What is the Local Offer?

The Local Offer was first introduced in the Green Paper (March 2011) as “a local offer of all services available to support disabled children and children identified with Special Educational Needs and their families. This easy to understand information will set out what is normally available in schools to help children with lower-level SEN as well as the options available to support families who need additional help to care for their child.”

What will it do?

The South East 7 (SE7) framework will allow the Local Offer to provide parents/carers with information about how to access services in their area, and what they can expect from those services. With regard to Education, it will let parents/ carers and young people know how school and colleges will support them, and what they can expect across the local settings. During the last year, the Local Offer Steering Group has developed questions for schools, and trialled them with a small number of settings. There are 14 questions, devised in consultation with parents/carers and other agencies, which reflect their concerns and interests. These will be answered by agencies, schools and colleges to provide information to parents and carers to enable them to make decisions about how to best support their child’s needs.

Our Policy and Information Report can be found below.  

Whilst providing useful information, we are aware that the answer to these questions cannot replace the understanding you will gain from a visit to the school and discussion with the school SENCo. We welcome visits to the school and the opportunity to meet your child, discuss their particular strengths and the challenges they might face.

We also work closely with the The West Sussex SEND Information, Advice and Support Service, sometimes known as SENDIAS.

The school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCo) are:

Natasha Bright – SENCo KS2 and Teacher in Charge of SSC – nbrightsenco@parklands.school

Jessica Powell – SENCo EYFS & KS1 –  jpowellsenco@parklands.school