SEND Offer
"Everyone deserves a fair start in life and the Isle of Wight Council is committed to giving every child and young person aged 0 to 25 the opportunity to reach their full potential. Education plays a critical role in achieving this.
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All families need extra help from time to time. For children and young people who have a Special Educational Needs or Disability (SEND), different levels of support are required at different times. Children and young people with the most complex needs and their parents and carers may need access to ongoing support and advice.
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We aim to provide a range of support so that children and young people with SEND can be educated and enjoy social opportunities alongside their peers, in their local community, wherever possible. As a result, we are working with families, schools, health and other agencies to provide and develop services that enable children and young people to have to provision which is appropriate to their special educational need and/or disability.
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It is important to remember and acknowledge from the beginning that it is not just the professionals and specialist services that can help you and your family. For many people, it is the help and informal support of their family and friends, and the support of their community, that is most valued and makes a significant difference.
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Services that everybody can use, (the universal services), such as children’s centres, schools, leisure centres and your doctor’s surgery can provide really valuable support. Professionals can work together to provide joined up services. There is also a range of services that can provide very specialist support at times when it is most needed.
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It is a combination of informal and formal support that can provide your family with the help you need most and your child with the best opportunity to realise their potential".
Isle of Wight Council, October 2022
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What is the Local Offer?
All families need extra support from time to time. Whether that support is from family and friends, community groups, services that everybody can use such as schools, children’s centres, leisure centres and doctor’s surgeries, or more specialist services, all can make a valuable contribution and difference to people’s lives. Knowing what is out there gives you more choice and more control over what support is right for your child.
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The Local Offer aims to bring together information that is intended to be helpful to children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families.The Local Offer has two main purposes:
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To provide clear, comprehensive information, in one place, on the support and opportunities available locally to children, young people and their families and what can be expected from a range of local agencies including education, health and social care
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To make services more responsive to local needs and shaped by you
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The Local Offer will provide you with all the information you need to help you identify the right support to enable your child to participate fully in and enjoy learning and achieve their goals.