Local Offer - Specialist Education Support Services

The role of the Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service (APWS) is to:

• Advise and support families, children and schools to ensure that all children receive an education by regular attendance at school or otherwise
• Work with home educating families and services to offer support and advice
• Identify children missing education and ensure their re-engagement with education
• Ensure that child employment and performance is undertaken within the requirements of the legislation

Contact

• Tel: 01302 736504 
• Email: welfare.service@doncaster.gov.uk

ASCETS work with schools, children and young people and their families to support the improvement of learning outcomes, particularly where they have an autism diagnosis or social communication needs. ASCETS work primarily with children from the age of 5 years old when they start attending F2 / Reception, up to the age of 25 when young people could still be accessing college. This work is focused on the ways in which we can contribute to the assessment, planning, delivery and review of pupils’ achievements and progress, particularly through SEN support plans or other targeted plans run by schools with pupils and families.

Children who are younger than this are supported by the Early Years Inclusion Team (EYIT). The EYIT works with private, voluntary and independent early years settings and maintained nurseries to support children with SEND. This is inclusive of children who may have a diagnosis of autism or social communication needs. 

ASCETS supports schools in developing robust provision for pupils with autism and social communication difficulties through the delivery of external training (ASCETS Autism Essentials) and bespoke training in school.

The service consists of specialist teachers and specialist support officers whose work is mainly focused through the ways they can contribute to the support plans run by schools. Please talk to your school’s SENCO about how the ASCETS team might become involved in contributing to your child’s planned support to improve learning outcomes.

Parent Workshops

The ASCETS team have been working collaboratively with Doncaster Council, NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board and Doncaster Parents’ Voice to provide a new service called DAS (Doncaster Autism Service). As part of this collaboration, we are delivering workshops across a range of subjects. These have included:

• What is Autism?
• Understanding social communication
• Understanding social interaction
• Understanding social imagination
• All things sensory
• Accessing support in school
• Managing behaviours that challenge
• Moving into Employment and Sustaining Employment
• Understanding risky behaviours – drugs and alcohol

There are many more workshops to be planned and delivered in the future.

For up to date information please check the DAS Facebook page or contact Doncaster Parents’ Voice

• Telephone: 07536455292
• Email: das@doncastercarers.org.uk
• Address: Doncaster Carers Centre, 2 Regent Terrace, South Parade, Doncaster, DN1 2EE
• Facebook: Doncaster Autism Service

Our team vision is to enhance and empower the circle of support for Doncaster children, inspiring them to become the best version of themselves.

We work with primary and secondary schools, children and families in an outreach capacity. We work alongside schools to support children & young people who may be experiencing behavioural difficulties or have an unmet or identified social, emotional mental health need (SEMH). 

Our services include:

• Specialist support advice and guidance to schools specifically around supporting children with behaviour and SEMH needs.
• Bespoke pieces of work with children to support them in their mainstream setting either as one to one or in a small group capacity.
• We work collaboratively with families, schools and other agencies to create, monitor and deliver bespoke support plans for children with behaviour or SEMH needs. 
• Training offer for schools e.g. Midday supervisor training, Keyworker, therapeutic approaches, ACEs etc.
• Family support which may include direct work with families or delivery of parenting support courses e.g. Family Links.
• Transition support for children moving through key stages e.g. Year 6 to Year 7.

Contact / Referral

If you feel your child may benefit from our services, please contact their school. If your child is already accessing the service and you would like more information, please speak to their school in the first instance. Should you need further information, please email lisa.green@doncaster.gov.uk 

The referral form for schools can be found on the SEND Toolkit. 

The Early Years Inclusive Team support early years providers (private, maintained nurseries, childminders and playgroups) to raise quality and attainment, particularly for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. We want children to thrive and offer advice and support in narrowing the gaps in their learning and development, consequently improving outcomes.

What support do the EYIT offer?

• We work with early years providers to prepare and support children in their transition within the next step of their education
• We work with settings to ensure that effective special educational provision is in place through the use of the graduated approach
• We advise and support settings on identifying different types and levels of need within the Continuum of Need for SEN through assessment of the impact on learning and/or barriers to learning
• We develop understanding of adult facilitated learning to ensure that children are able to access a full and varied curriculum, taking into account their individual and specific needs and learning styles.

