School Action Plus:
If it is found that a child is still not making adequate progress, or if a child’s special educational needs cannot be met under School Action, then specialists may be consulted and new teaching strategies developed.
Extra intervention under School Action Plus can be made if, despite receiving an individualized learning programme, a child:
- Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period.
- Continues working at National Curriculum levels substantially below that expected of children of a similar age.
- Continues to have difficulties in developing literacy and mathematics skills.
- Has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, which substantially and regularly interfere with the child’s own learning or that of the class group, despite having an individualized behaviour management programme.
- Has sensory or physical needs, and requires additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service.
- Has ongoing communication or interaction difficulties that impede the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning.
Where schools seek the help of external agencies, for example, an Educational Psychologist; those services will need to access the pupil’s records in order to establish which strategies have already been employed and which targets have been set and achieved. They can then advise on new and appropriate targets for the pupils IEP and on accompanying strategies. They may also provide additional specialist assessment that can inform planning and the measurement of a pupil’s progress.
N.B the school should recognize that there is a continuum of special educational needs. Wherever possible the school should make full use of all available classroom and school resources – School Action; and only in exceptional cases, bring in specialist expertise – School Action Plus.
For children under school age, in early education settings, intervention will take the form of Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus.
Early Years education provision can be in schools, nurseries and family centers, as well as with pre-school playgroups, childminders and Portage schemes.
