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Further Help and Support

Please see the below for helpful links to support the parents and carers of our children with SEND

The Sheffield Support Grid

The Sheffield Support Grid (SSG) is a locally-developed guidance document for school staff and other professionals. It is intended to help schools allocate support to learners with additional needs in a fair, consistent and transparent way.

The SSG has been produced by Sheffield’s citywide SENCOs in collaboration with different teams of professionals across the city – including educational psychologists, physiotherapists, the Hearing Impaired Service and speech and language therapists.

The SSG is intended to provide a ‘baseline’ understanding of a learner’s needs and how best to support them. It emphasises the importance of high-quality teaching and signposts to appropriate supporting strategies to match a learner’s need.

The SSG should help to ensure that learners with similar needs get a similar level of provision, regardless of where they go to school in Sheffield.

SSENDIAS

Sheffield SEN & Disability Information Advice and Support (SSENDIAS) provides impartial, confidential information, advice & support to parents/carers of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Sheffield SEN

The Early Years Inclusion Service supports young children with complex needs at home and the transition into early years settings.

Our Early Years Inclusion Team includes Specialist Teachers and Teaching Assistants who work with young children who have additional needs. Our team also includes Portage Home Visitors who work with under 3s in their homes.  

We take referrals from parents, health professionals and nursery staff and work with children from birth to the end of foundation stage, both in their homes and in early year settings. A team of Portage Home Visitors work with under 3s in their homes.

We also offer an extensive range of training for practitioners working with children with additional needs. Our training and development brochure is available in every Early Years setting in Sheffield.

Sheffield Parent Carer Forum

We are an independent group of parents and carers of children and young people (0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities. Our main aim is to ensure the needs of our children are met. We bring together parents and carers from across Sheffield to provide mutual support, exchange information, and influence policy and practice. We have over 2,200 members.

Ryegate

The Child Development and Neurodisability Service is based at the Ryegate Children's Centre where clinics and therapy sessions are provided, and we also provide therapy at home and in schools.

We see children with neurodevelopmental disorders and more than 5000 children come through our doors every year.

We see children with a range of difficulties including

  • cerebral palsy
  • learning disabilities
  • autism spectrum disorders
  • ex-preterm infants
  • Down's syndrome

Referrals to Ryegate must be made through your GP or another professional such as your Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. Please note that although school can support you with this process, we cannot refer directly to Ryegate ourselves.