You Said, We Did
Overview
This page shows a summary of some actions taken by Education East Sussex SEND services. These were in response to the views of children and families.
To find out how you can contribute towards the future of our services, visit our Have Your Say web page.
Please note, Education East Sussex is formed of:
- ISEND (Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities), and
- SLES (Schools Standards, Learning and Effectiveness Service).
These services joined together in September 2023. Some of the views displayed on this page were before September 2023, so they may still reference ISEND.
Communication, Learning, Autism Support Service (CLASS)
You Said
- There was a low response rate to surveys for this service.
- Some parents wanted more communication on how the support in school is proceeding.
We Did
CLASS were one of ISEND services to trial a new online evaluation platform. This has resulted in a large increase in parental response to service evaluations. In 2020, CLASS received 24 evaluations from parents. In 2021, this has increased to 75. This represents more than a 300% increase in response rates from parents.
We reinforced to staff the importance of regular and timely communication with parents. We did this in the following ways:
- Monthly reporting to Team Leaders on parent/carer evaluation data
- Monthly reporting to Deputy Service Managers on parent/carer evaluation data
- Use of monthly report to feed into supervisions, team meetings etc
- Creation of an annual report on parental involvement
- Supporting the collection of parent voice information with necessary resources and operational systems
In 2021, 16.4% more parents than in 2020 reported that we had 'definitely' kept them informed of the support.
Find out more about Communication, Learning, Autism Support Service (CLASS) on 1Space.
East Sussex Local Offer
You Said
- Direct me to someone I can talk to about SEND.
- Tell me what my family's rights are if a child has SEND.
- Explain current timescales for different kinds of assessments and support processes.
- Explain how SEND services work in East Sussex.
- Explain what an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is and when a child should have one.
- Outline the different assessments and processes surrounding SEND.
- Help me find information about the Council's SEND services.
- Look professional and appealling.
- Link to a website of services for SEND.
We Did
- Most pages have links to Amaze SENDIASS. SENDIASS stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service. Where appropriate there are other links.
- We provide contact details for East Sussex County Council Children's Services Customer Relations Team and the Local Offer for feedback. The Local Offer directory on 1Space is also frequently signposted to. There is a specific section on support for families.
- We have tried to make the website clear on rights within SEND services and outline statutory basis for decision-making. We direct parents and carers to SENDIASS where they feel they may wish to challenge a decision. The site also outlines ‘Quality First Teaching’ and the ‘SEND Code of Practice’.
- We describe timescales in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) content. The pages on autism outline that in most cases waiting times for assessments are over a year. We also provide advice and support on offer while waiting for assessment.
- We have detailed explanations on the website on all aspects of SEND. The explanations are given at different levels of depth.
- The website outlines what an EHCP is in detail in the EHCP section. There is also an explanation in the 'Does My Child Have SEND?' section.
- We have added detailed information on how schools will support children at different levels. There is an introductory page called 'Understanding SEND Support in Schools'. There is also more detailed information where suitable.
- There are pages highlighting information on Education East Sussex Services, Strategies and Grants. We reiterate relevant service descriptions throughout the website.
- The design of the website was co-produced. The aim was to make it as visually appealing and modern. The illustrations have been carefully put together. This was to represent different aspects of SEND in a positive way.
- We joined East Sussex 1Space to create a SEND-specific directory. We signpost to the directory throughout this website
Visit the East Sussex Local Offer on 1Space.
Educational Psychology Service (EPS)
You said
- One parent/carer did not understand the EP’s report.
- Some parents felt the surveys were being completed too soon. They felt a longer time was necessary to see the impact of the EP’s recommendations.
We did
The EPS has developed a system to quality assure their reports. There is an emphasis on accessibility with checklist items being:
- consideration of range of audiences for the report
- use of professional yet appropriate language to ensure it is accessible to all (e.g. for non-psychologists)
Educational Psychologists discuss and adapt their reports where necessary following parent carer feedback. We also make it clear when we have coproduced outcomes with parent carers.
We have established a new electronic system of evaluation. This ensures feedback about EP involvement is meaningful, whenever completed. We are using the new version of the EPS evaluation form across the service. We have deleted previous versions.
Find out more about Educational Psychology Service (EPS) on 1Space.
SEND Early Years Service (SEYS)
You said
- Response rates for SEYS service evaluations were low. Covid-19 restrictions have made it difficult to collect evaluations from parents.
- Some parents felt they didn’t always get the information they needed.
We did
Following a trial period with CLASS, SEYS piloted a new online evaluation platform. In 2020, SEYS received 55 evaluations from parents. In 2021, this decreased to 45. This represents an approximate 22% decrease in response rates from parents*.
*Mitigating Factor - due to the Covid-19 pandemic, cases remain open to SEYS for longer periods of time. This means fewer cases close, and we send fewer evaluations out to parents.
We have reinforced to staff the importance of sharing information with parents. This should be on a timely basis. The 2021/2022 service improvement plan (SIP) has a key service target:
"Identify more opportunities to develop SEN support within settings and schools. These should have a specific focus on parent/carer voice."
We further reinforced to staff the importance of regular communication with parents. We did this by:
- monthly reporting to Team Leaders on parent/carer evaluation data
- use of monthly report to feed into supervisions, team meetings
Find out more about SEND Early Years Service (SEYS) on 1Space.
Please note, SEND Early Years' Service (SEYS) was previously known as the Early Years' Service (EYS).
Short Breaks
We sent a short breaks consultation survey to parents, carers, children, young people and their siblings. Below shows some of the most popular suggestions and our response to them.
These responses are in relation to universal and targeted short breaks.
You said
- You would like accessible activities for families to enjoy. This includes activities that children and young people would feel comfortable participating in.
- You would like continued Autism Spectrum Condition specific provision.
- You would like increased weekend and holiday short break provision.
- You would like short breaks for children and young people with challenging behaviour.
- You would like an increase in the number of short breaks.
- You find it difficult to understand what short breaks services are available.
- You find it difficult to understand if your child/young person is eligible.
We did
- We have introduced a new short breaks family fun days grant for providers to offer.
- We have begun the process of developing a weekend and holiday family short breaks offer.
- We renewed the Autism/Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) specific provision run by Aspens. We renewed it until March 2026.
- We have begun the process of developing a challenging behaviour pathway. This is within our planned weekend and holiday short breaks offer.
- We renewed two established short breaks contracts until March 2026.
- The processing of adding extra short breaks provision has commenced.
- We secured extra short breaks funding. This will enable a higher level of short breaks contracts and grant funding.
- We have launched the Short Breaks Statement.
- We improved short breaks listings on the Local Offer directory of services, on 1Space
Find out more about Short Breaks.
Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms
We explain some of the terms used on this website on our page, Glossary of East Sussex SEND Terms.