Management Information Sheet
INDES, IPSEF and Element 3 funding arrangements
The purpose of this MI Sheet is to update school leaders, SENCos and inclusion leads on the development of the Identification of Needs Descriptors in Educational Settings (INDES) and Inclusion and Provision SEF (IPSEF). These two processes, alongside the Provision Expected at School Support (PEaSS) suite of resources provide the foundation and principles upon which ongoing improvements in SEND provision across Norfolk schools, settings and services are developed, and they will be central to the next phase of SEND transformation over the next six years.
Last term saw the conclusion of the original procedure for requesting Element 3 funding, now fully replaced by a revised process for accessing support for children and young people with SEND in mainstream settings. Thank you for your patience whilst we have run parallel processes.
Identification of Needs Descriptors in Educational Settings (INDES)
INDES are a framework of standardised terms, co-produced and facilitated by the Inclusion and SEND team, breaking down the broad areas of SEND into seven specific sections which describe need:
- Physical disability (including physical and neurological impairment, medical, independence and sensory)
- Deafness
- Visual impairment
- Speech and language
- Social communication and interaction
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Learning and cognition difficulties (including behaviour for learning)
When identifying a child or young person's needs as part of the assess, plan, do, review process (SEND Code of Practice, 2015), professionals use statements within the above that best describe presentation of need from typically developing to complex.
Currently, we have engagement from 410 mainstream settings and over 11.5k submissions, the majority of which, we are pleased to say, are being moderated within settings.
Support for SEND Triage
When an INDES submission is received and the setting has requested support via the webform, the Support for SEND Triage (SST) process is engaged. Once the submission has been processed, the setting will receive feedback from a panel of SEND professionals, which will range from individual, holistic advice and signposting to additional funding - it may also lead to an offer of support from a SEND Adviser if wider, more strategic SEND cohort advice is appropriate.
Moderation
In order to ensure these approaches are consistently used and embedded across schools and settings, a programme of moderation provides a robust quality assurance process.
We have now carried out our three INDES Moderation Panel (IMP) with 77 settings, which is one layer of moderation that review the INDES submissions and supporting information (SEN Support plans, EHCPs, review documentation) with 3 possible outcomes:
| Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | *iLevels evidenced
|
SEND Adviser support is available to all settings regardless of the outcome. |
| 2 | iLevels evidenced
|
|
| 3 | iLevels not evidenced
|
|
*(iLevels = best fit scores from INDES submissions in each SEND area) | ||
It is our aim to moderate all Norfolk mainstream settings within 3 years with a view to bring about greater consistency in:
- how SEND is identified, and,
- robust, co-produced SEN provision planning
We will contact schools and settings to invite colleagues to take part in an IMP. Ensuring decisions based upon and the INDES are consistent is critical to developing a stronger SEND system and professionals who have taken part have found these incredibly useful, as it strengthens internal moderation processes within schools and trusts.
Moderators from settings have commented on how the IMP sessions were 'very positive and beneficial' and that they 'found it incredibly useful' - so if you would like to join the moderation group, please get in touch indesipsefsupport@norfolk.gov.uk
Inclusion and Provision SEF (IPSEF)
273 settings have now completed IPSEFs to date with numbers rising every week. It is an essential part of our processes to have sight of a setting's IPSEF and supporting information, eg, costed provision map, so we have a complete picture of a setting's context and capacity to meet need.
IPSEF Peer Review
We will be inviting settings to take part in a review of your setting's IPSEF which will be done with peers, ideally from your community. The trial review we ran in the summer '22 term was incredibly positive and good CPD for SEND professionals and school leaders.
Inclusion in a Nutshell tool
The revised Nutshell is now available and being used - thank you for the positive feedback we've received, particularly from school leaders. This, with all our tools and guidance, is in constant development to ensure they are useful and helpful to settings - we will keep you updated on progress.
