Welcome to South Tyneside SENDIASS

Free and impartial information, advice and support to parents, carers, children and young people with special education needs and disabilities

About Us

SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service) is a confidential and impartial information, advice and support service on health, social care or education issues that arise through a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND).

It is free and easy to access. We help parents and carers and young people take part in decisions that affect their lives.

What we offer

We offer information, advice and support to:

How we can help

Groups we offer

We offer the following groups:

Details of our upcoming events can be found on our Facebook page.

Feedback

We are continuously looking to improve the service we deliver to parents and carers of children and young people with SEND, and children and young people themselves, in South Tyneside.

You can provide feedback here.

Steering Group

The service steering group works to provide unbiased direction to the service, helping to ensure that it is seen as independent and impartial from the Local Authority.

The group is made up of parent carers, members of our SEND Youth Forum, representation from sectors including Education, Social Care, Health and the Voluntary sector.

Meetings are held twice per year, in-person.

What does the steering group do?

The steering group helps to:

How can I get involved?

If you are interested in joining the service steering group, please get in touch with us via email, SENDIASS@southtyneside.gov.uk or by calling 0191 424 6345.

IAS in ST Event

Each year the service hosts an Information Advice and Support in South Tyneside event as part of Learning Disability Week.

The event aims to provide an opportunity for parent/carers, young people and professionals to find out more about what’s available in the local area.

People standing around tables in a sports hall

Visitors can benefit from meeting representatives from services including:

A group of people sat around a table.

2024 Event

The 2024 IAS in South Tyneside event will be held on Monday 17th June from 3.45-5.45pm at Epinay Business and Enterprise School.

2024 SENDIASS IAS flyer

How do I book a place?

If you’d like to book a place at the IAS in South Tyneside event, please complete this online form.

Parents/Carers

We support parents and carers by offering information, advice and support. We do this by:

On top of this, our voicemail is active, and you can leave a message for our team and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

We also provide free training to parents and carers in South Tyneside.

Young People

As a young person, you have a right to information, advice and support around your special educational needs or disability.

South Tyneside SENDIASS supports young people directly. You can talk to us on your own, or with a trusted adult.

We can help you with lots of things, such as:

You can say how you want your support to work. Someone can email you, call you or meet you in person in a place you feel comfortable (for example at our offices, or at your school/college).

Everything you say to us is private. We will only tell someone what you’ve said if we are worried that someone is being hurt or might be hurt.

Activities and opportunities

We also run a number of activities throughout the year and communicate opportunities through our termly e-Bulletin.

You can sign-up to our bulletin here.

Find out more

Our service ‘Pocket Guide’ explains how we support children and young people in South Tyneside.

Pocket guide

For more information email Ryan.houston@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 0191 424 6345.

SEND Youth Forum

Our SEND Youth Forum is made up of young people (14-25) with SEND that come together on a termly basis to help develop the service for future users, as well as developing their skills through ongoing projects.

The group also provides the chance to make meaningful connections with others and gain confidence.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the group, email Ryan.houston@southtyneside.gov.uk.

SEND Youth Forum Easy Read

Previous Projects

CYP Consultation Report

If you are a service or organisation and would like to consult with members of the SEND Youth Forum, please complete this online form.

Young Inspectors

SEND Young Inspectors visit local activities and clubs that are suitable for young people with SEND. Our Young Inspectors then tell us what they think about the club or activity. Their views help clubs to make sure they meet the needs of young people with SEND, while also encouraging other young people to try new activities.

What does taking part involve?

Young people can complete inspections of activities they are trying for the first time, or are already taking part in. Inspections involve answering three short questions; these responses are then shared with other young people to encourage them to try new activities, as well as with clubs and activities to support them to improve their offer in the future.

What are the benefits of taking part?

You’ll gain a better understanding of what’s available for young people in the local area.

You’ll have the chance to share your experiences with other young people to give them the confidence to access new clubs/activities that might benefit them.

