Archived SEND News and Updates

We keep an archive of news and updates, as some of the resources and information may still be useful for parents and professionals.

Free Autism and Girls Parent Workshop

An opportunity to learn more about how to support your daughter with a diagnosis of autism.

When: Monday 6th November 2023, 4:30-5:30pm

Where: Cantium House, Railway Approach, Wallington, SM6 0DZ

To book email the Cognus Autism Service at: theautismservice@cognus.org.uk

Sutton Youth Summit

This free event is open to any young person in Sutton (11-25) and will include support & advice on the cost of living; information on careers, Further Education & apprenticeships. There will also be free food & drink; lots of fun activities and the chance to win a laptop & many other fantastic prizes.

When: Thursday 16th November 2023, 3-6:30pm

Where: Downstairs in the St Nicholas Centre, 3 St Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1AY

Book your tickets through Volunteer Centre Sutton [External Link]

Free Autism Advice Sessions

An opportunity to talk about your young person and gain some new ideas, strategies and support.

When: Wednesday 11th October 2023, 1-4pm

Monday 6th November 2023, 9:30am-12:30pm

Tuesday 12th December 2023, 3-6pm

Where: 1:1 video call via Microsoft Teams 

To book email the Cognus Autism Service at: theautismservice@cognus.org.uk

Royal Mencap Society Supported Employment Event

The Supported Employment Service is moving to Royal Mencap Society. As part of this, Mencap are running a Supported Employment Event for families and partner organisations. You will have the chance to meet the team, find out about the service and celebrate recent achievements.

When: Thursday 7th December 2023, 1-3pm

Where: Hill House St. Helier, 33-47 The Green, Carshalton, SM4 6BL

To find out more and book a place, visit Mencap’s Eventbrite page [External Link].

Play and Stay February 2024

Join the Sutton Parent Carer forum for their final play and stay sessions before they hand them over to the Children’s Centre. These free sessions are for children with additional needs and/or disabilities who are aged 0 – 10 years and their parents/carers and siblings. SEND siblings over the age of 11 are welcome to join their younger SEND siblings in the afternoon and evening sessions! The SPCF would like to remind you to bring a change of clothes, waterproofs and warm clothing for your children as the outdoor area will be open!

When: Thursday 15th February, 10am-12.30pm, 1.30-4pm and 5-7:30pm

Where: Tweeddale Children Centre, Tweeddale Road, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 1SW (Limited parking is available in the David Weir Leisure Centre car park opposite or on the street).

You must book in advance due to high demand and parents must stay with their child for the session. To book your place, email suttonparentsforum@outlook.com

The Children's Trust School - Open Day

The Children’s Trust School are hosting an open day on Thursday 2nd November. Their school offers specialist education, health, therapy and care provision for children aged 2-19 with complex needs.

When: Thursday 2nd September 2023, 9:30am – 12pm

Where: The Children's Trust School, Tadworth Court, KT20 5RU

You can find out more about this event on the Children’s Trust event page found here [External Link].

Have your say on home to school assisted travel

Sutton Council is reviewing its home to school travel assistance service so that it can continue to support those who need it the most.

The consultation closed on 11 November 2023.

You can find out more about the consultation through the Sutton Council Consultation and Engagement Hub [External Link].

Sutton S.T.E.A.M fair 2023.

Family day. Saturday 1st July 11am - 1pm. Sutton High Street. All things S.T.E.A.M - science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

Inclusive Cycling Sessions

ECOlocal will be running inclusive cycle sessions throughout the summer at the David Weir Leisure Centre for adults & 14+ year olds on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am - 12noon. Find out the dates on the ecolocal website [External Link].

Summer Holiday Family Cycling Session

ECOlocal will be running Summer Holiday Family Cycling Sessions on Thursdays on 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st August, 12 noon – 1pm at the David Weir Leisure Centre. Suitable for children aged 7+ of all abilities accompanied by an adult. Find out more information and prices on the ecolocal website [External Link].

Everyone Active Summer Disability Activities

Summer Holidays – Monday 24th July to Friday 1 st September 2023

Westcroft Leisure Centre

Junior Adventures Group

Monday to Fridays 08:30 – 17:30. Suitable for all children. Bookable online on the junior adventure group website [External Link] or by phone on 0333 577 1533

Disability Swimming

Tuesday 12:30 – 13:30 and Wednesday 18:30 – 20:30 and Thursday 19:00-20:00

Suitable for all with learning and physical disabilities.

Bookable online through Everyone Active or by phone on 0208 669 8666 or in person at the centre reception.

David Weir Centre

Junior Adventures Group

Monday to Fridays 08:30 – 17:30. Suitable for all children. Bookable online on the junior adventure group website [External Link] or by phone on 0333 577 1533

SEN Playworld

Monday 16:30 – 17:30

Suitable for children 2 – 10 years with learning and physical disabilities.

Bookable online through Everyone Active or by phone on 0208 641 9480 or in person at the centre reception.

The Phoenix Centre

Sportability

Tuesday 11:00- 12:00 and Thursday 11:00- 12:00

Suitable for adults with learning and physical disabilities.

Bookable online through Everyone Active or by phone on 0208 773 6060 or in person at the centre reception.

Trampolining

Saturday 12:00-13:00 and 13:00 – 14:00

Suitable for all with learning and physical disabilities.

Bookable online through Everyone Active or by phone on 0208 773 6060 or in person at the centre reception.

Play and Stay June 1st 2023

Play & Stay are delighted to be able to offer morning and afternoon sessions on Thursday 1st June.

Hopefully the weather will be good so that we can get out the sandpit and paddling pool – don’t forget a towel!

These sessions are for children with additional needs and/or disabilities who are aged 0 – 10 years and their parents/carers and siblings.

We are currently only able to have 30 parent/carers at each session so you MUST BOOK a place by emailing suttonparentsforum@outlook.com

• Morning sessions: 10—12.30 pm

• Afternoon sessions: 1.30—4pm

We welcome older SEND children and young people with their families to join our THURSDAY AFTERNOON SESSIONS! Parents & Carers are responsible for supervising their children and MUST remain with them at ALL times.

Each session costs £1.50 per child per session

Tweeddale Children Centre, Tweeddale Road, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 1SW

Children and Young People's Response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper

The SEND Review is a piece of work by the Department for Education (DfE) that looks at improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND.  Council for Disabled Children have been gathering their opinions to create a children and young people’s response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper.

Their national young SEND advisory group, FLARE, has been in consultation with the DfE for the review and as part of the Youth Voice Matters Children and Young People’s SEND Conference 2022, CDC led a workshop focused on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) to support the development of the SEND Review in this area, providing an opportunity for children and young people to be heard by the SEND Review Team. 

Following the consultation period they have published a children and young people’s response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper. An accessible and easy-read version of the report will be coming soon.

Download the Young People's response to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper on the council for disabled children's website [External Link]. 

Government seeks views to improve lives of people with Down's syndrome

Government launches call for evidence to ensure better access to health, education, social care and housing for people with Down’s syndrome.

People with Down’s syndrome, families, professionals and charities are invited to share their experiences and expertise which will be used to shape new guidance.

Find out more about the Call for Evidence on the GOV.UK website [External Link].

The British Sign Language Bill has received Royal Assent and has passed into law.

The BSL Act 2022 recognises BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland. Read more about the British Sign Language Bill on the GOV,UK website [External Link].

Accessible versions of the green paper (29 March 2022)

The Department for Education has published accessible versions of the green paper, including:

• a full British Sign Language version to support those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment

• an easy-read version to support those with learning disabilities

• a guide to help children and young people with SEND or those in alternative provision to understand the green paper and respond to the consultation

View the Accessible versions of the green paper [External Link].

Education Secretary's open letter to children and young people on SEND reform (31 March 2022)

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has written to all children and young people about how he and the Government are going to change the ways that children with special educational needs and disabilities are supported. 

Read the letter from the Education Secretary [External Link]. 

Changes to the law and guidance about making your own decisions (17 March 2022)

The government is making changes to the rules about making your own decisions. They are updating the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and considering a new system of safeguards - the Liberty Protection Safeguards. The documents below can be viewed on the GOV.UK website.

Learn more about the consultation [External Link]. 

Find an easy-read outline about the consultation [External Link].

Vaccinations for clinically vulnerable children and young people– your questions answered (February 2022)

The Education Hub,  in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA), NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, have sought to provide some reassurance and clarification, including for children who are clinically vulnerable.

Visit the Education Hub for more information about vaccinations for clinically vulnerable children [External Link].

Education Untapped Podcast – Encouraging diversity in the world of disability (February 2021)

Ashlea Stephens (Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist and Post 16 Lead for Cognus Therapies) interview Luke Fox, an autistic adult with a language disorder from Sutton. Luke was shortlisted for a Sutton Community Award in the category of Outstanding Young Person in February 2021.

Listen to the Podcast on the Cognus website [External Link].

Sutton Learning Disability Strategy

Sutton Council and the NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group have updated the Sutton Learning Disability Strategy. This sets out how they will work with partners to meet the needs of young people and adults with learning disabilities in Sutton, now and in the future. The draft strategy was developed following conversations with young people and adults with learning disabilities, families, carers and health care professionals. Please read the draft strategy [External Link].

Voters with learning disabilities 

Learning Disability England has published a May 2021 local elections resources hub [External Link] which provides a range of useful resources to support voters with learning disabilities to engage in this year’s local elections. It includes information about the right to vote, accessibility, events, easy read guides, videos, and a survey to gather insights into why people do not vote.

Health and disability green paper

The consultation closed on 11th October. Visit the Government website for details of the green paper [External Link].

Lockdown Lesson Winners

Over lockdown, Cognus Limited launched the ‘Lockdown Lessons’ competition for young people in Sutton. Read more about Lockdown Lesson Winners on the LBS website [External Link].

Short Breaks Holiday Offer - Summer 2022 

Children and young people eligible for short breaks provision can take up one of two core funded offers for the school holiday period, as follows

• Option 1: A contribution equating to one session per school holiday week (for a maximum of 10 sessions per year)

• Option 2: Up to a maximum of six hours of Personal Assistant support via direct payments. 

Specialist short breaks providers in Sutton are running a range of provision throughout the summer that may be accessed as part of a Short Breaks or Direct Payments package. These include:   

1. Keen 2 Go are running 55 sessions over the 6 week school summer holiday period.  View Keen 2 Go's sessions [External Link].

2. Sutton Mencap are running children’s holiday services, Monday to Friday for 5 weeks during the summer holidays. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.

3. Springboard are running groups over the summer holidays. Details of the programme were sent out to families last month and spaces have been allocated. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.

4. Playwise are running a number of sessions for members. Find details of Playwise session [External Link].

5. The Children’s Trust in Tadworth is running fortnightly Camp and Club sessions and 9 extra weekday sessions throughout the school summer holidays. These sessions can only be accessed via a referral from the Short Breaks Panel.

6. Sutton Parent and Carer Forum run Stay and Play Sessions for Children under the age of 10 with special educational needs or disabilities. These will be run on the following dates at Tweeddale Children’s Centre throughout August: 9th and 11th August, 16th and 18th August, and 23rd and 25th August.

Sutton Parent Carer Forum also hope to run Cage Cricket and football. Please check their website for updates [External Link].

For children and young people that require a higher level of short breaks with extra specialist care, the enhanced short breaks offer may include personal care support, overnight stays, and / or increased specialist short break provision during the school holidays pending the recommendations of the social worker assessment and the availability of provider services. 

Preparing for Adulthood - Parent/Carer Event (8 December 2021)

Find resources from the event on the London Borough of Sutton website, which was held, virtually, on Wednesday 8th December.

Read the slides from the presentation [External Link].

Read Questions and Answers from the event [External Link].

Download the Preparing for Adulthood Pathway guide [External Link].

Download the Preparing for Adulthood Transition tool [External Link].

Subscribe to the Ambitious for SEND newsletter [External Link].

The Big Ask (September 2021)

Over half a million young people answered the Big Ask survey. This was the largest ever survey for children in the world. Read The Big Answer PDF [External Link].