INDES/IPSEF webforms
We run a continuous programme of testing for the webforms which are the most used of all Norfolk's online forms. The testing periods help us to make revisions and adaptations to the forms from feedback you've given us, so they are more user friendly. Please continue to give us feedback so we can include suggestions in future testing phases indesipsefsupport@norfolk.gov.uk
Forty-nine changes made to the INDES webform May 2022 to April 2023. And ten changes to the IPSEF webform. Revisions occur every November and May , however priority changes tested as needed. Some headline changes
Settings said they wanted, and we did:
From April 1st, 2023, offered a specific webform to upload revised / new documents after feedback for INDES and IPSEF submissions
In the IPSEF webform
- Made the 'label' categories consistent in the format 'A, B, C, D, E, F'
- All statements checked in the webform are then added to the pdf summary sent out to settings in the automated email
- Webform offers summary tables for each section for easier navigate between sections
In the INDES webform
- Developed an internal setting and external (between settings in a trust) to quality assure the INDES submissions
- Graded out the document upload section when SEND support request not required
- PDF attached to emails - added conditional ticked statements, submission date added, CYP's name added
- For multiple submission by the same setting, auto population activated for school details such as the SENDCO name
- Removed the compulsory action so it is not mandatory to include Inclusion in a Nutshell (after a revised version shared with settings from September 2023
- Clearly stated that the SEND Support request is for SEND Support Request for the Support for SEND Triage
- Made it clearer on the form whether the submitter should tick ALL the boxes that apply as you move up through the descriptors or whether they only tick the 'best fit' descriptors
- At submission document section - Webform INDES clearly stated one compulsory upload: SEND Support Plan (also known as Support plan, individual learning plan, IEP etc.) which details the APDR cycle, CYP's needs and provision. An optional section is available for other documents such as an EHCP and annual review or other types if the setting feels are applicable
- Added a question 'Has the CYP left the setting?" under the UPN field
- Added a fast track to end of webform button when a setting confirms a CYP has left setting to reduce the time to complete an INDES webform
- Amended the PDF report to show what the min and max score is for level of needs with details about what 1 to 7 in the scale: 1 is low level of need and 7 is high high level of need
In development
- Adding a function so a setting can re-access the individual INDES and then resubmit an edited version instead of doing it from scratch again - under development via a web URL in the email sent automatically to the setting after an INDES submission
- Preparing an updated INDES web form speech and language section from September 1st, 2023
INDES IPSEF guidance and staff CPD
There is a range of guidance documents that have been developed to support you when implementing INDES and IPSEF processes in your setting. We have also created a CPD session and resources for you to use with your staff so INDES and IPSEF can be used effectively in your setting.
Element 3 funding
A reminder that the previous process has ceased and superseded by the revised process which we have trialled over Autumn '22 and Spring '23.
Bandings and amounts financial year 23/24:
| Band | Annual allocation | Total per individual |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1,350 | £7,350 |
| 2 | £2,240 | £8,240 |
| 3 | £4,044 | £10,044 |
| 4a | £8,000 | £14,000 |
| 4b | £12,000 | £16,000 |
| 4c | £16,000 | £22,000 |
These are allocated to individual CYP who have high special educational needs and are used in conjunction with the school's contribution of the initial £6,000.
Please note - from financial year 23/24 onwards, we will only process requests for support that are submitted before 31st January each financial year, meaning, any requests received from 1st February will not be processed until the new financial year and allocated from the summer term onwards. This is to ensure we can feedback to settings, so they have SEND funding information when setting budgets.
Bridging Fund (early years to Year R)
Following positive feedback from settings, we are pleased that we are able to continue to offer this process to support children with identified high needs as they transition into Year R.
During Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024 terms, the Bridging Fund will be automatically allocated to children/young people:
- o previously in receipt of the higher rate of funding in their Early Years setting (complex or medical needs).
- o with an EHCP
- o who have received a "yes to plan" decision during the Summer term 2023.
Settings will receive £3962.27 for the Autumn and Spring terms combined. This is alongside the setting's notional contribution of £4000 per CYP for the Autumn and Spring terms. (See Norfolk's Budget Share Tracker for your setting's Notional budget.) The amount is calculated by matching the amount per hour a child receives through Early Years funding and uplifted to reflect full time provision in Year R.
The Bridging Fund will be allocated automatically in October and November 2023 - settings do not need to take any action. We will contact settings at the end of September 2023 to confirm if the child eligible for the Bridging Fund is on roll.
We recommend that primary/infant settings liaise with their feeder Early Years providers to identify children who may be eligible for the Bridging Fund as part of their transition processes. It is important that Early Years providers and Primary/Infant settings work closely to enable smooth transitions through careful transition planning to ensure CYP needs are met. Guidance, information, and resources are available to support transition arrangements.
- Primary/infant settings: SEND transition resources
- Early Years settings: Transitions
- Health: Transition
Allocation of the Bridging Fund will allow settings the time to get to know the children and determine, through the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process, whether requesting support via an INDES submission is appropriate. Settings can submit an INDES from September 2023 to 31st January 2024 once they have a full understanding of the child/young person's educational and developmental needs.
Ongoing support to settings
Our summer term Element 3 workshop will be held on 2nd May 2023 - booking information is here.
We are also continuing our surgery sessions for those requiring bespoke support and guidance -booking information is here.
Many thanks for your ongoing support; should you have any questions/comments, please contact us