The Specialist Outreach Advisory Service

The Specialist Outreach Advisory Service (SOAS) is a new intervention which has replaced the School 2 School or S2S support service. The S2S commission ceased in April 2025.

SOAS provides advice and guidance to mainstream settings to support cohorts of pupils with complex needs, predominantly INDES levels 6 and 7.

SOAS will also support effective transition between education phases, with a focus on transitions in the Early Years.  It has been developed following a pilot project with Norfolk special schools.

The intervention seeks to

• improve outcomes for children and young people with complex needs in mainstream settings
• increase inclusion for children and young people with complex needs in mainstream settings
• increase parental confidence in mainstream provision for SEND
• support children to remain educated locally
• reduce the number of EHC needs assessments and plans, as needs are met with SEN Support
• increase confidence in a setting's ability to meet the needs of children and young people with significant complexity.

SOAS Advisers are senior colleagues in maintained specialist/complex needs schools.

Referrals are currently being made into the service from the Norfolk County Council SEND team.

SOAS is part of the Local First Inclusion programme. As the SEND and Inclusion Model, which is another part of the programme, rolls out throughout this year, it is the intention that referrals will be made through Team Around the School (TAS) discussions between settings and their zone team. 

We will continue growing the capacity for this service at the pace possible with our special school colleagues.

With this in mind, SOAS will remain in pilot phase for the rest of this term, but is due to be fully operational from September 2025.  Further information on the SOAS will be published towards the end of the Summer term 2025.