SEND Service offer / SEND Home to School Transport Consultations

Overview

Warwickshire County Council is consulting on two areas relating to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We welcome all views and feedback and have extended the consultation for an extra two weeks to give you more time to have your say. The consultations will now close on Sunday 12 March 2023. You can respond to just one or both consultations. See below for detailed information including an overview, a video explanation, and supporting documents. 

If you prefer you can read these shorter summaries.

• SEND & Inclusion Service Offer - Consultation Summary
• SEND Home to School Transport - Consultation Summary

Click here to skip info and go straight to the main survey

About the consultations

Consultation 1: Warwickshire County Council SEND & Inclusion Service Offer

Warwickshire County Council is working to provide children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) the best service experience they can. As part of the wider consideration of service we are looking at proposed changes to the SEND & Inclusion Service Offer.

This consultation seeks to clarify what the County Council offer of services is for children and young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND). It focusses only on education services.       

• There are some things that the Council must do. These are statutory and legal requirements. Warwickshire County Council is not seeking to make any changes to these services.
• There are some things that the Council should do. These are not legally required but are worthwhile activities to ensure the system of support for children and young people with SEND works well. These are referred to here as the Core Offer. 
• Finally, there are things that the Council could provide if other agencies (such as schools) wish to pay for them. These are referred to here as the Traded Offer. 

We are proposing changes to the current ‘core' and 'traded' offer of services and would like you to help us shape our service offer by providing your views on the County Council’s proposals. 

The County Council is NOT seeking to stop or reduce any current SEND & Inclusion Services.

This consultation will inform the final decision about the service offer for children and young people with SEND. If approved the new service offer will be implemented from 1^st September 2023. 

We will summarise the key information for you in the survey.

Want to find out more?

• Click here to watch a video presentation explaining this consultation (This link opens in a new window).
• If you would like more detailed information please click on the links below.

Detailed Information

Consultation 2: Warwickshire County Council Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Home to School Transport Service

This consultation seeks to gather views on changes that we are proposing to make to the SEND Home to School Transport Service. These are:  

• changes specifically relating to the way that parents/carers apply for home to school transport; 
• the way that transport options are identified for eligible children and young people;
• and clarifications to the Home to School and College Transport Policy. 

We would like to hear all views including levels of support or opposition and how you think the proposals might impact people in the community. We are also seeking views on any suggestions you may have to improve our proposals.  

The consultation will inform the future application and assessment process for home to school transport for children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire, and the Home to School and College Transport Policy.  

If approved, the new application process would be introduced in time for parents/carers applying for a school place for September 2024. Any changes to the way we identify transport options would be for children and young people starting school in September 2023.

We will summarise the key information for you in the survey.

Want to find out more?

• Click here to watch a video presentation explaining this consultation (This link opens in a new window).
• If you would like more detailed information please click on the links below.

Detailed Information

How you can take part

You can tell us what you think in a number of ways. 

The main way to feedback is using the online survey link in the green box below. You can choose to answer whichever consultation you want to respond to or you can respond to both. This survey is anonymous.
 

To request a paper copy of the survey or an alternative format, call  our freephone number 0800 408 1558 (9 - 5pm, Monday to Friday) or email sendchange@warwickshire.gov.uk.
 

If you need an easy read survey you can:

1. Ask us to send you one by email (sendchange@warwickshire.gov.uk)  or by telephone (Freephone 0800 408 1558 Monday to Friday). 
    
2. Complete it online using the 'Online Easy Read' links at the bottom of this page.
    
3. Print a copy using the 'Print Easy Read' links at the bottom of this page. (Return them to the address below).
    

If you want to respond in writing you can email your response to sendchange@warwickshire.gov.uk or write to: Warwickshire SEND & Inclusion Services, Shire Hall, Warwick, CV34 4SP.  
 

Schools and other educational settings will also be consulted through informal and formal meetings and events.  

Information events

We have run a number of drop-in events and live online broadcasts for people to find out more. Please see below for a list of the dates and venues for these. 

Drop-in dates:

• 5 January (4pm - 6pm) - Coleshill Primary School 
• 6 January (11am - 1pm) - Warwickshire Academy, Ash Green 
• 10 January (1pm - 4pm) - Benn Hall, Rugby
• 11 January (4pm - 6pm) - Evergreen School, Warwick
• 16 January (10am -12pm) - CHESS Centre, Nuneaton
• 16 January (1pm - 3pm) - The Old Court Room, Coleshill
• 18 January (4pm - 6pm) - North Leamington School 
• 24 January (1pm - 4pm) - Stratford Sports Club, Swans Nest Lane
• Stratford Upon Avon

Live broadcasts (online). 

• SERVICE OFFER - Thursday 12th January, 12pm - 1pm. 
• SERVICE OFFER - Thursday 12th January, 5.30pm - 6.30pm. 
• TRANSPORT - Tuesday 17th January,  3pm - 4pm. 
• TRANSPORT - Friday 20th January, 11am - 12pm.

Click here to watch a recording of the SERVICE OFFER presentation.

Click here to watch a recording of the TRANSPORT presentation.

What happens next

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to feedback to us.

All feedback will be analysed and will inform:

- The final decision about the service offer will be made by Warwickshire County Council Cabinet. If approved, the SEND & Inclusion Service Offer will be in place from 1^st September 2023.

- If approved, the new SEND Home to School Transport application process would be introduced in time for parents/carers applying for a school place for September 2024; the NAM would be introduced in August 2023 and used to identify transport options for children and young people starting school in September 2023; and the changes to the policy will take affect from August 2023.  

Children currently accessing home to school transport will not be immediately affected but will be reassessed under the new if they move educational settings or house after 1 August 2023.