Special educational needs (SEN) support
Information about SEN support.
The SEND Code of Practice
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 says:
All children and young people are entitled to an appropriate education, one that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and the fulfilment of potential. This should enable them to:
achieve their best
become confident individuals living fulfilling lives
make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education or training
Read the SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Educational settings
Education settings are places that offer educational services to students according to specific objectives and needs.
Educational settings should :
regularly check every child/young person’s progress
identify the child/young person’s needs early
adapt teaching to meet individual needs
If your child/young person is not making progress, despite quality first teaching adjustments being made and they are likely to need support that is additional to and different from their peers on a regular basis the setting should:
talk with you and your child/young person about this
decide if they have SEN and need SEN support
View a visual flowchart of how SEN support works in schools (external link)
What a setting should do
The Code of Practice says settings must use their ‘best endeavours’ to make sure that a child or young person with Special Educational Needs (SEN) gets the support they need. This means doing everything they can to meet children and young person’s SEN.
Ensure that children/young people with SEN engage in the activities of the educational setting alongside pupils who do not have SEN
Name a teacher to be responsible for coordinating SEN provision—the SEN Coordinator(SENCo).
Tell parents when they are making special educational provision for their child/young person.
The provision made for pupils with SEN should be recorded accurately and kept up to date. As part of any inspection, Ofsted will expect to see evidence of pupil progress. a focus on outcomes and a rigorous approach to the monitoring and evaluation of any SEN support provided.
Schools should particularly record details of additional or different provision made under SEN support. This should form part of regular discussions with parents about the child’s progress, expected outcomes from the support and planned next steps. They should ensure that they have accurate information to evidence the SEN support that has been provided over the pupil’s time in the school, as well as its impact.
The school should readily share this information with parents. It should be provided in a format that is accessible
Publish a SEN information report and their arrangements for the admission of disabled children.
They may involve specialists at any point to advise them on early identification of SEN and effective support and interventions.
About SEN support
SEN support is a four-stage cycle also called the Graduated Approach. It is help that is additional to or different from the support generally given to most children/young people of the same age.
The purpose of SEN support is to help children/young people progress.
SEN support should include planning and preparation for the transitions between phases of education and preparation for adulthood.
SEN SUPPORT (The Graduated Approach)
“Where a pupil is identified as having SEN, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place.”
Assess
Teaching staff should work with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) to assess your child/young person’s needs so that they give the right support. They should involve you in this and seek your child/young person’s views.
Sometimes settings will ask for advice from a specialist teacher or a health professional. They should talk to you about this first.
Plan
If the setting decides that your child/young person needs SEN support, they must tell you. The setting should agree with you the aims (outcomes) that will be set, what help and support will be given to meet the aims and a date for progress to be reviewed.
Do
The SENCo will support teachers, teaching assistants and specialist staff to put the plan in place.
Review
The setting should review your child/young person’s progress and the difference that the help has made. You and your child/young person should be involved in the review and in planning the next step. If your child/young person has not responded to the help they were given, it should be decided what can be done next. This could be extra or different help. This could involve other professionals from external services such as Educational Psychology or Speech and Language Therapy.
If your child/young person is still not progressing, or the school is putting in far more support than for most children with SEN, the next step is to consider requesting an Education, Health, Care Needs assessment.
“Schools should meet with parents at least three times a year. Schools should take seriously any concerns raised by a parent. Persistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviours do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has SEN. Where there are concerns, there should be an assessment to determine whether there are any causal factors such as undiagnosed learning difficulties, difficulties with communication or mental health issues. Parents know their children best, and it is important that all professionals listen and understand when parents express concerns about their child’s development. They should also listen to and address any concerns raised by children and young people themselves. ”
Examples of SEN support
Extra help from a teacher or a learning support assistant.
Making or changing materials and equipment.
Working with a child/young person in a small group.
Observing a child/young person in class or at break and keeping records.
Helping a child/young person to take part in class activities.
Making sure a child/young person has understood things by encouraging them to ask questions and getting them to try something they find difficult.
Helping a child/young person to work with other children or play with them at break time.
Supporting a child/young person with physical or personal care, such as eating, getting around school safely, toileting or dressing.
Advice and/or extra help from specialists such as specialist teachers, educational psychologists and therapists.
If a child/young person has a disability, the educational setting must put things in place so that a child/young person can access learning and take part in everyday activities—this is called making ‘reasonable adjustments’.