Our Vision, Policy and Improvements

We want parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities to be confident in the services Birmingham City Council provide. This section of the website provides you with information about the policies that shape these services as well as information about the work we are doing to improve.

The Birmingham Vision

“By working together with families and communities we want to support all children and young people, aged from 0 to 25, with SEND to meet their potential, live healthy lives and become active citizens within their communities”.

The Birmingham Promise

Birmingham City Council and the NHS for Birmingham and Solihull are committed to promoting the achievement and wellbeing of all children and young people in the city, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Following the SEND inspection in June 2018 the SEND Improvement programme is now shaping its vision for more localised support and provision, working closely with parents and carers. We believe that the majority of school age learners can and should be educated with others their age in their local community school which is properly equipped and fit for purpose. To do this, the SEND local board have set out 5 key themes:

• getting the climate right – vision, policy and culture
• building capacity to ensure staff have the confidence, expertise and access to specialist support to enable this to happen.
• having a Quality Assurance Framework to ensure the best possible outcomes for children and young people are achieved.
• maximising the use of resources and provision to ensure we make the most effective use of them.
• developing strong partnerships within local areas.

How we measure success/our shared ambitions are to see:

• the local offer is appropriate to meeting the current and future needs
• higher achievement among pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities
• fewer pupils in segregated provision and greater inclusion in the local community
• reduction in exclusions, children out of school and NEET population
• better use of specialist provision that meets local needs
• increased confidence in mainstream schools
• a more highly trained workforce
• feedback from parents, pupils and school staff have better access to information and support and that shows they feel more supported by education, health and social care
• better transitions and improved progression pathways that supports preparation for adulthood.