Most children and young people in mainstream schools will have their special educational needs met through good classroom practice. This is called Quality First Teaching.
Early Identification of Need
As a school we assess all children continuously across all areas of learning including the four broad areas of Special Educational Needs. We assess informally through observations and we carry out formal assessments at the end of every term to measure progress and identify the next steps in learning. We work in partnership with parents, carers and pupils by building good relationships, working together and supporting each other. If there is an identification of need then we will discuss this with parents. If it is felt necessary, we will provide the pupil with a short note. This will be shared with parents and evidence will be gathered to inform whether to make special educational provision. We will also consider if we need to consult with relevant external agencies eg Educational Psychology Service, LA SEN Support Service, Occupational Therapy Service, Speech and Language Service and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. We will use assessment tools and materials available to us to ensure early help or identification of SEN happens.
SEN Support
Where a pupil is identified as having a special educational need we follow a graduated approach which takes the form of cycles of “Assess, Plan, Do, Review”.
- Assess: a child’s special educational needs
- Plan: the provision to meet your child’s aspirations and agreed outcomes
- Do: put the provision in place to meet those outcomes
- Review: the support and progress
As part of this approach every child with SEN will have an individualised Support Plan that describes the child’s needs, outcomes and provision to meet those needs. Parents, Carers and children’s views are integral to this process. If the child has not met the outcome, the reasons for this will be discussed then the outcome maybe adapted into smaller steps or a different approach maybe tried to ensure the child can make progress.
For some concerns we may discuss the involvement of specialist support, as outlined above. It is important to understand that the involvement of professionals does not always seek to “label” or “diagnose” children but seek advice or strategies to help them reach their full potential.
A small percentage of children and young people with significant and/or complex needs may require an assessment that could lead to an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
The purpose of an EHCP is to make special educational provision to meet special educational needs of the child or young person, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education (SEND Code of Practice p.142). It is a legal document that describes a child or young person’s special educational, health and social care needs. We currently have two EHC Plans.
For further information please view or download our Accessibility Plan which can be found in the School Policies section of our website.
