Hampshire SENDIASS

To finish our recent series on SEN Support and Ordinarily Available Provision, we’re sharing some helpful myth-busting graphics to clear up common misconceptions. ✅

At Hampshire SENDIASS, we’re committed to providing impartial and factual information to help you feel informed and empowered. 💬

🙋‍♀️ Got more questions?

Check out the past 4 days of posts and all of the support available via Ordinarily Available Provision and SEN Support over a period of time is not making a difference to your young person then join us at our next workshop 'Considering an EHCP' for dates and times visit: https://www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/workshops/

More information is available at
👉Our website: www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk
👉 Our You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/

Thank you for joining us on this series – we’re here to support you, every step of the way. 💛

Continuing Our Series on SEN Support & Ordinarily Available Provision

At the heart of effective SEN Support is making sure that the young person's voice is heard, valued, and included. 🧡

When schools follow the Graduated Response Cycle 🔄 Assess – Plan – Do – Review, children and young people should be involved in discussions about their support whenever possible.

👂 What do they find difficult?
💬 What helps them learn best?
🎯 What are their goals and aspirations?

Taking the time to understand a young person's views helps ensure that support is meaningful, personalised, and focused on achieving positive outcomes.

📌 Once a child or young person has been identified as needing SEN Support, schools should follow the graduated approach to assess needs, plan support, implement strategies, and review progress. Parents, carers, and young people should be involved throughout this process.

📚 Our website provides further information about SEN Support and the Graduated Response, along with links to guidance and local authority policies that educational settings should be following:

👉 https://www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/sen-support

📖 The Children and Families Act 2014 places a strong emphasis on listening to the views, wishes, and feelings of children and young people, and involving them in decisions about their education and support.

To help young people understand their rights and the support available to them, we've also included the government's Young Person's Guide to the Children and Families Act:

👉https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/359681/Young_Person_s_Guide_to_the_Children_and_Families_Act.pdf

🌟 Keeping the young person at the centre of every conversation helps build confidence, independence, and positive outcomes.

Results day can bring excitement, relief and sometimes uncertainty. Whatever your outcome, there is more than one path to success.

Students and families across Hampshire can access free careers advice and guidance from qualified advisers this August, helping you explore university, apprenticeships, training and employment opportunities.

The Hampshire County Council qualified careers advisers will be ready at the end of the line to answer questions

📅 Helpline open: from now until 28 August, weekdays, 9am-3pm
📞 03707 796122
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://participationandlifelonglearning.co.uk

Continuing from yesterday a little more about SEN Support and how it is shaped for the individual...

SEN Support is designed to provide a more personalised level of support and is guided by the SEND Code of Practice. Educational settings use the four broad areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to help identify a child or young person's needs, plan appropriate support, and review progress regularly:

🔹 Communication and Interaction
🔹 Cognition and Learning
🔹 Social, Emotional and Mental Health
🔹 Sensory and/or Physical Needs

By understanding needs within these areas, support can be tailored to help children and young people access learning, participate fully in school life, and achieve the best possible outcomes while keeping them at the centre of decision-making.

For more information about SEN Support and the four areas of need, visit our website: 🌐 https://www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/sen-support

Please share with anyone who may benefit! 📲

Following On From yesterdays post Ordinarily Available Provision... What's Next?

So, you've worked closely with your child's school, and they've put in place the adjustments, strategies, and resources that form part of their Ordinarily Available Provision. But despite these efforts, your child or young person is still struggling to make expected progress or access learning successfully.

🤔 What happens next?

It may be that your child needs more targeted and individualised support through SEN Support.

What can you do? What should the setting do?
👉 Talk to the SENCo and your child's teacher

If you have concerns about your child or young person's progress, it's important to raise them with the educational setting. Your concerns should be taken seriously, and the setting should listen to and consider your views as part of the process. ✔️

🗣️ For young people attending college, their views, wishes, and feelings are especially important and should be central to discussions about any support they may need.

👉 Find out what support is already in place

Ask the setting:

✅ What support is currently being provided?

✅ What adjustments have already been tried?

✅ Is there evidence that these interventions are helping?

✅ Could specialist advice or involvement be beneficial?

Schools, colleges, and early years settings can seek advice from internal and external specialists to better understand and support a child or young person's Special Educational Needs.

📌 Early identification is key. The sooner needs are recognised and understood, the sooner the right support can be put in place to help your child reach their full potential.

📚 Need more information?

Our website contains further information about SEN Support, including links to local authority guidance and resources to help you understand what educational settings should be doing to support children and young people with SEND.

👉 www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/sen-support

✉️ Need help starting the conversation?

IPSEA has produced a helpful template letter that parents and carers can use to ask their child's educational setting about the SEN support and provision that is available.

👉 https://www.ipsea.org.uk/asking-an-education-setting-for-information-on-special-educational-needs-and-provision-template-letter-19

🧡 Remember, SEN Support is designed to be a graduated approach. If Ordinarily Available Provision is not enough to meet your child or young person's needs, it is important that the setting considers what additional support may be required and works in partnership with you to identify the best next steps.

