The Special Partnership Trust's outreach offer draws on a coordinated team of specialist staff to provide expertise to Cornwall and Devon. 

As part of our wider offer, Special Partnership Trust have been developing an outreach service which aims to support children across the South West to thrive in their settings. The Specialist Information Advice and Guidance Service has been a test and learn project funded by the Delivering Better Value scheme which has informed our ongoing outreach model. This project has been a huge success. Read about it below and see what impact the service is having in schools across Cornwall. 

Our ongoing outreach model has been carefully developed by taking key learnings from SIAG, feedback from schools professional networks, and current environmental factors to ensure maximum impact and benefits for our children and young people. Find out more about our vision, the model for the future and how to apply for specialist support below. 

SPT's Vision for Outreach

SPT believe that all children/young people with SEND should be educated in the setting which most successfully meets their needs and leads to them having the best possible outcomes, with the young person being effectively supported. This is very much in line with the vision and values of the Trust and contributes to system leadership and the delivery of the SEND and AP Provision Improvement Plan – Right Support, Right Place, Right Time.

We believe that schools should be inclusive, and their staff should have the skills to meet a wide range of individual needs effectively. We offer support to children in mainstream and specialist settings who have SEND. Our outreach offers allow staff to build upon their existing skills, knowledge and expertise so that they are better equipped to cater for those children and young people with SEND in their care.

Specialist Information Advice and Guidance Service (SIAG)

Our newest initiative, funded by the Delivering Better Value Scheme, utilises specialist SEN Practitioners and research-based practices to improve the provision for SEN learners across Cornwall. Drawing upon our expertise we deliver training, support and mentoring in mainstream schools to support whole school strategies, universal provision and Quality First Teaching. 

"The SIAG team were hugely responsive and what we needed as a school... looking at a child not just with ‘autism’ and more with a holistic approach was what we wanted and needed." SENCO Primary School A

This test and learn project has been part of Cornwall's Local Authority SEND transformation plan and is paving the way for a longer term outreach offer provided by Special Partnership Trust. We are delighted to say that it has been a huge success with schools feeding back how much value it has given their staff and the children in their care. The project will be running until March 2025, so please check back here for the final piece of action research and full case studies. Special Partnership Trust's new outreach model will continue the delivery of all specialist outreach during and post SIAG project completion. 

"I think, sometimes it is nice just to have that validation to say actually, you're doing a really good job of this and have you thought about this, I think it's nice to know, isn't it? Like I said, we couldn’t have asked for much more from you. You listened, you trained, so thank you." SENCO Primary School B

There has been an upward trend in applications for support from SIAG (except panel 4 which was held just before summer holidays) as we have continued to work with schools, providing high quality support in the right place at the right time. We have also been invited to speak at several large conferences and at MAT wide SENCO meetings to share value and insights, this in turn has encouraged schools to take up the support offer from SIAG. 

This project has allowed SPT to work strategically with Local Authorities and Multi-Academy Trusts to design an on-going outreach model so mainstream schools can continue to access specialist support. It is important to note that all of our outreach work is complementary to existing services and does not duplicate the work of Local Authority SEN teams. We work in conjunction with the advice and guidance given by their assessments, and support schools to embed these alongside whole school strategies. Schools have found this element of the SIAG service the most beneficial, citing that a more holistic approach and the in-class modelling are completely different to what they have seen from other support services. 

To apply for support from SIAG please click the link on the right of this page. Your application goes through to a panel consisting of SPT, LA SEN team lead, School Effectiveness and Educational Psychology. SIAG supports with whole school strategies and universal approaches. For individual pupil support please fill in the form linked below.

Outreach Model 2025 and beyond

Special Partnership Trust is working closely with Local Authorities, CEO's, SENCO's, Cornwall Research School and other stakeholders to develop a sustainable ongoing outreach model. This aims to build upon the success of the SIAG project and to  continue to deliver high quality specialist support for children and young people with SEND across the South West. 

Our new model has building blocks of specialised support that schools, MAT's and organisations can choose from. This will enable us to deliver the right support at the right place at the right time as per the AP/SEND improvement plan. Our outreach offer includes; SEN information and advice, support for individual pupils, specialist professional development, organisational development, partnership development & managed services and developing and delivering innovative new provisions and new builds. 

Please click on the attachment below to see detailed information about this menu of offerings your school/setting can access. We want to ensure a quality service that meets the needs of your setting, so please arrange a call to talk in more detail or click this link and fill out a short form and a member of the team will be in touch : https://forms.office.com/e/vhSyW1xKyh

If you have any questions or queries relating to SIAG or outreach, please contact the SEND Outreach Operations Manager; Emilie Warren: ewarren@specialpartnership.org 

To apply for SIAG support please see the link on the right of this page.

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Just wanted to say a big thank you for yesterday's visit. Staff responded really well to the INSET and felt strongly that you 'got it' rather than they were being preached to about theory in an ideal world

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Our staff members felt listened to and supported, so thanks again