School Procedures:
Evidence that a child is not making adequate progress can lead to the need for action to be taken to within their educational setting to meet their learning difficulties. For most pupils extra help is provided within the classroom, managed by the class or subject teacher. Where it involves spending some time outside the normal classroom, it will nonetheless be in the context of the inclusive curriculum. The majority of children with SEN make progress within an inclusive curriculum without any great difficulties. Skilled teachers can usually meet most learning needs pupils may have even when pupils have more persistent or serious difficulties.
When additional or different action is needed to help pupils with particular learning needs make adequate progress, the resources and expertise available to mainstream schools will usually be able to cover this. The actions described may be appropriate at School Action, School Action Plus; or for pupils with statements of SEN.
Action to meet SEN tends to fall with four broad bands:
- Assessment, planning & review.
- Grouping for teaching purposes.
- Additional human resources.
- Curriculum and teaching methods.
Decisions about what actions are appropriate for which pupils must be made on an individual basis by:
- A careful assessment of the pupils difficulties.
- The pupil’s need for different approaches to learning.
- The school and classroom context.
School Action
Intervention under School Action can be taken where there is evidence to support concerns that a child:
- Makes little or no progress even when teaching approaches are targeted particularly in a child’s identified area of weakness.
- Shows signs of difficulty in developing literacy or mathematics skills, which result in poor attainment in some curriculum areas.
- Presents persistent emotional or behavioral difficulties, which are not ameliorated by the behavior management techniques usually employed in schools.
- Has sensory or physical problems, and continues to make little or no progress despite provision of specialist equipment.
- Has communication and/or interaction difficulties, and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of a differentiated curriculum.
The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and the class teacher will decide on the provision necessary for the child to make progress. Parents will be consulted and kept informed on what action will be taken and progress made.
School Action may include the involvement of extra staff but can also require different learning materials, special equipment or an individually planned teaching strategy. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be prepared, outlining action to be taken. This should be reviewed on a regular basis.
For children under school age, in early education settings, intervention will take the form of Early Years Action.