your child at home, early years’ setting or school.
If they visit you, they'll write a report that describes the support your child needs. This support is based on a national eligibility framework.
Sensory support will help your child’s early years setting or school by providing:
- assessment of your child’s educational needs
- appropriate ways to teach so they can follow the curriculum
- training and support so that your child is fully included in the early years setting or school and makes good progress
- direct support and teaching for children who need to learn specialist skills, such as Braille
- advice and support to help your child develop independence and life skills
Early years support
Support in early years includes:
- home visits
- working with parents and carers to help a child develop specific skills, such as helping a blind child to learn to play using their other senses, helping a deaf child to communicate, or providing advice and information
- provide opportunities for family learning, such as Acorns and Explorers sessions, which are for young children and their parents or carers from the time they’re diagnosed to meet others, share information and learn together.
School age and Further Education (FE) support
Support in schools and other educational settings, including FE colleges, includes:
- training for teachers and teaching assistants and providing support, such as programmes of work to develop specialist skills
- advise on planning lessons that take in account hearing and visual impairment issues
- advice on strategies and approaches in the classroom, including how to adapt teaching materials
- providing independence training in schools
- teaching specialist skills like listening skills and Braille
Contact the sensory support service
Email: sensorysupportservice@bristol.gov.uk
Call: 0117 903 8441 / 2 / 3
Find more information on the sensory support service website.
All young people have a right to stay in education or training until their 18th birthday.
We have a duty to encourage, enable and help young people in suitable education and training, specifically if:
- they are 16 to 18 years old
- they have an EHC plan
- they're aged between 20 and 25 with SEND and need extra support
The government recognises that there will always be a small number of young people who, for medical reasons need either a temporary or longer break from education or training. This includes young people who have:
- mental health issues
- a serious short or long term illness
- some disabilities
A young person over 16 can:
- study full time in a school, college or training provider
- spend 20 hours a week volunteering, while in part time education or learning
- start an apprenticeship or traineeship
Your child's school, college or post 16 provider:
- will help them to understand their options for the future
- has a duty to provide independent careers guidance when they're in years 8 to 13
Details about schools' statutory duty to provide careers guidance is available on GOV.UK.
If your child has an EHC plan
If your child has an EHC plan, they will be given help to think about their plans for the future in their annual reviews. This will normally start in their year nine review meeting.
Transition support is individual for each young person and is in the appropriate section of the EHC plan.
Your child's school will work with further education providers to help make sure the move to further education is smooth. Transition can, and often will, go well into the first six weeks of your child's first term with their further education provider.
Full time further education (FE)
Further education is education for young people, usually between the ages of 16 and 19. It includes school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and further education colleges.
Find out Where to get post 16 education in Bristol and how to apply.
Special schools and colleges for people aged 16 and older
If your child has an EHC plan, they might want to go to a specialist college. The council doesn't always agree to name a specialist college if they feel their local provision is suitable. But if an independent specialist college is named on their EHC plan the council must provide and fund it.
As part of the SEND Code of Practice, the council has to consult with the preferred provider of the young person and their parents, and with the local provider.
The Bristol post-16 directory includes a list of specialist colleges.
GOV.UK has an approved list of independent specialist providers of further education for young people with SEND.
Supported internships, traineeships and apprenticeships
If your child doesn't want to stay in full time education, they can do:
- a supported internship for young people with special educational needs and an EHC plan
- a traineeship, a course with work experience that helps prepare them for work or an apprenticeship
- an apprenticeship, practical training in a job with study
Foundation learning
Pre-entry
These courses are for free 16 to 18 year old students and are an individual programmes to help young people with the highest support needs.
If your child is over 19 years old and doesn't have an EHC plan, they can pay for it as an adult course. If your child is over 19 years old and has an EHC plan it's free, but the council needs to agree this.
They offer life skills with high care support as needed.
Most students on these course will previously have been in special schools.
Courses will often last three years and aim to maximise students' independence.
Entry level one
A high level of support is provided on Entry level 1 courses. Most students will previously have been to special schools.
Courses often last three years and students are aiming at independent living.
Entry level two
These courses may offer life skills, but students will often begin vocational training in general or specific courses. Life skills may be offered at this level for those aiming towards independent living.
Many students at this level will be aiming towards employment and so can go on vocational courses.
Entry level three
These courses will usually be vocational. Some will include elements of supported employment. As with entry level two, they may be general or more job specific.
Level one and above
All other qualifications fit into a national framework that go from Level one, which includes GCSE at grades D to G, to postgraduate study at Levels seven and eight. They can be academic or vocational.
The post 16 participation website also explains different levels of qualifications.
What qualifications your child needs to get on a further education course
Achieving a qualification in Maths and English is needed in most cases, but check the things your child must have for the course they're interested in.
If your child doesn't have a grade C or four at GCSE or a Level two functional skills in English and Maths at the end of Year 11, there are courses available in further education colleges to help them carry on learning in these subjects.
