SEND Resources 11 to 16
Important documents, guidance and information for professionals and service users
On this page you will find SEND specific information around government guidance, additional information for parent/ carers and information published to support the work of educators, health and care professionals.
Statutory Guidance for all
SEND code of practice
This report, from September 2014, details GOV.UK: Statutory guidance SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (opens new window).
DfE SEND Guide for parents and carers
This report is a guide on the GOV.UK: SEND: guide for parents and carers (opens new window).
Children and Families Act 2014
Full details of the Act can be found on GOV.UK, Children and Families Act 2014 (opens new window).
Additional resources for Young people, Parents and Carers
Supporting information for Educational settings
The Graduated Response to SEND Support (GRSS) profile may be used as an electronic form to support teachers and SENCOs to identify, assess and record the needs of children and young people requiring special educational provision. It supports the planning and recording of appropriate provision and provides guidance for reviewing progress. There is no requirement to use this profile; it has been designed as an optional tool to help educational settings meet their duties as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (July 2014).
For the most up-to-date documents visit Right Choice: SSENS resource page (opens new window).
Information regarding a setting's SEND provision will be held in an SEN information report and policy which should be published on the setting's website. A link to the Wiltshire Local Offer should also be included. This is a statutory requirement for all maintained nurseries, schools and academies from 1 September 2014.
For further information on what information should be presented in a SEN information report and policy, please refer to our School SEND Information page.
Wiltshire Banding Thresholds - final (Word doc, 62 KB)(opens new window)
Cognition and Learning (Word doc, 55 KB)(opens new window)
Communication and Interaction and ASC (Word doc, 58 KB)(opens new window)
Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) (Word doc, 62 KB)(opens new window)
Physical and Medical Needs (Word doc, 62 KB)(opens new window)
Education, Health and Care Plans
SEND Support Plan (Word doc, 53 KB)(opens new window)
SEND Support Plan template writing guidance for schools and early years settings: Send Support Plan Guidance (OpenDocument text format, 42 KB)(opens new window)
On 1 April 2025, the Ministry of Defence and Department for Education published non-statutory guidance to help state-funded schools and local authorities in England to understand and address the needs of Service pupils in schools (reception to year 11). Speaking about the new guidance, Minister for Veterans and People, Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP, said:
Service children face many challenges due to the unique nature of Service life, but it's important that they are able to benefit from their exceptional experiences. That's why this joint guidance with the Department for Education explains how we can break down barriers and help our Service children to thrive in education.
Visit: Service Pupils in Schools: Non-statutory guidance - GOV.UK
Online courses
A new range of 14 bite-size training modules has been launched on the Enhance Digital Teaching Platform to help teachers and trainers use educational technology (EdTech) to support their learners working either wholly or partly at home.
The new modules have been funded by the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) can continue to respond to the needs of the FE and Training sector during the current pandemic.
Eight of the new modules are focused on 'Managing online and blended learning' covering topics such as:
- managing online learners and learning activity: learning groups
- quality assuring the online learning experience
- managing learning online: guidance & interaction
- setting up and preparation for an online programme
For more information please visit: Society for Education and Training (opens new window).
Support with teaching materials
Set up in response to the Coronavirus outbreak the Oak National Academy is an independent public body. They work in partnership to improve pupil outcomes and close the disadvantage gap by supporting teachers to teach, and enable pupils to access a high-quality curriculum. Share the brilliance of teachers from across the country. They aim to put the best curriculum thinking, the deepest subject expertise and the smartest learning design at your fingertips. With access to a wealth of knowledge, you can make it your own and help your pupils thrive.
From the start of primary, all the way to key stage 4, they provide free access to thousands of teacher-made, fully-resourced lessons to adapt and use with pupils.
For more information please visit: Oak National Academy (opens new window)
Guidance documents to help schools and families understand and support children experiencing EBSA, along with information documents for children and young people.
For more information visit:
EBSA information (rightchoice.wiltshire.gov.uk) (opens new window)
Wiltshire's Inclusion Toolkit is aimed at all educational providers and settings across Wiltshire. The SEND Code of Practice states that the majority of children and young people with SEN or disabilities will have their needs met within local mainstream early years settings, schools, or colleges with high quality teaching that is differentiated and personalised. The toolkit contains information to help settings develop provision by providing inclusive environments, effective teaching, and accurate assessment of need to support the graduated response.
For more information visit:
SEND School Improvement resources (rightchoice.wiltshire.gov.uk) (opens new window)
Teaching hubs provide a range of specialised expertise to support schools across a range of topics. In Wiltshire schools can utilise the following:
Ramsbury English Hub
Ramsbury DfE English Hub is based at Ramsbury Primary School, Wiltshire and provides support for infant, junior, primary and special schools across Wiltshire and surrounding areas.
They provide fully funded school to school support which is centred on 3 priority areas:
- age-appropriate phonics provision: encouraging best practice in Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) teaching from Reception to the end of Key Stage 1, and as the primary teaching strategy throughout the school
- promoting a love of reading: encouraging reading for enjoyment through a whole school reading approach; reading to every child at least once a day and encouraging reading at home; developing teachers' knowledge of children's texts and reading practices
- early language development: providing evidence-based approaches to early language development and closing the word gap in school-based early years settings
Their focus is on supporting the slowest progress children in Reception and Year 1 to ensure every child is successful, regardless of background, needs or abilities.
For more information please visit:
Ramsbury English Hub (opens new window)
Mobius Maths Hub
Möbius Maths Hub is led by The Willink School and with the support of a number of strategic partners they aim to develop and spread excellent practice in the teaching of mathematics, for the benefit of all students. Using the unique Work Group format along with Teaching for Mastery, the programme is a collaborative process allowing all schools involved to understand and implement excellent teaching practice.
