School & Community Teams

The school and community teams offer support to education settings and families with a focus on inclusion, early help, and prevention.

The teams work across Norfolk in 15 zones (geographical locations) that cover the whole of the county.  Each zone has a manager and a team of Education and Family Workers. 

The teams were launched in September 2023 to support the ambition for all children and young people in Norfolk to Flourish. They have already engaged with schools in Norfolk through Core Consultations

In Norfolk, there are currently around 27,000 children and young people with SEND.  To make sure that knowledge and support is used as efficiently as possible, School and Community Teams have been formed to make best use of our resources and to help to share expertise across the county.  Each team works in one of fifteen zones, which have been designed as far as possible to create a balance of pupil numbers and education provision; each zone has an average of 11,500 children and young people, 26 schools and 40 Early Years settings and childminders.  School and Community teams have been formed to add capacity to the support offered to schools and families.

Teams work predominantly with children, young people and families that require early support, where a child or young person's inclusion needs are within level 3 of the Identification of Needs Descriptors in Educational Settings (INDES).  Teams will work flexibly with schools and early years providers and can support a number of complicating factors including: 

• Child's engagement in their learning.
• Familial factors impacting upon education & SEND (i.e. parenting, attendance etc)
• A trajectory for specialist provision or limited progress within SEN Support.

When considering the allocation of support teams will take into account other factors that may impact upon a child or young person's outcomes, such as risk of exclusion, escalation of need, and lack of confidence in a schools or settings capacity to meet need.

School & Community teams deliver their service in three ways:

Interventions

Once needs have been identified, the Teams provide direct evidence-informed interventions to support the needs of children, families and settings.  These interventions form part of the child's plan that will be in place.  Interventions are provided in groups to support cohorts of children with SEND support and for individual children where it is needed.  Some examples of interventions that can be provided:

• Emotional regulation groups
• Lego based therapy
• PEEP early home learning groups
• Transition support
• Mindfulness and Yoga for self-regulation
• Blanks Questioning
• SEND community cafe (facilitation)
• Triple P Family transitions groups for parents experiencing parental conflict.
• Solihull groups for parent/carers to support attachment needs of children.

Advice and guidance

To help children and families as soon as possible, we offer advice and support to education settings and families to address any issues being faced as early as possible and to prevent escalation of need within SEND support arrangements.  We take part in termly core-consultations with the Educational Psychology & Specialist Support Service.  All schools engaged in Core Consultations receive regular professional meetings, advising on systemic and whole-school matters, discussing individual pupils, and signposting to relevant services and provision.

Community and Place

Teams can support with services that are tailored to groups where there is a local need, for example transition or parenting support groups.

As we work closely with schools and settings some interventions including groups will be delivered within education provider's premises.  This can include bringing children and families together who attend different schools or settings as part of our community response to SEND.  Meeting children and their families at home is also used to support positive early engagement, where this is helpful.

You can find out which zone your school is in by using school finder and contact your local team at:  

School & Community Teams aim to identify where they can support schools through termly core consultations. Schools and early years providers can also complete an online request for support through the family hub..

The impact of school and community team support is gathered from feedback we get from children, parents/carers and their education providers on the difference that has been made. These are used to inform on-going service development. The difference made so far includes supporting children to successfully transition into and remain in school, enabling children to access their learning including improved attendance and attainment. We share examples of good practice with families and education providers where this is helpful. Examples of responses received by school and community teams so far  

"The new team that has been brought in has really helped us as a family and this is what families need especially SEN families" (Parent).