Thanks to our partnership with Vinspired, you will also have the option of having your time and the skills you’ve developed through your inspections recorded and work towards a V10, 30, 50 or 100 Award, which recognise your contributions and help you stand out to colleges, universities and future employers.

Become a SEND Young Inspector

To find out more information about the Inspectors programme, or to take part, email ryan.houston@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Get your club or activity inspected

If you run a club or activity that is already accessible to young people with a disability, and you are interested in having a visit from a SEND Young Inspector, please complete the online form and we will be in touch.

Professionals

We support professionals in South Tyneside by offering information, advice and support.

We also provide free training and awareness sessions to professionals in South Tyneside who are new to working in SEND or those that wish to refresh their knowledge.

Please be aware that we cannot accept referrals from professionals on behalf of families. Families are required to make direct contact with the service for information, advice or support. They can do this via email, telephone or by making an online referral via our website.

Help

We have created a number of template letters and resources for parents/carers to use.

We provide free training and awareness sessions to parents/carers, children and young people with SEND and professionals in South Tyneside.

We have also created a list of local groups active in the area who may also be able to offer help.

Training

We provide free training and information sessions to parents/carers, children and young people and professionals in South Tyneside.

Sessions available include:

Details of upcoming sessions can be found on our South Tyneside SENDIASS EventBrite page.

We are also able to provide bespoke training to teams, schools and professionals. To discuss training needs, you can contact us via SENDIASS@southtyneside.gov.uk

Preparing for Meetings

You can request a meeting with any of the professionals involved with your child or young person.

There are many reasons why you might ask for a meeting, including concerns about:

Preparing for meetings

It’s important to have a clear idea of why you want to have a meeting and who you need to contact.

If all the issues are school related, you may want to meet with your child’s class teacher, form tutor, special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and head teacher.

There may also be other professionals involved from outside of school, such as:

If the issues are about an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan), your child will have a named SEND officer at the Council that you can speak to.

Organising a meeting

To organise a meeting, you can:

Your child or young person’s views

Children and young people should be supported so that they are able to prepare for meetings to discuss and review their SEND provision.

We can support by allowing them to express their views and contribute to discussions appropriately, as well as supporting their understanding of processes.

More information, advice and support

For more guidance, download our ‘Meeting Notes’ document, which includes questions to think about when attending meetings with your child’s school or college.

Download our ‘Meeting Notes’ document

Exclusions From School

If you are a parent or carer of a child with behavioural difficulties or who is at risk of being or has been excluded from school, we can provide you with information, advice, or support.

We aim to encourage partnership working and develop possible communication between parents and schools.

We encourage you to meet with school to help look at positive ways to move forward. We may be able to support parents at these meetings or give support by telephone.

Fixed Term Exclusions

Fixed-term exclusion is school exclusion for a set period of time. These should be for the shortest appropriate amount of time. Fixed-term exclusions may be used for up to 45 days per year – this doesn’t have to be for a continuous period.

Permanent Exclusion

Permanent Exclusion is where a decision is made to permanently exclude a child. A child is no longer allowed to attend the school and their name will be removed from the school roll.

A permanent exclusion should only be taken:

Exclusion: My Views

The service is also able to provide direct support to children and young people. We have produced the ‘Exclusion: My Views’ document to support children in presenting their views to school staff following exclusion.

Exclusion: My Views

More information, advice, and support

Further information is available at Department for Education.

Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (known as IPSEA) provide advice on writing ‘written representations’ to the Governors, ‘What should I do as a parent/carer when my child is excluded?’ and Disability Discrimination and exclusions.

EHC Plans

The Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment is a detailed look at a child’s special educational needs and the support that they may need to be able to learn.

What is an EHC plan?

An EHC plan is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs. It explains the extra help that will be given to meet those needs and how it will support the child or young person to achieve what they want in their life.

