Sheffield SEND Manifesto
Learn Sheffield has been commissioned by SCC to support improvement in SEND in the city.
This commission includes both leading the development of the strategic approach and the delivery of some specific activities and reforms.
Content from this project will be added to this page as it becomes available – please use the links below to access the content that you are interested in.
Speech, Language & Communication
Learn Sheffield produced a SEND Insight Report in February 2024. This concluded that speech, language and communication development is generative ie. it has a significant and amplifying effect on all areas of children’s learning and development, their experiences during childhood and their outcomes and life-chances.
We therefore proposed that the local area’s improvement strategy should prioritise:
- Working together to create a model of progression3 for children’s speech, language and communication development in the 0–5 age range and through primary and secondary education.
- Developing and embedding person-centred values and practices in the way education, health and care professionals work together and interact with children and families. ▪ Working together to create a balanced system4 that better supports children’s speech, language and communication development [perinatally, in the 1–5 year age range and through primary and secondary education] in families, schools and communities.
- Working with children, families and a wide group of professionals to develop a better understanding of children’s speech, language and communication needs in the 0–5 age range and the impact of vulnerability factors [such as poverty and disadvantage, gender, ethnicity and first language] on children’s speech, language and communication development.
Work has begun to develop a detailed and holistic description of healthy child development has begun, supported by a wide multi-disciplinary group of colleagues.
The development of a new speech and language strategy will also be informed by a detailed programme of case studies (led by Nick Whittaker alongside a similarly experienced colleague with a health inspection background).