Have you noticed your child or young person struggling in their educational setting?

This week we're taking you through the SEND journey, one step at a time.

Before you even need to consider the formal EHCP process, there are a number of important stages, support mechanisms, and resources that educational settings should explore to help meet your child or young person's needs.

First step, it may be helpful to arrange a meeting with their nursery, school, or college to discuss the support that can be put in place. This is known as Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP).

Ordinarily Available Provision refers to the high-quality, inclusive support that should be available to all children and young people. It helps ensure that every learner feels welcomed, valued, and able to succeed, regardless of their background, needs, or abilities.

🔸 The graphics shared provide some examples of strategies that should be ordinarily available in educational settings. While not exhaustive, these approaches can benefit every child, every day.

💬 "To achieve genuine inclusion, no one feels different. It becomes the culture of the ordinary."

🤝 We hope these resources provide a helpful starting point for collaborative conversations with your child or young person's educational setting, keeping their needs and wellbeing at the heart of all discussions.

For further information, visit our website: 🌐
https://www.hampshiresendiass.co.uk/sen-support

Be sure to explore the 'Practical Tools' section, which contains useful information about the support nurseries, schools, and colleges can provide before implementing SEN Support.

As September approaches, many families will be preparing for children starting Year R, moving into a new class, or returning to school after the summer break. While this can be an exciting milestone, we also know that for some families it brings an added layer of anxiety, especially if toileting differences, withholding, or continence needs are still part of daily life.

That is why we wanted to share the upcoming publication of Flush Forward! A Friendly Toileting Guide for Parents Supporting Disabled and Neurodivergent Young People, due to be published on 21 September 2026 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Toileting differences and withholding are common among children and young people, but for parents and carers of disabled and neurodivergent children, standard advice often doesn't reflect the realities of their experiences. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, unsure where to turn next, or worried about how toileting needs might impact your child's school journey, you're certainly not alone.

Written with both compassion and practicality in mind, Flush Forward! brings together current evidence, professional expertise, and a deep understanding of the everyday challenges families face. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all solution, the book recognises that every child is unique and that successful toileting support starts with understanding the individual.

Inside, you'll find guidance on:

• The many factors that can influence toileting, including communication, sensory processing, motor differences, interoception, emotional wellbeing, and co-occurring medical conditions.
• Practical, accessible strategies that can be adapted to meet your young person's individual needs.
• Working collaboratively with schools, healthcare professionals, and others involved in your child's care.
• Reducing stress, building confidence, and creating positive toileting experiences for the whole family.

Designed specifically for parents and carers, the book presents information in an easy-to-follow format with practical examples and actionable ideas. It will also be a valuable resource for educators, therapists, healthcare professionals, and anyone supporting disabled and neurodivergent children and young people.

Most importantly, Flush Forward! aims to provide reassurance. It acknowledges the hard work families are already doing and offers support without judgement. As many families navigate the transition back to school this autumn, we hope this book will help them feel more informed, empowered, and less alone.

You can pre order your copy from book retailers such as Amazon and Waterstones or visit Jessica Kingsley publishers directly,

We are so proud of Phoebe, when she is not busy sharing her views and opinions to help shape services for young people across Hampshire, she is also the Chairperson for our Hampshire SENDIASS Steering Group - where she is also passionate to ensure we listen to the voice of the young person to keep our service relevant for those that need us.

Phoebe Curtis

Sharing information to keep you informed...

Have you seen this new rule that all schools should be following from September to ease financial pressures for families.

Also, Supporting Inclusive School Uniform Policies

At the end of 2025 the Department for Education published updated guidance on Developing School Uniform Policy. The guidance highlights the importance of schools working with parents and pupils to create policies that reflect the needs of their community.

Key points for parent carers to know:
✅ Collaboration matters – Schools should engage with families when developing or reviewing uniform policies, recognising that communities change over time.

✅ Equality Act responsibilities – Any requirement in a uniform policy must be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. Policies should be flexible enough to allow necessary exceptions.

✅ Reasonable adjustments – Schools must consider individual variations to avoid discrimination. For example, making adjustments for disabled pupils is not optional—it’s a legal requirement.

If a uniform requirement could impact a group with certain characteristics more than others, schools should:

🔹Carefully consider if it’s the best way to achieve their aims.
🔸Explore mitigations to reduce negative impact.

Why this matters: Inclusive policies help every child feel comfortable and supported. Open conversations between schools and families are key to making this happen.

👉 If you’re a parent carer, consider reaching out to your school to discuss how these principles are being applied. Working together ensures policies meet the needs of all pupils.

For more information take a look at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform/school-uniforms?fbclid=IwY2xjawTBkotleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFtTzQycEFFbjY2Y3MyWjd4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPNTE0NzcxNTY5MjI4MDYxAAEemfauDVPYtsOybfuZ8NskaOM--H65V6JJmO8oFWalfZN1Jr2it94AcsZUBdQ_aem_NOwFw57VYg3j9JQCsfTYAg