The plan is created by the Council after an EHC needs assessment. An EHC plan can be issued between the ages of 0 to 25 years.

What an EHC plan looks like

The plan has 11 sections labelled alphabetically:

  1. The Views, interests and inspirations of your child
  2. Special educational needs (SEN)
  3. Health needs related to SEN
  4. Social care needs related to SEN
  5. Outcomes – how the extra help will benefit your child
  6. Special educational provision (support)
  7. Health provision
  8. Social care provision
  9. Placement – type and name of school or other institution
  10. Personal budget arrangements
  11. Advice and information – a list of the information gathered during the EHC needs assessment

The plan should be written so that everyone can understand it. It should be clear and detailed about the amount and type of support your child will get and how the support will help your child.

Choosing A School

We offer impartial information, advice and support around special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We understand that choosing a school for your child can feel overwhelming.

Below you’ll find some example questions that you could ask your child’s potential new school.

Mainstream and Special Schools

Special Schools

Making reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustments are changes that nurseries, schools and colleges must make to ensure disabled children and young people are not significantly disadvantaged.

Transport to and from school/college

If you are a child or young person and you have a special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND), you may be able to get help with your transport to school or college. For more information on the type of help that may be available to you see SEND Transport.

There is no direct duty on the Local Authority to provide transport for children below the compulsory school age (5th birthday.)

