Make an SRB referral

If you have problems accessing the form via this link, please email the SRB team at [email protected] with the details.

If you would like to be able to save the form and come back to it later or access previously submitted forms, you will need to create a My Norfolk account.

What to consider before making a referral

Before a school submits a referral for any type of SRB there are a number of pre-referral requirements that must be met.

Through the graduated approach (assess, plan, do review) the school will have identified a pupil who needs additional support over and above Provision Expected at SEN Support (PEaSS).

It will be understood that the school's own strategies for inclusion and reasonable adjustments will have been exhausted along with any additional support available to them. This will need to be evidenced as part of the referral, along with outcomes from the Team Around the School discussion (if discussed).

The following referral arrangements will apply:

Where the child is on a school roll, referrals for SRB are made by the home school that the child attends
Where the child is not on a school roll and has an Education Health and Care plan, the referral will be made by the child's EHCP Coordinator
Where the child is not on a school roll or is seeking a place upon entry to statutory schooling and does not have an EHCP, the general schools admissions process should apply - a referral will then be made by the school at which the child is enrolled
Where the child is still in nursery, it is expected that any referral for an Autism Base or SHIP will be supported by an Early Years Advisor
All Deaf Resource base referrals will be made by a Teacher of the Deaf

While parents and carers cannot make a direct referral they must be involved in discussions about the SRB placement. For short term SRB placements and those without an EHCP, parents/carers must agree to the referral.

If a placement is permanent the LA may make a referral without parental consent to ascertain suitability for a child with an EHCP as part of placing in a setting which can meet need. Parents/carers however must be made aware that this is being done.

The home school must agree to the terms and conditions of placement (PDF, 123 KB) at the point of referral, including agreeing to the expectations of support from the home school during the placement, and the relevant contribution rate. This is for short-term placements only.

SRB placement contributions

For short-term placements, home schools are charged a set contribution. This is a pro rata amount of Basic Per Pupil Element (BPPE) funding according to the length of placement.

The charges will be pro rata to the nearest term. Should the home school change midway during the placement the originating home school will continue to pay the charge for the duration of the placement within the current financial year. This is because the home school retains the BPPE funding and other pupil led funding until the end of the financial year.

Please note if the home school has accessed Element 3 funding to support the child, this will be recouped for the time spent in the SRB.

Before you begin the form

You'll find it helpful to have this information to hand before you start completing the referral form:

The learner's Unique Pupil Number (UPN) - a UPN consists of one letter followed by 12 digits eg A123456789123
Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) including appendices (if appropriate)
Evidence of two cycles of Assess, Plan, Do, Review (APDR)
INDES scoring or SENIF rating
Educational Psychologist report
Evidence of current attainment and progress
Supplementary evidence including Learning Support Plan and Attendance Record
Consent from the parent or carer and head of current school for short-term placements
Speech & Language Therapy report (SLCN only). This must be from an NHS speech and language therapist. If it is from an independent therapist, the report needs to have been agreed by a named NHS therapist. It must have been written within the last 6 months
Safeguarding information
Personal Support Plan or equivalent and risk assessment (SEMH only)
Any additional supplementary evidence relevant to the referral, eg other professional reports

Triage panel process

When a referral is received by the LA it is added to an agenda to be considered by the Triage Panel. This is chaired by the LA and has Educational Psychologists, Specialist Teachers, advisors and a representative from each type of SRB apart from the Deaf and SLCN bases.

All referrals for SHIPs, Autism, Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), and Learning and Cognition (LCN) bases will be discussed. A decision will then be made as to whether the referral is appropriate for consideration at an SRB admissions panel.

If the referral has been declined or it is agreed and added to Admissions Panel, the referrer (usually the school) will be notified within two weeks by email if the referral. Occasionally, a referral will be deferred which will delay the outcome. The school should then inform the family and explain the decision made with a further discussion about next steps.

NB: Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) Bases and Deaf Resource Bases are not included in the triage panel as children are referred on the advice of a Speech and Language Therapist or Virtual School for Sensory Support, respectively.

The triage panel takes place every two weeks.

Admissions panel

If the referral is accepted, it will be added to the relevant admissions panel agenda. This may be the panel for the SRB requested or an SRB that triage panel believe is more appropriate. The referring school will be notified which admissions panel the referral has been added to.

Admissions panels are held at least termly and it is expected that any necessary observations will have been completed prior to the meeting so that all decisions can be made in a timely manner.

Decisions made at the panel will have an outcome of agreeing to place or standing down. Deferring of a decision should be an exception. SRB placement should be at the one closest to home however if the only places available are further afield this may not be possible.