Welcome to Whole School SEND
The Whole School SEND Consortium, hosted by nasen, is delivering the Department for Education SEND Schools’ Workforce Support Contract and a randomised control trial funded by the Education Endowment Fund. It brings together schools, organisations and individuals who are committed to ensuring that every child and young person with SEND can maximise their potential.
WSS - Regional SEND Teams
Find your Whole School SEND region and connect with your team of Regional SEND Leaders.
Our Impact
The latest results and statistics from Whole School SEND:
Whole School SEND Annual Report 2019/20
Whole School SEND Annual Report 2018/19
Contact us
Follow Whole School SEND on twitter: @WholeSchoolSEND
Contact the Whole School SEND team by email: info@wholeschoolsend.com
Write to us: Whole School SEND, The Sandbox Workspace, 37 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7DB
Our values
Our values arose from a consultation exercise that sought views from children and young people, parents, education professionals, consortium partners and other interested stakeholders. This was formed of an online survey, focus groups with children and young people with SEND, and phone conversations with stakeholders.
The values that underpin our work at Whole School SEND are:
We believe that every child is entitled to an education and opportunities that enable them to enjoy, achieve and thrive at school and beyond into adulthood. As well as being enriching and enjoyable for its own sake, education must prepare all children for independent living, fulfilling employment and happy relationships. The children and young people who took part in our consultation exercise stressed that they want their teachers to place their views and wishes at the centre of decision making and to hold high aspirations for them.
We believe that our best solutions are found from a diverse pool. We aim to bring education professionals together from across the broad continuum of provision. We value the contribution of those working in specialist and mainstream settings, be they support staff, teachers, SENCos, or leaders, we equally value and seek the views of parents, carers, and children and young people, as well as other stakeholders with something to contribute to the discussion.
We know that there is much good practice in the education system, but we also accept that SEND provision is not yet good enough everywhere. We want to identify and disseminate good practice and empower education professionals to feel able to develop and refine their approach to SEND provision.
Research and evidence lie at the heart of the work that we do – so that we can be confident that resources are invested effectively, and we can measure the impact of our work. We respect that the experience of every learner is unique and that every education setting has a unique context – we do not believe that one size fits all.
If you want to improve your SEND provision, then our suite of free resources can help you identify your strengths and areas for growth as well as the next steps you can take.
We believe that human connections and relationships are important. We aim to support local networks of education professionals to drive sustainable improvement to SEND provision. Our Regional SEND Leaders are working with existing local networks and influencers to create opportunities to reflect honestly on SEND provision. We create opportunities to share knowledge, ideas and experiences. We believe that we achieve more when we work together, and that collaboration is essential to deliver effective bespoke support to every child.
We believe in innovation and creative approaches to challenges; and in investing our resources wisely to achieve meaningful impact.
We are optimistic about the future of SEND provision, and realistic about the hard work that must be undertaken to achieve the improvements our children and young people deserve.
What We Do
As a Department for Education funded contract, all of our work and resources are free to access. Below is a selection of the work we do and the support we can offer.
Community of Practice e-newsletter
The Community of Practice newsletter is designed to give you monthly updates on the work of Whole School SEND, the new resources available both from WSS and externally, updates from the Department for Education, and opportunities to get involved and contribute to our work.
The e-newsletter is an easy and efficient way to keep up-to-date and you can choose to receive this newsletter by editing your Communication Preferences.
Consortium expertise
Whole School SEND runs as a consortium with a variety of different organisations, in order to bring you the most relevant and trusted expertise. Our Consortium Partners feed into the work we do, including developing resources and delivering events, and can be the best port of call for specialised information relating to specific conditions, setting types or areas of focus.
Find out more on our Consortium Partners page.
SEND Reviewer Training
SEND Reviewer Training builds on the concepts explored in our SEND Review Guides, giving you the skills to carry out reviews of SEND provision both in your own setting and on a peer-to-peer basis. The process is designed to be supportive, non-judgemental and accessible, to allow every setting to confidently and accurately evaluate their current provision.
A free, online SEND Reviewer Training course is currently available, provided by our Consortium Partners Real Group.
Upcoming events and the latest blogs & resources
Supporting effective delivery of the new statutory RSHE curriculum for pupils with SEND – primary-focused
This session is for East & West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Humber region.
Supporting effective delivery of the new statutory RSHE curriculum for pupils with SEND – secondary-focused
This session is for East & West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Humber region.
Understanding Dyslexia
This topic, suitable for all staff, will provide a comprehensive overview of current research and understanding around dyslexia. The perspective of young people with dyslexia will help to bring real-world context to this understanding.
This course is FREE with Annual Webinar Pass
High Quality Teaching to Support Pupils with SEND
Delivered by nasen, this online interactive course will involve four one-hour sessions over four weeks, and will look at effective teaching techniques for pupils with SEND.
Cognition and Learning Needs in the Early Years
This hour-long webinar explores the identification and provision for children with Cognition and Learning needs in the Early Years. It is relevant for Early Years SENCOs and practitioners from PVI settings, childminders and Early Years Foundation Stage.
This course is FREE with Annual Webinar Pass
Early Years SENCO Masterclass
Exploring the increased demands and ever-changing landscape within the Early Years sector in relation to meeting the needs of children with SEND and their families.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Confidence
- General
- 05 Mar 2021
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.
Understanding ADHD
- Webcasts
- 05 Mar 2021
Part of our Understanding series, this webinar, suitable for all staff, will provide a comprehensive overview of current research and understanding around ADHD.
This resource is FREE with Annual Webinar Pass
Strategic Development for SENCOs Part 2 Session 3
- Webcasts
- 03 Mar 2021
This is the third in our five-part series for more experienced SENCOs, or those who have completed Part 1 of this series, who want to continue to develop their strategic approach to SEND.
This resource is FREE with Annual Webinar Pass
Understanding Speech, Language and Communication Needs
- Webcasts
- 26 Feb 2021
This webinar, driven by first-person perspectives builds on the Introduction to SLCN session.
This resource is FREE with Annual Webinar Pass
An Outline of Effective Practice in SEND Provision in a Newham PVI Setting
- General
- 26 Feb 2021
As part of the Early Years SENCO Partnership Project, nasen have produced 9 case studies of effective practice for SEND in PVI settings. In this case study we hear from the manager and SENCO of a PVI pre-school setting in Newham.
Seven pieces to build the resilience jigsaw: Contribution
- General
- 25 Feb 2021
This is one of a series of additional resources to nasen’s Resilience Development Pack which can be used to support you as a parent, carer or professional working with young children to boost children’s resilience through everyday activities.