2.  From September 2014 the SEN Code of Practice is changing.  The changes mean that the way your child receives support from Barking and Dagenham council, health and social care services and from Becontree will change.

3.  Currently a 3 tier approach from September will be 2 tiers. School Action Support provided in school through different interventions. School Action Plus Support provided in school through different interventions and outside agencies Statement SA and SA+ will be replaced with a single category called SEN Support This will be changed to Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.

4.  Those children that were identified as SA will still continue to receive support in school through interventions but will now be known as ‘monitoring’ children. This means that they will not be on the SEN register.  Those children that are SA+ will also continue to receive support from school and outside agencies but they will be under then SEN Support umbrella.  Some children will be taken off the SEN register altogether as they will no longer need extra support and will have their needs met in class through adapted work.

5.  The Education, Health and Care Plan will replace a Statement. There is currently a 3 ½ year swap over process.  These put more emphasis on schools, health professionals and social care working together to produce more personal goals for the child.

6.  One change is that parents are expected to be more actively involved in the process of target setting for their child.  Invited to more meetings to discuss their child’s needs and success.  Set clear achievable goals for the child with the child’s views being at the centre of all the planning.

7.  If your child already has a statement then they will be transferred to the new system within the next 3 ½ years.  If your child is SA or SA+ and is transferring to SEN support this will happen from September 2014 to spring 2015.

8.  Barking and Dagenham will shortly publish a ‘local offer’ which lists all the support and services you and your child can access under the new system.  As a school we need to publish a ‘school offer’ which details how Becontree help children with SEN. This is now available on the school website, under the ‘parent’ tab.