Möbius Maths Hub is one of a network of 40 Maths Hubs in England, working together within the Maths Hubs Programme, which began in 2014. The programme is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and coordinated by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM). Over the last 7 years the success of the Maths Hubs programme can be seen in the progression students have made at all stages of education with mathematical knowledge.
For more information please visit:
Möbius Maths Hub (opens new window)
Swindon and Wiltshire Teaching Hub
Swindon & Wiltshire Teaching School Hub is a designated centre of excellence committed to providing high quality training and development to all teachers and leaders across the region. They are building a network of partners so that all teachers will be able to access the very best training and support whatever stage of their career they are at - from ITT right through to the new suite of leadership NPQs, through to the golden thread of teacher and leader development. They will be delivering the Early Careers Framework, National Professional Qualifications as well as other evidence informed CPD alongside access to the well-established networks and curriculum hubs across our region.
You can view the Swindon & Wiltshire Teaching School Hub (opens new window) online. For more information about the Hub please visit their homepage:
Right Choice offers a wide variety of support services to all education providers, including Schools, Academies, Further Education Colleges, Early Years Providers, Childcare Settings and Local Authorities.
We want to ensure that educational settings have access to high quality services and expertise that enables them to focus on delivering educational excellence to all children and young people. We are committed to making a difference to children and young people in Wiltshire and increasing educational attainment for all students.
Government documents on reading
For more information on Personal Budgets download 0 to 25 SEND Personal Budget Guidance V6 FINAL ODT (OpenDocument text format, 435 KB)(opens new window)
Supporting information for Social Care
Who to contact if you are worried about a child
If you think a child or young person is at risk of significant harm, or is injured, contact:
0300 456 0108 - Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), standard working hours:
- Monday to Thursday from 8.45am to 5pm
- Friday from 8.45am to 4pm
0300 456 0100 - Out of hours service:
- Monday to Thursday 5pm to midnight, Friday 4pm to midnight
- weekends and Bank Holidays from 9am - midnight
- phones are diverted to the Social Work Standby Service from midnight to 9am (7 days a week)
If there is immediate danger, phone the police or emergency services on 999
For more information on wider services visit:
For guidance about Direct Payments in Wiltshire download Direct-Payment-Guide (OpenDocument text format, 113 KB)(opens new window)
Supporting information Health
This Health Passport is there to help young people when they go into a health setting.
This Health Passport is completely customisable for the young person, if they want they can change of the colour of the page to fit their needs, add or remove the information or sections they want.
When printing make sure its A4 and printing on the short edge for best results, when printed you will need to fold it in half to turn it into a booklet.
Download this document for the Health Passport: Customisable Health Passport (OpenDocument text format, 16 KB)(opens new window)
This passport was based on the following guidance from NHS England. See NHS England: Health and care passport – plain English (opens new window).
For a referral to be accepted it is essential that the person has capacity to give informed consent, a best interest decision has been made on behalf a person who lacks capacity or where appropriate a person with parental responsibility has consented to inclusion on behalf of a child or young person. It is therefore important that all relevant information about the DSR is made available to the person themselves, people with parental responsibility and agencies when referral decisions are being made.
Information about the DSR is available in various formats to ensure that it is provided in a way that maximises a person's ability to understand, retain and weigh up information about this decision to be able to give informed consent. Consent, once given, can be withdrawn at any time.
If a person is assessed as not having the capacity to give informed consent (and no one holds parental responsibility, or a court of protection appointed personal welfare deputyship), a best interest decision can be made under the Mental Capacity Act for inclusion on the DSR.
It is important to know that not consenting to join the register will not affect the person's current support. Although the benefit of inclusion on the DSR will be the multi-agency collaboration and communication, scrutiny of the current support provided and the potential to access other appropriate agencies as part of the DSR process.
Referral for inclusion in the DSR can be made by a professional involved in someone's care, or a self-referral can be made by people with LD/ASC, families, unpaid carers, and others.
When a referral is received, it will be assessed against a set of criteria. If the person is eligible for inclusion on the DSR, the notifier or referrer will be contacted.
If you are unwell or injured, it's important to choose the right service to make sure you get the best treatment as quickly as possible. You may not need to see your GP or go to A&E.
If you're unsure of where to go for help, start with NHS 111 online (opens new window).
Find out more about the range of local options for accessing health advice and treatment visit: Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board: Which NHS service should I use? (opens new window).
To mark mental health awareness week 2021 the NHS BWS ICB produced a series of short films to help children and young people manage their mental health at home.
To watch these short films visit: Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board: Young people’s mental health (opens new window).
To read about the BWS ICB Together Green plan for 2022 to 2025 visit: Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon & Wiltshire Together: Greener BSW (opens new window).
For guidance about continuing care in Wiltshire visit the Children's Continuing Care section of the ICB website: Continuing Healthcare (bsw.icb.nhs.uk) (opens new window)
You can also read the BSW ICB Children's Continuing Care Policy by visiting Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Care Board: BSW ICB Children’s and Young People’s Continuing Care Policy (opens new window).
Multi-Agency information
Wiltshire has a number of local arrangements for collaboration between institutions to support those with SEN.
If you are part of an organisation looking to work with others to improve SEND support you will find a number of existing arrangements on the following link. This will include bodies across Education, Health and Social Care.
If you are aware of others that may be useful for us to share please do get in touch at localoffer@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).
If you think a child or young person is at immediate risk of significant harm, or is injured, contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0300 4560108 (out of hours emergency duty: 0845 6070 888) or if there is immediate danger phone 999.
Education 11 to 16
Health 5 to 16
Social care 11 to 16
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