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We've been moving through the first term of the school year and into autumn with a tremendous amount of work taking place from partners across Tameside. Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has been a key focus and I'm happy to share news of additions to our teams, as well as the progress from the valuable feedback you have been giving in recent months.
My heartfelt thanks to everybody that has been involved in consultations and feedback sessions; it really is making a difference to the work we are doing to support families.
If you know of anybody that might find the information in this newsletter helpful please do forward it on.
Deborah Myers, Assistant Director of Education
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SEND Engagement Strategy NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care would like to thank everybody who provided online, written or in-person feedback to the work being done around the Children, Young People and Families with SEND Outcomes and SEND Strategies in Tameside.
The personal experiences, thoughts and opinions you have shared have been really important to the work taking place and are very much appreciated.
Find out the next steps with the engagement work.
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Changes to the SEND Team Aligned with the Local Authority’s unwavering commitment to enhancing the experiences of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Tameside Council’s SEND Assessment and Annual Review team has been actively expanding its staff. We are pleased to welcome Keeley Schofield as the new permanent SEND team manager, along with two additional senior case officers and eleven new permanent case officers. Our team is dedicated to understanding and meeting the needs of children and their families.
This significant investment has nearly doubled the size of the team, providing increased capacity to refine processes and strengthen collaboration with families, schools, and other services as part of our ongoing improvement efforts.
Additionally, our new permanent Head of SEND, Hilary Cook, has joined as a strategic leader. She is working diligently to connect with children, young people, and their families. Her focus is on identifying critical areas for development within the service, ensuring that the support provided by the SEND team meets their needs more effectively.
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Hawthorns School Praise The new Hawthorns Primary School in Mottram had opened its doors for the start of the school year, and families have provided fantastic feedback on how much they appreciate the state-of-the-art building and are enjoying the facilities. Comments from pupils and parents included:
“The new school is amazing. The layout is perfect to meet the children's needs. Classrooms are perfect and they have access to the sensory and soft play equipment.”
The Local Education Partnership (LEP) were commissioned to build the £23million development managed by New Bridge Academy Trust, which provides 246 places for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Hawthorns School was originally designed to accommodate 60 pupils at its previous site, co-located with Aldwyn Primary School, Audenshaw, and the outstanding and popular school had outgrown its capacity. A lot of hard work went into delivering the project on time which is already making a positive difference to the lives of children and families in Tameside, as well as the school’s staff and community.
Read more about the new school.
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Active Tameside Sessions Everybody Can is run by Active Tameside and provides disability respite sessions which focus on removing barriers to give everyone the opportunity to reach their potential. Sessions can be accessed freely and openly knowing appropriate equipment and qualified staff are in place.
Find out how to get involved and the sessions that are available.
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SEND Youth Council Young people and their families are invited to join the SEND Youth Council to come together and share their experiences, thoughts, and concerns about accessing services and activities in Tameside.
To join the SEND Youth Council or to find out more, email aiden.hopkins@activetameside.com
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Volunteer drivers needed Transport for Sick Children are a charity in Greater Manchester looking for volunteer drivers who can support accompanied children with no other means of transport to healthcare appointments in their own car. It would involve waiting for the family and returning them home. The role is flexible so can work around other commitments, fuel costs will be reimbursed, and car seats provided where required.
Find out how you can help.
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Improving ADHD Services NHS Greater Manchester wants to improve children’s Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) services and would like to hear from people living with ADHD, their family members or carers, as well as anyone working with people who have ADHD in Greater Manchester.
This project is part of a bigger piece of work called the ‘Neurodiversity Programme’ which aims to improve care for children with conditions like ADHD and autism. Details of how to get involved are on the GM Integrated Care website.
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Autism Podcast Launch Autism Central, funded by NHS England, has launched two new educational series designed to support parents and carers of autistic adults, young people and children.
The podcast series, Sensory Processing Focus, will be hosted by Holly Sprake-Hill, a neurodivergent occupational therapist, and will bring together autistic people, parents, carers, and professionals to explore sensory processing. Key episodes will include: - Sensory Needs of Non-Speaking Children
- Experiencing Sensory Differences as an Autistic Person
- Sensory Processing as a Non-Speaking Autistic Person
There is also a new webinar series from Autism Central called Finding the Balance, which will include six insightful episodes. For more information, visit Autism Central.
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Mencap Family Engagement Group and EHCP/DLA Workshop The Family Engagement Project offers support for parents and carers of children from 0 to 5-years-old with SEND or emerging needs in Tameside. This includes a Stay and Play drop-in session for little ones every Tuesday between 10am-11.30am at North Family Hub in Ashton.
The autumn timetable is available here.
The team are also on hand to offer support with EHCP/DLA at their workshops, with upcoming sessions taking place on 20th November and 18th December at Jubilee Gardens, Droylsden.
The workshops are drop-in, or you can email familyengagementgm@mencap.org.uk or phone 07866 225704 during term time.
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Starling Neurodiversity Workshops Starling provides neurodiversity-affirming workshops both online and in person for neurodivergent people aged 10-13 years, 14-17 years, and 18-30 years.
A diagnosis is not necessary, and Starling recognise neurodivergence takes many forms including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Developmental Trauma, Dyspraxia. They offer a friendly space for young people to build connections with other like-minded individuals and get creative together. Register online to join.
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KoothTalks Webinar If children and young people are waiting for an assessment or navigating a diagnosis which may need additional emotional support, the next KoothTalks webinar explores how their platform meets the needs of neurodiverse and SEND young people.
If you can't attend any of the live dates, select the 'I cannot attend' option to be emailed with the recording and additional resources.
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Parent Peer Support Group The Parent Peer Support Group is an informal space for parents and carers to share their experiences of supporting children with emotional and mental health difficulties with like-minded people, alongside the support of the teams from Anthony Seddon, Tameside Parenting team, Tameside Mental Health Support team and Action Together.
The drop-in group meet on the second Thursday of the month from 9.30am-11.30am at The Anthony Seddon Centre, George Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne.
For more information, you can contact Anita.McQuillan@tameside.gov.uk or Sue.Brookes@actiontogether.org.uk
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What is Portage? Portage is a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with SEND and their families. Portage aims to support the development of young children's play, communication skills, independence, and social skills, and to encourage full participation in day-to-day life within the family and beyond the home.
Children can be referred to the Portage service by any early years’ professionals such as a paediatrician, health visitor, or early years worker (with parent’s permission).
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Funding for Swimming and Soft Play The summer holiday Swim and Soft Play sessions were an overwhelming success for children using the portage and SEND services and the team are delighted to have secured funding for the October half term.
Feedback included:
“SEND sessions are brilliant. They are a lifesaver to break up the lengthy holidays, especially when you have a child that you cannot just take to regular play sessions due to behaviour issues and differences. It's amazing to be around other SEN parents and be able to share experiences without prejudice.
“The staff who run the sessions are knowledgeable, caring and supportive. They go above and beyond. I watch them circulating around the session to give support to each family. They never miss anyone out and retain details about each child and family that shows that they care and are interested in each child.”
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Goodbye to Susan The portage team recently said goodbye to Susan who has retired after working for Tameside in a SEND role for over 40 years. Many people will be sad to see her go but the team wish her a happy retirement. Danielle Banks will be caretaking the role until the SEND worker role is appointed, and all referrals for support will come through the monthly portage panel.
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