How we identify, assess and review children with SEND
Most children and young people in mainstream schools with have their special educational needs met through good quality classroom practice. This is called High Quality Teaching. All children have a right to High Quality Teaching which provides appropriate differentiation and support to identify their needs.
Early Identification of Need
We aim to identify children who have additional needs as soon as possible to ensure that appropriate support can be provided from an early age.
In deciding whether to make special education provision to support educational, social, physical or emotional needs, we:
- Work in partnership with parents/carers, pupils
- Consult with relevant external agencies
- Use assessment tools and materials
- Use observations
- Use an early support document to monitor any children of concern
Actions to support judgements may also include:
- On-entry observations
- Teacher assessment and staff observations of an individual
- Progress against the Early Years Curriculum, including Early Learning Goals, or National Curriculum expectations
- Progress through core subjects and its impact on other areas of learning
- Referrals and recommendations from external agencies
Where there are concerns that a child has, or may have, a special educational need, the SENDCo will liaise with parents/carers and class teachers to clearly identify the child’s strengths and any areas of difficulties. Next steps will then be agreed upon by all involved. These actions may include the need for further assessment from external agencies, for example: Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Neurodevelopmental Pathway, CAMHS or the Local Authority Advisory teams, including Educational Psychology. With consent, the SENDCo will make the necessary referrals for further assessment or support. A decision will then be made collaboratively on whether an SEND Support Plan would be an appropriate next step to meet the child’s needs. Further details on this process can be found here.