"Children talked about the session positively.  Positive comments from parents who have come away with practical resources. We've extended what we are doing in class and found some new skills to transfer into class" (Teacher)

  "Thank you to you and the team for working with 'T' and his mum over the summer holidays. 'T' had a wobbly first day but I spoke to mum this morning and she's delighted that 'T' has been coming into school over the past two days with a smile on his face, happy to see his teacher. He has settled into the environment very quickly."   (SENDCO)

"The family has been well supported and Jade has ensured consistency across home and school. The young person has a better understanding of their emotions and how to voice/manage them. Visual aids have been created and have been successful for the family & school as a whole" (SENDCO)

As the teams continue to engage and develop responses to SEND support, we are always keen to ensure we are hearing your voice as a school or early years provider and you can contribute through discussions with your local team or emailing us at: schoolandcommunity@norfolk.gov.uk  

The School and Community teams (SCTs) offer support to education settings and families with a focus on inclusion, early help, and prevention. The SCTs work as part of the countywide SEND Local Offer within Norfolk's Local First Inclusion programme (LFI).

The teams were launched in September 2023 to support the ambition for all children and young people in Norfolk to Flourish.

Since September 2023, teams have started working with children and young people, families, teachers, and services within Norfolk to ensure that support is provided for children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). By coordinating efforts with multiple stakeholders, these teams strive to support inclusive learning environments where children can thrive and reach their full potential.  

The SCTs are focused on providing support to children who have been identified by a professional as having emerging needs. These needs may not currently necessitate an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), but without support, they could potentially escalate to the point of requiring one. The SCTs can provide support for needs relating to social, emotional and mental health, cognition and learning, physical and sensory, and communication and interaction.

The SCTs are an additional resource in Norfolk who can play a supportive role to the work you do with children and their families. This will help improve outcomes for children with SEND, ensuring they receive the early support they need to thrive in their setting and as they move into primary school.

The SCTs offer support to education settings and families with a focus on inclusion, early help, and prevention. The teams provide interventions, including group-based and individual support packages for children and their parent/carers, alongside early years settings and schools.  Early years providers and schools can complete an online request for support through Family Hub and learn more about the Family Hub approach. 

The teams work across Norfolk in 15 zones (geographical locations) that cover the whole of the county. Each zone has a manager and a team of Education and Family workers.   

You can find out which zone your setting is in by using  school finder and searching for your local primary school, which will tell you your school and community zone.  You can then find the contact details of your local team here.

School and Community Teams will be supporting parents, parent carers and their children who receive low and emerging rates of SEND inclusion funding. The teams will work alongside education settings and families in supporting children's moves from Early Years to Primary school. This support is targeted, so that support is given in the right way, at the right time.

Support offer

1.    Advice and guidance

Our Education & Family Workers can meet with parents/parent carers and children at their Early Years setting. They will be able to explore learning needs, offer support and link to services and on-line resources for the family to access, with the aim of supporting children to successfully move onto school. This may include assisting with the offer of accessing parenting support support groups delivered by our School and Community Teams which covers advice, guidance and practical steps to enable children to be school-ready.

On-line bitesize workshops include:

• Practical advice embedding new routines: this session focuses on aspects of transition routines, including lunch, toileting and their school day.
• Understanding key aspects of Early Years curriculum: this session covers the statutory frameworks in their reception class, and key aspects of the curriculum such as Phonics & Numbers.

To find out more or to register interest, text 07860 041627.

2.    Transition Group - preparing for school:

Support is available through access to 'Parents as Early Education Partners' (PEEP) group sessions for parents, parent carers and their children. These face-to-face sessions are run across the county and cover a wide range of relevant topics, including:

• Children's personal and social development
• The importance of play and relationships
• Supporting behaviour through effective routines,
• Supporting children to understand their emotions and feelings
• Use of modelling an opportunity, recognition, and interaction approach to supporting learning

If, when attending a group, additional 1:1 support is identified as being needed, a request can be completed with families alongside the group facilitator during the group sessions.

To find out more or to register interest, you can text 07860 041627.

3.     1:1 Transition plans

These are co-developed with Early Years settings, parents/parent carers, and children to support those with a higher level of need. These plans will be personalised to assist children successfully moving onto school. This support can begin during the summer term and progress through the summer holidays, as children prepare to join their new school in September.