Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)
We support children and young people (up to the age of 25) who have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND). We provide advice and information and can carry out specialist assessments and give ongoing support where necessary.
The SEND Local Offer
All Local Authorities must publish information about services available for children and young people with SEND, both in and out of the borough, from birth to 25. This is known as the ‘Local Offer’.
Our Local Offer is part of the Reading Family Information Service, which sits on a website with a vast array of information for Reading’s residents called the Reading Services Guide.
You can get straight to the Local Offer section of that website here. The Local Offer aims to provide you with clear, comprehensive and accessible information about all support and services available, and to make provision more responsive to local needs and aspirations.
To contact us, email localoffer@reading.gov.uk or call us on 0118 937 3777 (option 2).
The Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Team
The Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Team supports children and young people aged 0–25 who have special educational needs that require the support of an Education, Health & Care (EHC) Plan. The Team co-ordinates statutory Needs Assessments and works closely with families, schools and practitioners from across education, health and social care, to help put support in place through EHC Plans. If you would like to contact the SEND Team, please call us on 0118 937 2674 or email us at sen@BrighterFuturesforChildren.org The Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) Team Local Offer can be found here.
The majority of pupils with special educational needs are supported by their school, without the need of an EHC Plan. In a small number of cases, however, where the needs might be more severe, complex and persistent, an EHC Plan may be required to provide further support. If you have concerns, in the first instance please talk to the SEND Co-ordinator (SENDCo) at your/your child’s school or educational setting for further information.
You may also find it helpful to contact Reading’s independent and impartial Information, Advice & Support Service for SEND (known locally as Reading IASS but often referred to elsewhere as SENDIASS) for advice and support, on 0118 937 3421 or at iass@BrighterFuturesforChildren.org. Or visit the Reading IASS website, which has a host of useful information and advice.
A request for Statutory Needs Assessment is usually made by the school or educational setting, but parents and young people also have a right to ask the Local Authority to consider starting an assessment. The Authority uses criteria when considering a request, alongside the guidance detailed in the SEND Code of Practice.
We also work alongside the Children & Young People’s Disability Team (CYPDT), which is a team of Social Workers and Occupational Therapists who support children and young people with disabilities, and their families. More information on the CYPDT, including eligibility, can be found here. For new referrals, please contact the Children’s Single Point of Access on 0118 937 3641 (aged under 18) or through the Contact Centre on 0118 937 3747 (aged 18-25).