How are pupils with SEND identified and assessed?
Our pupils are identified as having SEND through a variety of ways, including the following;
- Concerns raised by the class teacher, for example, behaviour or self-esteem is affecting performance.
- Concerns raised by parent.
- Child performing below age related expected levels.
- Liaison with external agencies.
- Health diagnosis through paediatrician.
Once a child has been identified as having SEND, we follow these steps;
- Teacher raises concern with the SENCO.
- Teacher raises the concern with the parent. At this meeting, steps are put in place to support the child and targets set through an IEP. This will be reviewed three times a year by the class teacher and overseen by the SENCO.
- If necessary, support from outside agencies will be requested following a period of monitoring.
The Graduated approach to SEND support
Identifying and adapting teaching to meet pupils’ needs is a process that is in place for all pupils. The school has a rigorous and regular system, through termly pupil progress meetings, to identify any pupils are not making expected progress or who are working below national expectations. If needed, class teachers will put in place if necessary, relevant and timely interventions, through quality first teaching and appropriate differentiation and in-class support, aimed at closing the gap or raising the attainment. The class teacher will also talk with parents to ensure there is a shared understanding of pupil needs and to gain parental perspective on any emerging concerns and areas of strength.
Where a pupil’s needs are persistent, the class teacher will complete an initial concerns form and arrange to meet with the Senco. At this meeting the requirement for additional fine-tuned assessments will be ascertained. Parents will be invited to attend this meeting and share their perspective. Where appropriate, the child’s views will be sought. If, as a result of this process, it is clear that different and additional provision is required to meet the child’s needs, the child will then be placed on the school SEND record at ‘SEND Support’. The parents will be informed if the school is making special educational provision for a child. The class teacher remains responsible and accountable at all times for the progress and development of all children in his/her class, even where a child may be receiving support from a teaching assistant. High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils is always seen as the first step in responding to pupils’ who may have SEND.
- SENCO and class teacher will select appropriate timely support and intervention to meet any outcomes identified for the pupil, based on reliable evidence of effectiveness and professional advice (external and internal) that have been sought, taking parent and pupil views (where appropriate) into account. This SEND support will take the form of a four part cycle (assess – plan – do – review) through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the Graduated Approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent reviews and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the SEND of a child.
The effectiveness of the support and interventions and their impact on the pupil’s progress will be reviewed each term. The review process will include an evaluation of the impact and quality of the support and intervention and the views of the pupil and their parents. This review will then feed back into the analysis of the pupil’s needs. The class teacher, with support from the SENCO where needed, will revise the support in light of the pupil’s progress and development, deciding on any changes to the support and outcomes in consultation with the parent and pupil.
The school can involve specialists at any point for advice regarding early identification and effective support. However, where a pupil continues to make less than expected progress, despite evidence based support and interventions that are matched to the pupil’s area of need, the school will consider involving specialists, including those secured by the school itself or from outside agencies. Parents will always be involved in any decision to involve specialists along with the child’s class teacher and in appropriate cases, the child them self. Specialist agencies will only be contacted where parents are in agreement. It is the SENCO’s role to contact any specialist agencies and ensure that the involvement of specialists and what was discussed or agreed is recorded and shared and fully understood by parents, teaching staff and, where appropriate, the child. The involvement of specialists and what was discussed or agreed will be recorded and shared with the parents and teaching staff supporting the child.
Examples of specialist agencies used by and that are available to be used by the school
• Educational psychologists
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Education Inclusion Service specialist teachers
• Specialist teachers for children with hearing and vision impairment, including multi-Sensory impairment, and for those with a physical disability
• Speech and language therapists
• Occupational therapists and physiotherapists
• ASD services
• Cognitive learning services
In many cases, there is a charge to the school for accessing specialist agency support, funding for which will come from the school’s nominal SEND budget and will be monitored by the SENCO and Headteacher.
Where pupils are made subject to a Statement of SEND or and EHC plan, the school will work in close partnership with any specialist agencies as named on the plan to provide support and specialist advice.
