Local Offer - Education and Learning

All things education for children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

On this page, you can find information on:

Support for Learning

All children should be supported to enable them to make progress and achieve the best possible outcomes in their learning journey. Many children do not require any extra support to enable them to meet their expected targets as they will receive adequate support through the high quality teaching which takes place in their setting. Some children who have SEND may require additional support to allow them to make progress in their learning. The pages below talk about how you can secure support for your child is they have SEND. 

Finding and Choosing a Setting

Types of Settings

Choosing a Setting

You may be unsure how to chose the right setting for your child but it's important to remember that all settings have a duty to provide support to children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Whilst different settings may have different resources available to them, whichever setting you choose should must outline a plan showing how they will support your child and their identified needs. The setting may be able to apply for extra funding to pay for specialist resources or extra support to help your child reach their expected targets.

When choosing a school for your child, it's a good idea to first look at your catchment area school and the other schools in your local area. You can find details of these on the mainstream schools button above.

All schools have a duty to publish an annual SEN Information Report on their website. This report tells you what you can expect from the school regarding the support they offer children with SEND. Schools also publish a Local Offer Contribution - this document is similar to the SEN Information Report and also tell us what each school does to identify and support children with SEND. The Local Offer Contributions all follow the same format to allow you to easily compare the schools you think you might want your child to attend. You can also have a look on the school's own website to get a better understanding of what they offer overall.

You may wish to contact the school directly to arrange a visit and speak with their SENCO about your child's needs. It's a good idea to have a list of questions ready for when you visit, such as:

  • How will you monitor my child's needs?
  • What support might my child receive?
  • How often will my child's support be reviewed and how will you involve me?

If your child has an education, health and care plan and you're considering a specialist setting then it's important to look at what type of SEND the setting specialises in. 

Transition

Transition can happen at many points in your child's education journey; from primary to secondary school to college, from one school to another or from an alternative provision back to a mainstream school, to name a few. Whatever the reason for moving settings, it's important that there is a plan in place so that transitions go smoothly. This might include:

  • Visits to the new setting
  • Professionals from the new setting visiting your child in their current setting
  • Meetings with the new and old setting (and all other relevant services) to discuss your child's needs and how they will be supported

The video below captures the thoughts and feelings many young people experience when transitioning to secondary school - take a look.

What can I do if I disagree with a decision?

Most disagreements can be resolved quickly by speaking with your child's education setting or the local authority. If the disagreement is not resolved then there are steps you can take to try and reach an agreement. 

Information for Professionals

Information and forms relating to High Needs Funding, SEND Support Plans and Review Framework have been moved to the Graduated Approach toolkit which can be accessed on the link below.

Graduated Approach Toolkit

Useful Information

Links

  • FIS Childcare Finder: Find childcare in Doncaster, including childminders, nurseries, breakfast and after school clubs and holiday play-schemes.
  • Children with SEND: Information on the support available for children with SEND. 
  • Doncaster SENDIAS: Free and impartial information, advice and support to children and young people with SEND and their parents/carers.
  • Find and check the performance of schools and colleges: Search for primary, secondary and special needs schools and colleges in England, and check their performance. You can view and download exam and test results, Ofsted reports and financial information.
  • Ofsted Parent View: Tell Ofsted what you think of your child’s school, including how happy your child is at the school, how the school manages bullying or challenging behaviour and how well the school support your child's SEND. The questionnaire can be completed at any time - you don’t have to wait until the school is being inspected. 
  • A parents guide to school inspections: The leaflet gives information on why, how long and when Ofsted inspects, and also how parents and carers can share their views. It applies to all maintained schools including special schools and pupil referral units, academies, city technology colleges, city colleges for the technology of the arts and some non-maintained special schools in England.
  • Specialist Education Support Services

Documents

 

Local Offer Homepage

 

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Last updated: 15 April 2024 15:58:19

 

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City of Doncaster Council’s Families Information Service is responsible for co-ordinating and publishing the Local Offer – Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

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