SEN Support
If assessments indicate that a child needs provision beyond universal high-quality teaching, the next level is SEN Support. Primarily SEN Support, is broadly the adaptations, adjustments and additionality that should be ordinarily available within every school to support children and young people with SEND. The majority of learners with additional needs can be met at SEN Support level.
In our school if your child is at SEN Support level they will have an individual plan. your child doesn't need a formal diagnosis to get this level of support. This may be a speech and language plan, occupational therapy plan, a physio plan or in the majority of cases will be an Individual Education Plan or IEP. This will follow the Four-part Cycle: Assess, Plan, Do Review with forms the graduated approach. You will be invited each term to review your Childs targets with the class teacher.
If your child is identified as having SEN support needs they will be put on a list will be described as having need in one or more of the following areas.
- Cognition and learning needs
- Communication and interaction needs
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties (SEMH)
- Sensory and/or physical needs
These are taken from the guidance in the Code of practice which details them as
Communication and interaction
6.28 Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every child with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language or social communication at different times of their lives.
6.29 Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can influence how they relate to others.
Cognition and learning
6.30 Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.
6.31 Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia.
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
6.32 Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder or Attachment Disorder.
6.33 Schools and colleges should have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils.
Sensory and/or physical needs
6.34 Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or rehabilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
6.35 Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
SEN support in an educational setting
Animation for children and young people to explain how to get help in an educational setting.