Support for children
Children with special educational needs may need extra help because of a range of needs, such as:
- Thinking and understanding
- Physical or sensory difficulties
- Speech and language difficulties or
- Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties
Many children will have special educational needs of some kind at some time during their education. Schools and other organisations can help most children overcome the barriers their difficulties present quickly and easily. However, a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.
If a child has been identified as having a special educational need this will usually be met in their mainstream school. The support is coordinated by a teacher called the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) who has responsibility for special needs and it sometimes involves outside specialists too.
All children with special educational needs should receive a broad, well-balanced and relevant education. The views of parents, carers and the child should always be taken into account when dealing with special educational needs.
Support
Wherever possible we will try to support children to stay in their mainstream school.
Where this is appropriate, children will receive graduated support. This usually starts with the school providing support at the first stage called School Action.
School Action
When a teacher or SENCO identifies that a child has a special educational need, they should provide support that is additional to, or different from that which is usually provided in school.
This could be a different way of teaching certain things, some additional help from an adult, perhaps in a small group, or use of particular equipment like a computer. If, in spite of additional support a child does not make the progress expected in specific areas over an agreed period, the school will move to the next stage, School Action Plus.
School Action Plus
At this stage, external support services, both those provided by the council and outside agencies will usually see the child in school if that is appropriate and practicable. They can then advise teachers on ways to support a child and targets for improvement, as well as providing more specialist assessment. Additional support could be requested from the council at this time.
Statutory Assessment procedure and Statement of SEN
In a few cases, the council will have to make an assessment of a child's educational needs. This is a detailed investigation to find out exactly what the special educational needs are, and what special help is needed.
It is not necessary to wait until a child is in school to request an assessment of special educational needs. If it is known from an early age that a child's needs are severe and complex, and likely to require a specialist placement, then an assessment can be done from as early as 2 years of age.
Because there is some confusion about the assessment process, you may have heard of it being referred to as "Statementing". This is not absolutely correct, as an assessment under the SEN & Disability Act 2001 does not always result in a statement of special educational needs being made.
If the council carries out an assessment, the school and a number of professionals will be asked to give their view on the child. Once all this information has been collected a decision will be made as to whether a Statement of SEN or a Note-in-Lieu will be issued.
This information will be shared with parents/carers, the school and the other professionals involved in the assessment.
(A Note-in-Lieu describes the outcome of the information gathered by the council as part of the assessment process and states why the evidence indicates that a statement is not needed and how the child's needs may be met in school at the School Action Plus stage).
If a proposed Statement of SEN is issued (within 18 weeks), then parents/carers have 15 days to comment on this, giving their views and saying which school they wish their child to attend before a final Statement is produced.
