Special Educational Needs support
Some children may experience learning difficulties during their time at school. This is not unusual and for many children this is temporary and can be overcome with good quality teaching. All teachers are expected to modify instructions, resources and the learning environment to meet the individual needs of the children they teach. This is known as differentiation.
A few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school. They may need extra help or different lessons to help them succeed.
SEN Support
What is meant by Special Educational Needs (SEN)?
According to the SEND Code of Practice, 2015,
‘A pupil has SEN where their learning difficulty or disability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same age.’
The SEND Code of Practice sets out the actions that mainstream schools (including mainstream academies) should take to meet their duties in relation to identifying and supporting children with SEN.
Schools should assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry and regular further assessments should take place. These should seek to identify pupils making less than expected progress.
What is SEN Support?
SEN Support, or the Graduated Approach is the system by which schools should assess the needs of children, and then provide appropriate support.
The system should follow four stages, often referred to as a ‘cycle’: Assess, Plan, Do, Review. The cycle is not a single process, but continuous. Actions are reviewed and support adjusted as required.
If a child or young person is not making adequate progress after several cycles of the Assess – Plan – Do – Review cycle and the SEN Support Plan has been reviewed each time, a request for an Education Health Care Needs Assessment may be considered as the next step in the Graduated Approach.
You can find more information about the graduated approach on the Nottinghamshire Local Offer.
Please see our page on Legislation
What should a school do for children with SEN?
- Schools have an obligation to identify and address the Special Educational Needs (SEN) of pupils and use its best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEN gets the support they need.
- Schools deliver SEN Support.
- All schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 and must make reasonable adjustments for disabled children to prevent them being put at a substantial disadvantage. These duties are anticipatory, so school must give thought in advance to what might be required to prevent disadvantage.
Please see our page on Education, Health and Care Plans (EHC)