Jargon Buster

Academy
A state funded school in England which received its funding primarily directly from and is owned and controlled by central government, not a local authority.
ADD
Attention Deficit Disorder
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Advice
Written reports from parents, teachers and other professionals on pupil's special educational needs.
ASD
Autistic Spectrum Disorder
CAF
Common Assessment Framework. A method of assessment which can be used by social services, health or education. It is non statutory, i.e. it does not replace statutory assessment.
CAFA
The Children and Families Act 2014.
CAHMS
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Care plan
A record of the health and/or social care services being provided to a child or young person.
CCG
Clinical Commissioning Group. This is an NHS organisation which brings together local GPs and health professionals to take on commissioning responsibilities for local health services. A CCG plans and arranges the delivery of the health care provision for people in its area.
Code or CoP
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2015. This contains statutory guidance on the Children and Families Act 2014.
CP
Cerebral Palsy, physical impairment that affects movement. People with CP may have mobility problems which vary from barely noticeable to extremely severe. Those with CP may also have sight, hearing, speech, perception and learning difficulties. Between a quarter and a third of children and adolescents with CP, and about a tenth of adults, are also affected by epilepsy.
CSDPA
The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970. This is one of the main Acts of Parliament which entitle disabiled people to social care.
DfE
Department for Education.
Direct Payments
Payments made in lieu of services being provided. Direct Payments may be available for health care, social care and for the special educational provision in an EHC plan.
Disagreement Resolution (sometimes called Dis Res)
The dispute resolution service offered by a local authority to resolve disagreements between parents and the local authority. NB. This is not always an independent service and it does not necessarily mean mediation which has a specific meaning (see below).
EA 1996
Education Act 1996.
Early Years Provider
A provider of early education places for children under five. This can include state funder and private nurseries.
ECP
Educational and Child Psychologist.
EFA
Education Funding Agency, An arm of the Department for Education. It allocates funding to local authorities for maintained schools and voluntary aided schools. It is also responsible for funding and monitoring academies.
EHC needs assessment
An assessment of the education, health care and social care needs of a child or young person conducted by a local authority under the Children and Families Act 2014.
EHC plan
An education, health and care plan as defined in section 37 (2) of the Children and Families Act 2014.
EHRC
Equality and Human Rights Commission.
EP
Educational Psychologist.
EqA or EQA
The Equality Act 2010.
EYFS
The Early Years Foundation Stage. A statutory framework which covers children both in pre-school settings and in reception classes up to their fifth birthday.
FE
Further Education. The FE sector in England includes further education colleges, sixth form colleges, specialist colleges and adult education institutes. It does not include universities.
Free school
A type of Academy.
Healthwatch England
Healthwatch England is an independent consumer champion, gathering and representing the views of the public about health and social care services in England. It operates both at a national and local level.
HI
Hearing Impairment.
Home Authority
This usually means the local authority in which a child or young person is ordinarily resident (and which therefore has the responsibility to the child or young person under the Children and Families Act 2014).
IEP
Individual Education Plan. A plan which sets out the support a child is receiving in their school or other setting. There is no longer a specific requirement for children with SEN to have a plan called an IEP under the Code but children with SEN may still have IEPs.
Independent school
A school that is not maintained by a local authority.
Independent supporter
A person recruited locally by a voluntary or community sector organisation to help families going through an EHC needs assessment and the process of developing an EHC plan.
LA
A local authority in England.
LDA
A learning difficulty assessment under section 139A Learning and Skills Act 2000.
Local Healthwatch
The local version of Healthwatch England in a particular area.
LSA
Learning Support Assistant, also sometimes called Teaching Assistant ("TA").
Mainstream School
State school which can meet the needs of most children.
Maintanined School
Schools in England that are maintained by a local authority – any community, foundation or voluntary school, community special or foundation special school.
Mediation
A method of seeking to resolve disagreements by going to an independent mediator. Mediation must be offered to a parent or young person in relation to an EHC Plan. Mediation is not compulsory for the parent or young person but they will need to consider mediation before appealing the education parts of an EHC plan in most cases.
MLD
Moderate learning difficulties – not a legal term but often used in relation to the description of a school, i.e. an MLD school.
National Curriculum
A statutory entitlement to learning for all pupils, determining what should be taught and setting attainment targets for learning. It also determines how performance will be assessed and reported. Children’s expected progress is currently determined by reference to standardised national curriculum “levels” which prescribe the expected attainment for pupils in each year group. This aspect is set to change in the near future but we expect something else to be put in its place.
OCD
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
ODD
Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
Ofsted
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. This is the body which inspects and regulates services which care for children and young people and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages.
OT
Occupational Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the occupational therapist.
PCP
A provision, criteria or practice (relevant for indirect discrimination and the dury to make reasonable adjustments under the EqA).
PDD
Pervasive Developmental Disorder.
Personal Budget
A Personal Budget is the notional amount of money which an LA has identified as necessary to secure the special educational provision in an EHC plan.
Physio
Physiotherapist.
PMLD
Profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Portage
Home-based educational support for pre-school children with SEN.
PPO/PPS
Parent Partnership Officer who operates within a Parent Partnership Service; every local authority must have one. They provide advice to parents about SEN. They range from large services sometimes run by voluntary organisations to services run by a single part-time member of staff.
PRU
Pupil Referral Unit - for children who need to be educated out of school, often because they have been excluded. They have the same legal status as schools in some respects but do not have to teach the national curriculum.
RB
The responsible body of a school.
SEN
Special educational needs.
SENCO
Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator - the teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special help for children with SEN at their school.
SEND or the Tribunal
The First-tier Tribunal, Special Educational Needs and Disability – sometimes referred to by its former name “Sendist”.
SEP
Special educational provision.
SLD
Severe learning difficulties – not a legal term but often used in relation to the description of a school, i.e. an SLD school.
SLT or SALT
Speech and Language Therapy, sometimes used to refer to the Speech and Language Therapist.
Special school
A school which is specifically organised to make special educational provision for pupils with SEN.
Studio School
A type of Academy.
TA
Teaching Assistant also sometimes called Learning Support Assistant ("LSA").
UTC
University Technical College (which offers academic and technical education to secondary school pupils) - a type of Academy.
VI
Visual impairment.

Policies

Downloads

A selection of downloadable Microsoft Word templates for various situations that you can edit, print and use. You can email us if you need any help or advice.

Easy Read series

Support organisations

Support for parents/carers

Activities for children and young people with SEND

Autism support