The Preparing for adulthood website has more information about what qualifications students need for different types of study.
It may help your child to choose where to go and what to study through:
- discussions with the SENCOs at each provider about their needs
- special school and mainstream school visits to find out what they offer
- taster sessions, open days and open evenings at local sixth forms and colleges
- reading a sixth form or college's inspection reports by Ofsted
- sixth form and college prospectuses, which provide information about courses
- using the Natspec Specialist College Directory and College Finder
Colleges have similar responsibilities to schools to provide reasonable support to young people with special educational needs, including when they don't have an EHC plan. For example:
- access to a specialist teacher
- independence and life skills
- making technology accessible by adapting it
- exam access arrangements if needed
- supporting pupils with emotional, social and mental health needs
GOV.UK has guidance about the support that must be available to young adults with SEND.
If your child has an EHC plan, it'll stay with them until whichever of the following happens first:
- they go into paid employment
- they go into higher education (university or a further education college offering degrees)
- they reach age 18 and no longer want to continue in education
They will continue to have annual reviews to make sure the support is appropriate, effective and they're achieving their learning outcomes.
Disability support
Most universities and colleges have disability coordinators or advisers. They can tell you and your child what support is available and help to set up a visit.
Telling the institution about your child's SEN or disability in advance can help them arrange support in time for the start of the course.
Under the equality act, it's unlawful for universities to discriminate against disabled students. They must make 'reasonable adjustments' so your child isn't disadvantaged.
Students who go to university aren't eligible for an EHC plan, so if your child has one it'll end when they start their course. You should still send the EHC plan to the university because it will help the university understand their needs.
Your child can apply for a grant called the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) if they have a:
- disability
- long-term health condition
- mental health condition
- specific learning disability such as dyslexia
Support for a young person under 18 who's left education, but isn't in education, employment or training
There are targeted youth support services that can support your child to work towards education, training and employment opportunities.
To refer a young person to these services:
- email Post16Participation@bristol.gov.uk
- go to the post 16 participation website
Find out about:
- help with travel costs to and from education settings
- funding for young people studying a further education course without an EHC plan on GOV.UK
16 to 19 bursary fund
A bursary is money that a young person, or their education or training provider, can use to pay for things like:
- clothing, books and other equipment for their course
- transport and lunch on days they study or train
Your child could get a bursary to help with educated-related costs if they're:
- aged 16 to 19 and are either:
- studying at school or college (not university) in England
- on a training course, including unpaid apprenticeships
- 19 or over and have an EHC plan
Find out about the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund on GOV.UK.
In the last year of formal education, your child needs to make decisions about continuing learning or finding a job.
Young people don't have an automatic right to stay on in education after they're 19, but there are options and in some cases they may be able to continue learning until they're 25.
If your child has done A-levels or equivalent qualifications at sixth form or college, they may want to move onto higher education at 18 or later.
Higher education
Higher education is provided by universities and further education colleges that provide degrees, Higher National Diplomas (HND), higher level NVQs and Foundation degrees.
Your child can look for courses and apply on the UCAS website. Their school, college or sixth form careers advisor can provide information about how to apply.
UCAS has information about applying to university, including for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
There are also other higher education options available, such as distance learning on the internet or by post.
How much funding a school or education setting gets for SEN support and how that funding is provided depends on the type of school.
Mainstream schools
Mainstream schools are funded based on how many pupils they have. This is called 'element 1' funding.
They get extra funding for pupils with additional needs. This is called 'element 2' funding.
The school can apply to us for additional funding for pupils with more complex needs. This is called 'element 3' or 'top up' funding.
Special schools and educational settings
Special schools aren't funded in the same way as mainstream schools. Instead, they get £10,000 for each place that the council needs.
GOV.UK has more information on high needs funding arrangements for 2022 to 2023.
In addition to this, the Government has awarded a capital grant to invest in the size and quality of special school buildings. The default SEND Grant Provision Plan (109 KB) demonstrates how funds have been allocated in a capital plan.
Schools use their SEN funding to pay for things like:
- specialist resources and equipment, including simple auxiliary aids, such as a pen grip to additional specialist software that supports spelling
- one-to-one and small group learning support
- extra support in the classroom
- employing additional specialist support staff
- professional advice, for example from educational psychologists or speech and language therapists
Find out how a school uses their SEN funding
You can ask your child's school:
- how it uses its SEN budget to support your child
- whether it has enough to make all the provision they need
The SEN Information Report on the school's website has information about the school's arrangements for SEN support and how to contact the SENCO.
You can find a school's website on the GOV.UK Schools finder.
If your child has more complex SEN needs and requires specialist help to make sure they can make progress in school, their school or education setting can ask us for additional 'top up' funding. This is called 'element 3' funding and comes from our 'high needs block', which is allocated to us by central government.
The school or education setting must use it to provide support for the pupil that the funding is for.
