Special Educational Needs

Thursday 19th April 2012, One Wimpole Street - London, 08:45 - 16:00

Special Educational Needs: Realising ‘Achievement for All’

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Overview

It is the government’s ambition that every child with Special Education Needs (SEN) reaches their full potential in school and is able to make a successful transition to adulthood and the world of further and higher education, training or work.

A report published by the Department for Education in March 2011 shows that life chances for the approximately two million children and young people in England who are identified as having SEN, or who are disabled, are disproportionately poor. Furthermore, disabled children and children with SEN state that they can feel frustrated by a lack of the right help at school or from other services.

The government has demonstrated its commitment to improving outcomes and services for children with SEN, by announcing 20 pathfinders to test out the main proposals of The Green Paper Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Special Educational Needs and Disability, published in March 2011. These proposals include a single assessment process and an Education, Health and Care Plan for children and young people who would currently have a statutory assessment or a statement.

These pathfinders cover 31 local authorities and their Primary Care Trust and emerging Clinical Commissioning Group partners. Pathfinders will also work creatively in partnership with parents, schools, colleges and voluntary sector partners to explore improved ways of meeting the needs of children. Pathfinders will trial new funding arrangements, including testing personal budgets for parents so they can choose which services best suit the needs of their children, and testing a national funding framework to help parents understand what level of funding is available. The Department for Education is providing funding of around £6 million a year for two years to deliver the support.

The Achievement for All SEN teaching programme is to receive a £14 million government investment to extend the programme to school across England, following a successful trial in 450 schools. Currently working with 41 local authorities and 598 schools to implement the programme, it is estimated that 1,000 schools will be signed up to Achievement for All by April 2012.

Agenda

This forum comes at a time of great change for Special Educational Needs services, and will offer delegates the chance to discuss future funding opportunities and best-practice for working in partnership to improve outcomes for children and young people. The forum will be a timely opportunity to assess findings from the pathfinder areas and their impact, and ways of delivering personalised services and improving early identification of young people’s needs.

08:45	Registration and Coffee
09:40	Chair’s Welcome Address Philippa Stobbs, Assistant Director, Council for Disabled Children (CONFIRMED)
09:50	Opening Keynote: Next Steps for Policy: Improving Outcomes for Children with Special Educational Needs Implementing the SEN Green Paper – working in partnership to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEN Delivering coordinated, high-quality support for families as early as possible Ensuring that families have clear rights to access support Changes to SEN funding and trialing new funding approaches within pathfinder areas Improving choice between mainstream and specialist schools through the development of free schools Including all learners – principles of the inclusion statement, overcoming barriers and responding to personal needs Extending support for disabled young people up to the age of 25 Stephen Kingdom, Director, Special Educational Needs and Disability, Department for Education (CONFIRMED)
10:10	Special Keynote: Achievement for All - Improving the Aspirations, Access and Achievement of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disability Improving the attainment and wider outcomes of all children and young people who are disabled or have special educational needs Findings from the Achievement for All pilot, 2009 – 2011 Focusing on improving outcomes and not just processes How can schools access the programme? Future funding for the programme - how will the £14 million government investment be allocated? Best practice and lessons learnt Brian Lamb, Founding Chair, Achievement for All and Former Chair, Special Educational Consortium (CONFIRMED)
10:30	Questions and Answers Session
10:50	Coffee Break and Networking
11:10	Improving Educational Provision and Outcomes The impact of the Green Paper on improving services The future for SEN funding Inclusive learning technologies for special educational needs The role of technology and ICT in improving attainment How have financial constraints impacted on service provision? Improving educational attainment amongst young people with SEN Ensuring provision recognises the diverse needs of young people How can learners be encouraged to enter further education? Lorraine Petersen, Chief Executive, NASEN (CONFIRMED)
11:30	Case Study: The Golden Lion Children’s Trust and the Role of the Voluntary Sector in Special Needs Provision The role of the voluntary sector in supporting children with special educational needs and vulnerable families Working with schools to provide help and support Collaborating with local business and other organisations to provide the service Avenues for funding: Being self-sufficient to ensure resilience to the economic downturn The benefits of leisure activities for children with special educational needs Lynda Guy, Chairman, Golden Lion Children's Trust (CONFIRMED)
11:50	Improving the Health and Well-Being of Children and Young People with SEN Providing health care for young people with SEN and disabilities - what works and what does not work in supporting children with complex health needs Improving assessment and identification through Education, Health and Care Plans Increasing independence from councils by allowing more voluntary groups to become involved in assessments and co-ordination of support Provision for children who do not meet the assessment threshold for the new EHCPs Robert Buckland MP, Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (CONFIRMED)
12:10	Questions and Answers Session
12:30	Lunch and Networking
13:30	Support and Aspiration: Where Next? WELL: four big themes SEND and under-achievement. Are we clear? Organisational freedom and minimum standards David Bateson OBE, Executive Principal, Ash Field Academy and Chair, Federation of Leaders in Special Education (CONFIRMED)
13:50	Promoting Inclusive Lives for Children with Special Educational Needs: Focusing on the Transition Years Pathways to Getting a Life: transition planning for full lives Best practice in transition planning for young people with learning disabilities - improving the life chance outcomes of young people with SEN Working in partnership to support young people with health, housing, social inclusion and employment priorities Personalised approaches to supporting young people through transition - the Valuing People Now programme Linda Jordan, Disabled Children and Young People's Lead and Preparing for Adulthood Pathfinder Support Lead, National Development Team for Inclusion (CONFIRMED)
14:10	Questions and Answers Session
14:30	Coffee Break and Networking
15:00	Working in Partnership to Achieve Rights and Justice for Disabled Children Ensuring that disabled children and their families have the services and support they need to lead ordinary lives Protecting financial support for families with disabled children – the impact of the welfare reform bill The impact of the Health and Social Bill on provision of services for disabled children and young people The role of the Education, Health and Care Plan in securing appropriate post-16 education and training A joined-up approach to SEN services – working with local authorities, parents, schools and Health and Wellbeing Boards Jane McConnell, Chief Executive, Independent Parental Special Education Advice (CONFIRMED)
15:20	Trialling New Funding Arrangements: Interim Findings From a Local Authority Pathfinder Delivering a single education, health and care plan from birth to 25 years old Testing the core elements of the SEN Green Paper locally Trialling new funding arrangement - improving the efficiency of special educational needs services and delivering cost savings Implementing personal budgets for parents of disabled children and those with SEN Developing partnerships between all local services and agencies working together to help disabled children and those with SEN Improving commissioning, particularly through links to health reforms Increasing the role of voluntary and community organisations and parents in the new system Interim Findings – best practice and lessons learnt locally The cost of reform Joan Lightfoot, Head of Integrated Support for Disabled Children, Children's Services, Royal Borough of Greenwich (CONFIRMED)
15:40	Questions and Answers Session
16:00	Chair's Summary and Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitors

Audience

The audience will include representatives from local authorities, central government departments & bodies, schools, health services, & voluntary sectors; including head teachers, special education providers, SEN teachers, directors of education, social inclusion managers, children and youth services directors, directors of schools and learning, and social workers.