SENDCO Helpdesk: Settings can contact the Early Years SEND Team (EY SEND) for anonymous advice about how to meet the needs of children identified as having SEND in the early years via the SENDCO helpdesk.
Services to help children with their education, health and social care needs (access to these services requires parental agreement).
Health Visiting Teams: Information about the Health Visiting Team and services that can be offered to families: Linking with your health visiting team and the health and development review.
Early Help: Information on Early Help and additional support services that can be offered to families: Early Help Forms.
Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) A multiagency form for requesting involvement of involvement of teams in education and in health that provide support for a child under 5 with special educational needs and/or disabilities i.e. the Physical Disabilities team, Early Years SEND Advisory Team, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational therapy and Physiotherapy are made through Oxfordshire's Early Support Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) (docx format, 200KB).
Complete the SPORFI form (docx format, 110Kb) to make a request.
For further information, see the Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) Flowchart (pdf format, 177KB).
If there are concerns about a child’s vision or hearing the first port of call is usually the child’s GP (or optician for a visual difficulty). He or she will decide whether further specialist advice is needed.
Community Paediatrics: For children where there may be underlying medical needs contributing to their Special Educational Needs it may be appropriate to consider referral to the Community Paediatrician for assessment. These referrals must be made via the GP or Health Visiting Teams or other health professionals Community Paediatrics referrals.
Communication and Interaction team. For children with social communication needs in reception classes (and above) schools can contact the Communication and Interaction team for advice.
No referrals are needed for Universal support, but for Targeted and Specialist support referrals are accepted from schools after a pre-referral conversation with their Advisory Teachers. C&I staff work closely with the Speech and Language Therapy Service to ensure that children receive appropriate support.
Information for schools: SEND schools leaflet.pdf
SENSS Down Syndrome and Complex Needs Team: For children with complex needs in Reception classes (and above) schools can make referrals to the SENSS Down Syndrome and Complex Needs Team.
Educational Psychology Service
The Educational Psychology Service works with children, parents and teachers to promote children’s learning and development.
Integrated Children's Services
Integrated Children’s Services offer early help, information and specialist services to children and families with additional and complex needs.
Special Educational Needs Casework Team
The Special Educational Needs Casework Team manages the statutory assessment work relating to children with statements.
SEN Support Services (SENSS)
SEN Support Services (SENSS) support children with the following needs:
- Hearing impairments
- Visual impairments
- Multi sensory impairments
- Communication and interaction difficulties (includes autism, speech, language and communication needs)
- Down’s syndrome and complex needs
- Physical disabilities
- SEN ICT Augmentative and Alternative Communication (using technology to support access to the curriculum)
- Early Years SEND Advisory Team - Early Years children with complex learning and communication needs