Education and training services

Tender description

Strategic support to the workforce in mainstream and special schools. On 1 September 2014, Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014 took effect, offering simpler, improved and more consistent help for children and young people in England with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The new system is: 1) Replacing statements of SEN and learning disability assessments with coordinated education, health and care (EHC) plans; 2) Requiring councils to publish a "local offer" of support for children and young people with SEND; 3) Requiring better co-operation between councils and health services to make sure services are jointly planned and commissioned; 4) Giving parents and young people with EHC plans the offer of a personal budget; 5) Introducing mediation for disputes; 6) Introducing a legal right for children and young people with an EHC plan to express a preference for state academies, free schools and further education colleges. To complement this work, the government is seeking a contractor to: 1) Drive education institutions to prioritise SEND within their CPD and school improvement plans; 2) Equip schools to identify and meet their training needs in relation to SEND; 3) Build the specialist workforce and promote best practice. 4) Identify and respond to any gaps in the training and resources available for schools. The estimated value of this contract is between £1.5m and £1.9m over the first year of the contract, reducing to between £1.1m and £1.5m for the second year of the contract. Funding is inclusive of all VAT that may be chargeable.