Home > Additional Support > SEN (Special Educational Needs)
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SEN
Special Educational Needs |
Children with Special Educational Needs in Manchester mainstream schools
Manchester City Council has changed the way that money is spent on supporting children with Special Educational Needs who are in mainstream schools.
The money to pay for support will go directly to schools instead of being allocated to individual children through a statement of special educational needs.
This is being done, or has been done, in most local authorities in the country.
The amount of money that a school receives will depend on the levels of need in that school.
These changes mean that most children do not need a statutory assessment or a statement of Special Educational Needs to get support with their learning or behaviour. It will now be easier for schools to organise their support work and children will be able to get help more quickly.
Changes in funding from April 2008
Please read the following information to see what the changes mean for you child:
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If you think your child needs extra support at school because of special educational needs: |
- Every school has a member of staff who is the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (often called the SENCO). This is the person you should speak to about your child's needs.
- You can ask to see a copy of our Special Educational Needs (SEN) Policy, this will provide a list of the kinds of support we can provide for children.
- If your child has needs at a level called "School Action Plus", they should have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This tells you what the school is doing to help them.
- The school will review the IEP twice a year. This means looking at whether the support your children gets is helping them and if they still need help or need something different or extra.
- You should be included when we review the IEP so that you can give your views about what your child needs.
- Some children's needs will be at a level where the school needs to get extra or specialist help. In Manchester this is call Intensive School Action Plus. The school can apply for extra funding to help them put this support in place.
- There is guidance about what support schools should be providing at various levels of need. You can get this information from the school SENCO or you can look on the Council's website.
How the school meets the needs of children with SEN will be monitored by the local authority's School Effectiveness Officers (SEOs) and by School Improvement Partners (SIPs). |
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If your child has been given a Note in Lieu: |
- A Note in Lieu may be issued after a statutory assessment.
- A Note in Lieu does not count as a statement, but gives a description of your child's needs and how they could be met (similar to the information in a statement).
- The information in the Note in Lieu will help you and the school to understand what your child needs.
- If your child has a Note in Lieu, you can get in touch with the SENCO at school to talk about what happens next and how the school will support your child.
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If your child already has a statement of Special Educational Needs: |
- If your child already has a statement that includes funding at Bands D or D+ these changes do not apply to them.
- If your child already has a statement that includes funding at Bands A, B or C this will continue but money to meet children's needs is included in the school's overall budget. The amount of money that a school receives will depend on the levels of need in that school.
- At the annual review, you will have the chance to discuss if your child's statement will continue or will change or come to an end.
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Appeals
If you disagree with decision about a statuotory assessment, a Note in lieu or a statement, you can ask for a meeting with the school and the local authority. You can also appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal. Advice about this can be given by the Statutory Assessment Service or the Parent Partnership Service.
Useful Contacts
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The Statutory Assessment Service
Manchester Children's Services
Statutory Assessment Service
Overseas House
Quay Street
Manchester
M3 3BB
Tel: 0161 234 7165 / 7168
Email: sencaseworkservice@manchester.gov.uk |
The Parent Partnership Service
Belle Vue Centre
Pink Bank Lane
Longsight
Manchester
M12 5GL
Tel: 0161 953 2712 / 2713
Fax: 0161 953 2740
Email: a.alam@manchester.gov.uk |