Types of specialist support can include:
- access to the Bristol Autism Team, Sensory Support Service or Educational Psychology Services
- therapeutic interventions
- highly specialised resources, such as social communication and interaction groups, specialised speech and language therapy or ICT modifications
If you feel your child would benefit from top up funding, you should speak to your school's SENCO.
Read our pdf Investing in our 'high needs' young people report (519 KB) from September 2018.
There is also an pdf Easy read version of Investing in our 'high needs' young people report (2.11 MB) .
Special educational provision for children and young people is called SEN Support. It makes sure:
- education settings do everything they can to meet pupils' special educational needs alongside children of a similar age
- children and young people with SEND can take part in school activities with pupils who don't have SEND
- class or subject teachers work closely with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) to identify a child or young person's needs and put in place the provision that's additional to and different from that usually available in mainstream education settings to meet those needs
- parents or carers meet with the school at least three times a year, or termly, to review their child's progress and the impact of the provision
Ordinarily Available Provision is the resources that should be available to children and young people with SEND in mainstream education settings.
All schools should have a SEND and inclusion policy, which will tell you how they:
- identify children's needs
- support children with SEN
Your child's school must publish these details on their website, along with:
- a SEN Information report, which tells you about the SEN provision that they make
- their arrangements for the admission of disabled children
- the steps they're taking to stop children being treated less favourably than others
- the facilities they provide so that disabled children can access the school
- an accessibility plan, showing how they intend to improve access over time
Every child who has special educational needs should have SEN Support to help them achieve their learning outcomes.
How SEN support is paid for in schools.
To assess your child's needs, the school should use a graduated approach based on four steps.
They:
- assess your child's needs
- plan the SEN support your child needs
- do, which means working with your child to meet the outcomes
- review your child's progress at least three time a year with you
This is sometimes called the 'Assess, plan, do, review' cycle.
Assess
Your child's teacher assesses your child's needs. They agree with you and, where possible, your child, what outcomes to set.
Find out pdf how schools assess children’s special educational needs (391 KB) .
Plan
The school will tell what help they'll provide and agree review dates to look at the impact of the special educational provision.
A SEN Support Plan describes the provision that a school will make to meet a child's special educational needs and agreed outcomes. It sets out:
- your child's needs
- what support they need (what provision, when, how long for, how often, who will deliver the provision and why)
- what progress the school expects your child to make
- a date for to review progress
How much support your child will get and in what form it's delivered depends on his or her specific needs. School staff will work with you to draw up the plan to support your child's learning before any changes are made to his or her provision.
Do
Your child's class or subject teacher works with your child and any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved. This may include professionals from education services, health and social care practitioners.
Review
The school review your child's progress with you and your child at least once a term to look at:
- what difference the help they've been given has made
- next steps or any changes to provision
Ask for an updated copy of your child's support plan. This should clarify:
- your child's needs
- provision to meet your child's needs
- outcomes
Your child's class or subject teacher is responsible and accountable for your child's progress and development.
The SENCO will work with your child's class or subject teacher to:
- carry out a clear analysis of your child's needs
- agree any additional professional advice needed to identify or support your child's needs
- make sure records of all SEND support are up to date and evaluated
Matching the development provision to your child's needs
The support your child gets can take many forms. This could include:
- specialist IT equipment, such as specialist keyboards
- assistive technology, such as text to speech software
- seating plans in classrooms that improve attention, such as exercise balls, standing desks and beanbags
- therapeutic work, delivered by specialists, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, or speech and language therapy
- small group sessions to help your child with positive behaviour and social development
- physical therapy, delivered by specialists, to improve motor skills
- Schools evaluate how effective their SEN provision is by checking pupils' progress to see if they're reaching goals and outcomes.
The SENCO will observe the quality of teaching and learning for pupils with SEND with other members of the school's senior leadership team.
Your child's key person, class teacher, tutor or pastoral support worker should tell you if they have concerns before putting any special educational provision in place.
Sometimes the SEN support they've put in place may not help your child make progress because:
- the wrong intervention was recommended for your child's need
- there were too many targets or they were too challenging
- the planned actions haven't translated clearly into practice
- your child has experienced exceptional circumstances, such as illness, which has the stopped the school being able to carry out the plan
- your child's needs have increased despite the extra support that has been put in place
It's important to discuss with the school what will happen next. Meet with your child's key person, class teacher, tutor or pastoral support worker if you're concerned about your child's learning.
Ask for a copy of your child's SEN support plan to clarify needs, provision to meet needs and outcomes and agree with the school:
- any additional professional advice needed to identify and support your child's special educational needs and ask for copies of any referral paperwork.
- outcomes and special educational provision for the next 6 to 12 weeks.
- review dates so that you can discuss the impact of the special educational provision.
- next steps or any changes to special educational provision in an updated copy of your child's support plan
If you and your child's school or college feel that everything has been done that's possible through SEN Support, you can ask for an education, health and care needs assessment.
Page 9 of 15
- Schools, learning and early years
- School admissions
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- Early years and childcare
- Special educational needs and disability
- Education outside mainstream schools
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- 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