In 2018, inspectors looked at services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Newcastle. They found a number of areas where services need strengthening, so we are working with colleagues at Newcastle City Council to make improvements and address these issues.
Our involvement team has worked closely with education colleagues to ensure that children and young people, as well as parents, carers and families, have their voices heard as we work to improve services.
Choosing a new member of staff
One important step was to recruit a new member of staff to help children, young people and families have their say on the improvement plan – and young people played a key role in the decision.
All the candidates worked with a group of young people in a planning exercise. The young people then used a scoring system to agree how well each candidate worked with them, and their ratings were used as part of the selection decision.
Children’s champion events
Working with Newcastle City Council, we linked with children and young people to plan engagement events in both primary and secondary schools in Newcastle.
We then supported two events where children could share their views around their support needs throughout their education and as they get older. These took place at Wingrove Primary in the West End, and Sir Charles Parsons School in Walker, and received positive reviews from many children who attended.
Children at the Wingrove event took part in activities to identify good and bad feelings about days at school, and agreed that they would like to be ‘children’s champions’ and help run their own workshops.
At Sir Charles Parsons School, children considered good and bad days, and came up with ideas for creative ways to show what they’d like their life to be like when they’re older, such as a photo wall and a graffiti wall.
To find out how to getting involved, please contact our involvement team.
To find out more about services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, visit the Your Health section of this website.