Information for Parents
For further information on the Southampton Inclusion Partnership (SIP) Outreach Service, please speak to your school SENCo.
What is the role of the SIP Outreach Service?
The role of the SIP Outreach Service for SEND is to support mainstream primary and secondary schools in developing their provision for pupils with special educational needs.
How can I access support for my child?
Parents should always speak to their child’s school if they have any questions regarding their child’s provision, support or progress. SIP outreach support is agreed following a written application made by the school. Unfortunately we cannot accept referrals from parents.
What does support look like?
Usually, your child is visited in school by an Outreach Advisory Teacher who will observe your child in class and talk to staff. The advisory teacher will then write a report, setting targets for a time limited intervention and make recommendations. An advisory teacher or specialist SSA will then visit your child once a week to work with them and support the school in implementing recommendations. At the end of the intervention, SIP outreach staff will hold a review meeting with the school to discuss your child’s progress in relation to the targets that have been set. A final review report is written, outlining progress made during the intervention and making further recommendations for future provision.
Can SIP outreach staff support my child without my permission?
The school will ask you to sign a form to give permission for outreach staff to work with your child in his or her school. The service cannot work with your child unless your permission has been given.
How will I be informed about my child’s progress?
Once the intervention has been agreed, the school SENCo or Inclusion Manager will inform you when outreach support is about to start. If you would like to attend the review meeting or receive any written reports, please speak to the school SENCo who can arrange this for you. It is the responsibility of the child’s school to keep parents informed of any outreach support and outcomes from interventions.
Who should I contact if I have a query about support my child is receiving from SIP outreach staff?
If you have a query about support your child is receiving through SIP, it is important that you contact your child’s school, not the outreach service.
How is the service quality assured?
The SIP Outreach Service has a Service Level Agreement with Southampton Local Authority which provides funding as part of the Local Offer to parents of children with special educational needs. The service is quality assured by the local authority.
As part of normal practice, records on pupils are maintained within a secure and confidential database. Progress is recorded at the end of each intervention and parents are asked to complete a consent form for this data to be used for evaluation and research purposes. All data used by the service remains confidential and anonymous.