Year One: 2017-18

In April 2017 pdnet was awarded DfE contract ‘Support for Children and Young People with Physical Disabilities’. The contract had three main priorities:

1. Promoting effective practice, supporting children and young people with physical disability
2. Equipping the workforce to deliver high quality teaching and SEND support for pupils with a physical disability
3. Promoting the use of technology to improve the accessibility of education and outcomes for children and young people with physical disability that affects their mobility

Year one of the contract largely focused on the development of three Level 1, online training modules for early years, schools and post-16 settings titled ‘Raising Awareness of Physical Disability’. It has also saw the development of a set of Standards, again for all 3 phases, which provide a practical structure for schools and settings to self-evaluate their provision and reflect on the effectiveness of their organisation in meeting the diverse needs of CYP with PD.

Year Two: 2018-19

To enable pdnet to build on and embed the work initiated during 2017-18, we were delighted that the DfE made the decision to extend the contract for an additional year (2018-19).  The three priorities embedded through the contract extension are:

1. Raising awareness of good and evidence-based practice
2. Training to improve the knowledge and skills of the early years, schools and post 16 workforce
3. Developing a sustainable model of ongoing support to professionals who support PD learners

Over the next year work will take place to:

• Develop a Level 2, accredited training module aimed primarily at support staff – the next step in the pdnet training offer.
• Develop materials to support enhanced transition planning for CYP with PD, which will build and link to Whole School SEND/NASEN work.
• Develop good practice guidance and materials to support the writing of person centered EHC plans with SMART outcomes for CYP with PD.
• Initiate work to raise awareness of the impact that physical disability may have on a learners social, emotional and mental health
• Strengthen the pdnet Effective Practice Hub through the creation of next materials to further enhance knowledge and skills in the workforce

Work will also begin to look at developing a long-term sustainability strategy for pdnet that looks beyond funding from the DfE. To support this task we have begun to build links with NASEN and the Whole School SEND Consortium.