Families invited to online meeting to hear about the support available in educational settings for all children

Thursday, 13 February 2025 06:00

Wiltshire Council is inviting families who feel their child or young person may need additional help in school to join an online session to learn more about available support.

The session on Thursday 26 February will discuss the range of help and resources which could be available in all early years, mainstream schools, and post-16 settings.

In Wiltshire this is known as Ordinarily available Provision for All Learners (OPAL).This describes the support, resources, and strategies that schools should provide to meet the needs of all learners.

There will also be a focus on meeting the needs of students who experience difficulties with anxiety/depression, social interactions and relationships, mental health conditions and challenging behaviours that may impact their ability to learn. This is also known as Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH).

The online meeting is on 26 February from 6pm to 7pm and will be held via Microsoft Teams. Participants are encouraged to download the Teams app in advance to ensure a smooth experience.

People can sign up to the webinar via this link Support available for learners in educational settings up until 25 February. You can also send in a question in advance. The link for the webinar will be sent out on the day of the webinar, to those who sign up using the survey link.

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for SEND, said: “We want the opportunity to share, with parents and carers, the resources and support schools in Wiltshire should be making available to every child in an educational setting. We are invested in providing help to children and young people who are finding it difficult to progress with learning in mainstream school.

"OPAL and SEMH support are part of our ongoing development of a coordinated approach to ensure children and young people, have access to the right support, in the right place, at the right time. We are prioritising ensuring every child has the support they need to learn; this will not change”.

Previous Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) webinars are available on the local offer Wiltshire SEND Transformation Programme - Local Offer