All childcare providers within Doncaster are required to offer an inclusive environment and to respond to children’s individual needs; having an identified Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) or Inclusion Coordinator is one aspect of this. It is their responsibility to coordinate support for children with SEND in their setting and to liaise with other professionals to ensure that all the needs of the child/children are planned for in advance.

If you wish any further information, please contact the Early Years Inclusion Team on 01302 862103.

The Educational Psychology Service works with children, parents, schools, pre-school providers, other education settings and health and care agencies to apply the principles of the SEND Code of Practice to:

• help children and young people to improve their learning and to achieve the best they can in life 
• promote the inclusion of all children and young people in the life of their school and in the local community 

Contact

• Tel: 01302 737291

Does your child or you have special educational needs and is/are under the age of 25? Our SENDIAS service can provide independent information, guidance and support for parents / carers of children with any level of special educational needs and/or disabilities. We also provide support for young people up to 25 who have disabilities.

The best results can be achieved if parents, carers, teachers and others involved with you or your child can work together to make a difference to your child's education and the lives of young people. We work together with partners to give parents/carers and young people the information you need to achieve the best possible future for you or your children.

Contact

• Tel: 01302 736920 
• Email: sendias@doncaster.gov.uk

The Participation and Transition Service aims to ensure suitable Post 16 provision and support for young people to continue and progress into learning.

Contact

• Tel: 01302 862150 
• Email: pats@doncaster.gov.uk

The SCHI (Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment) strives to enable pupils who are Deaf or who have a Hearing Impairment to realise their full educational potential and participate in all aspects of school life. We provide the highest quality support to children, young people, families and schools to address any additional learning needs arising as a result of a child's hearing loss. 

For further information, advice and guidance visit our website or email hearingsupport@doncaster.gov.uk

Please be aware that this is a term time only service, we will endeavor to respond as soon as possible. 

 

Referral and consent forms can be found on the SEND Toolkit. 

The Service for Children with a Vision Impairment (SCVI) has three main aims:

• Maximise access to the curriculum
• Support children, young people and their families to understand and manage their Visual Impairment 
• Maximise independence in preparation for leaving secondary education 

Contact

Lead Teacher: Amanda Bayley-Sunter (BSc, QTS, QTVI)

• Email: localoffer@doncaster.gov.uk, please state FAO Amanda Bayley-Sunter in the email subject
• Address: SEND/VI, Doncaster Council, Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster, DN1 3BU 

Please be aware that this is a term time only service, we will endeavor to respond as soon as possible. 

 

Referral and consent forms can be found on the SEND Toolkit. 

The SEN Service aims to provide a range of educational opportunities and additional resources for children with special educational needs to enable the child's needs to be met in an inclusive setting. 

Contact

• Tel: 01302 737211 (phone line is open 9am-1pm)
• Email: sen@doncaster.gov.uk

Some special schools across Doncaster offer an outreach service which provides training, support and advice for staff in mainstream settings. The aim is to work with staff to build upon their existing skills, knowledge and expertise so that they are better equipped to support children and young people with their special educational needs and disabilities.

What support is available?

• Social Communication Difficulties/Autism from Stone Hill
• Severe Learning Difficulties from North Ridge
• Moderate Learning Difficulties from Pennine View
• Severe and Complex Communication Needs from Coppice
• Physical/Medical from Heatherwood

You can speak to your child's school about them accessing the outreach service to better enable them to support your child in their setting.

Doncaster Virtual School exists to improve the educational outcomes of children in the care of Doncaster (CiC) as well as of previously looked after children (prev-CiC), those of Gypsy and Traveller (GT) ethnicity, those who are ethnic Roma (R), and other children who have English as an Additional Language (EAL), who are resident in the borough.

The Virtual School is not a real school in a building of its own. It is the team of professionals who monitor the educational offer for Children in Care.

Although the majority of Children in Care in Doncaster attend Doncaster settings some attend settings in other boroughs throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The Virtual School works together with the setting to make sure Children in Care in Doncaster make progress and achieve their educational goals.

Find out more about Doncaster Virtual School.