Early identification and implementation of effective provisions are linked to better long-term outcomes for children with SEND.
SEN Support and EHCPs
Support to help children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is essential in helping them access their education and get the most from it. There are clear guidance and rules for schools and early years settings requiring them to have arrangements to identify and support children with special educational needs. You can find out more about what is SEND here
What is SEN Support?
Children with identified special educational needs who do not have an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) should have provision made for them in school through ‘SEN Support’. SEN support is essentially any type of special educational provision that is needed to help your child access their education. This may be in the form of differentiated work, targeted interventions and in some cases additional adult support in the classroom.
The actions that mainstream schools and academies should take to meeting their duties of identifying and supporting children with special educational needs is set out in Chapter 6 of the SEND Code of Practice.
Schools should assess each pupil’s skills and levels of attainment when they start their educational journey and then further assessments should regularly be done – this should help to identify pupils making less than expected progress and may signal that SEN Support is needed.
The SEND Code of Practice indicates four broad areas of need:
- communication and interaction
- cognition and learning
- social, emotional and mental health, and
- sensory and/or physical needs.
SEN Support tends to differ from child to child as it centres around their individual needs, however, it should focus on a cycle of Assess, Plan, Do and Review to ensure that schools understand the child’s needs, identify the support required to help them to make good progress and review the interventions used to ensure their suitability.
Assess
The teacher with the support of the SENCo (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) will carry out an analysis of the child’s needs, which should include taking the concerns of parent or guardians seriously if they are raised. A description of the child’s profile should be made available, and the child’s own voice and aspirations should be included. This should then be reviewed regularly and where appropriate should include input from other professionals working with the child.
Plan
If schools identify that SEN Support is needed, interventions and support should be planned based upon their assessment of the child. Targets included in the plan should be in SMART format (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound), and parents should be made fully aware, and consent should be sought by the school for the planned support and interventions.
Do & Review
The school should ensure that the planned support and interventions are used and review the effectiveness of them and the impact of them on the child’s progress. The views of the parent and child should also be sought and any changes to the plan should be done in consultation with both.
What is an EHCP?
An Education, Health and Care Plan, commonly referred to as an EHCP or EHC plan is a legal document that details the provisions your child needs to meet their educational requirements. An EHCP will be collated by the local authority with the input from the SENCo, parents and other professionals such as an education psychologist and should meet specific requirements in terms of assessment of need and production of the plan.