The Inclusion Support Service works with schools and early year settings to provide specialist advice, support and teaching for children and young people with special or additional needs. The majority of support is offered within mainstream settings.

Children and young people may have:

• Learning difficulties
• Literacy difficulties including dyslexia
• Physical disabilities
• Medical needs
• Hearing impairment
• Visual impairment sensory impairments
• Autism or Aspergers
• Speech and language difficulties

The core service is free to schools and settings although some additional teaching can be bought from delegated money. Support is also offered for babies with hearing impairment.

Inclusion support is part of the special educational needs services. Staff within the service are teachers who have additional specialist qualifications and experience. They work in partnership with educational psychologists, education social workers, behaviour support teachers and professionals from health and community services.

We provide:

• Advice and support to schools, families and early year settings
• Specialist teaching within schools or settings
• Teaching in hospital or at home for pupils who are sick or recuperating
• Advice on making buildings and the curriculum accessible
• Short term intervention projects to raise achievement
• Assistance in the development of inclusive policy and practice
• Contribution to statutory assessment procedures
• Advice to the local authority on allocation of resources
• Inservice training for teachers and support staff
• Awareness raising sessions for parents and other interested groups

Using the service

Referrals usually come from:

• Schools
• Early years' settings
• Health professionals.

If as a parent you feel that a referral would be useful please discuss your concerns with the Special Needs Coordinator (SENCO) in your child's school or early years' setting. If a child is too young to access a setting or is new to the city please contact the service directly. Once a referral has been made the relevant team will keep you in touch with what is happening.

Contact
The six teams within the service are:

1. Learning and Curriculum
2. Pre-school
3. Hearing Impairment
4. Visual Impairment
5. Physical Disability and Medical Needs
6. Autism and Speech & Language