What is SEN support in education?
The support expected to be available to children and young people with SEND is set out in the Ordinarily Available Guidance.
The graduated approach
If a child or young person has or may have SEN, the setting must follow the Graduated Approach. The Graduated Approach is what settings should put in place to support a child or young person who has SEN. The SEND Code of Practice 2015 gives guidance on this.
The graduated approach has 4 stages: Assess, Plan, Do and Review. The assess, plan, do, review cycle is the way settings plan support for children/young people with SEN. Priority should be given to the child’s and family's views and considered during the cycle.
The Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle can happen as many times as needed to help the child or young person's progress. Some children or young people will show good progress after the first round of support. Other children/young people might need more than one cycle to make progress.
Involving specialists
If a child isn't making expected progress, specialists should be asked to help. Depending on the needs of the child these may include:
- Educational Psychologist
- Specialist Advisory Teacher
- Speech and Language Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
A full list of specialists can be found on the our services page.
The decision to involve specialists should be made by the educational setting, in partnership with the child's parents.
If following the involvement of specialist support the child is still not making progress, the education setting can make a referral for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment.