What is the school procedure for identifying children with additional needs?

A summary of how we identify children with special educational needs or a disability is detailed below. For a full description, please see our SEND Policy.

Concern: We aim to identify children with special educational needs as early as possible in their school career. Any concerns regarding your child's attainment and progress will initially be discussed at parents' evenings or at separate meetings at the request of the class teacher or parents. If a class teacher has on-going or serious concerns about a child these concerns will be discussed with the Inclusion Leader, who may suggest that the class teacher should monitor the child’s progress or behaviour for a period of time. Once this concern has been registered the class teacher will work closely with the child in the normal classroom context; observing the child’s progress and behaviour and ensuring any extra help available will be targeted for the child, eg support from a Teaching Assistant.  The triggers for intervention could be the teacher’s or other’s concerns, underpinned by evidence about a child who, despite receiving differentiated learning opportunities:

• 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 and mathematics skills, which result in poor attainment in some curriculum areas.
• Presents persistent emotional or behavioural difficulties.
• Has sensory or physical problems, and continues to make little or no progress despite the provision of specialist equipment.
• Has a communication and/or interaction difficulty.

Stage 1: If the class teacher is still concerned after a period of monitoring a decision will be made, in conjunction with the Inclusion Leader, about whether the child needs to go on the SEND register at the level of SEN Support.  The Inclusion Leader will then write to the parents about the child’s needs, offering them a meeting if required. A decision may be reached at that meeting to begin SEN Support, in which case the child’s name must be entered on the SEND Register and the class teacher must include the pupil in their SEND file and provision map for that class.  Children at this stage should be offered extra support from within the schools resources (eg, the Five Minute Box, Number Box, Switch on, Interactive Music, Social Skills) and this will be recorded on the class provision map.

Stage 2: If the class teacher is still concerned after a further period of monitoring, a decision will be made by the Inclusion Leader and Head teacher about whether outside agency support needs to be sought from the school’s Educational Psychologist (EP) and any other assessing professionals, (eg Inclusive Education Service, CAMHS). A meeting will be arranged with parents to discuss the concerns and for consent to be given to involve the appropriate assessing professionals. The Inclusion Leader in conjunction with the class teacher will provide them with up to date information about the pupil, including all previous interventions.  It is likely that this decision may come after it becomes clear that, despite appropriate interventions, the pupil is failing to access the curriculum at an appropriate level.  At this stage external support services, both those provided by the LA and by outside agencies, will usually see the child. This will occur in school if that is appropriate and practicable, so that they can advise teachers on Provision Map targets and accompanying strategies.

The triggers for involving specialist agencies are:

• Continues to make little or no progress in specific areas over a long period.

• Continues working at National Curriculum levels substantially below that expected of children of a similar age.

• Continues to have difficulty in developing literacy and mathematics skills.

• Has an emotional or social difficulty, which results in behaviour that substantially and regularly interferes with the child’s own learning or that of the class group, despite having an individualised behaviour management programme.

• Has sensory or physical needs, and requires additional specialist equipment or regular advice or visits by a specialist service.

• Has an on-going communication or interaction difficulty that impedes the development of social relationships and cause substantial barriers to learning.

• Interventions put in place by the school have had little or no impact on learning or progress.

   

  Progression to Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) (formally a Statement of Special Educational Needs)

   

  If after advice from the EP or other professionals, the school and parents consider that help is needed from outside the school’s resources, the Inclusion Leader will advise the parent of the process of applying for an EHCP from the Local Authority and organise a Person Centred Review (PCR). This review will inform the decision by the Nottingham City Council SEN team about whether a formal assessment will take place.

   

  The EHCP replaces the Statement of Special Needs from Sept 2014. It will provide the same statutory protection as the Statement of SEN. However, because it covers children and young people from birth to the age of 25, it will extend the rights and protections to young people in further education and training. The EHCP will be reviewed at least annually to maintain its relevance to the child/young person. The EHCP will be laid out in a much more person centred format, and the annual meetings are designed to be more child-led. Children who have currently hold a Statement of SEN will have their Statement converted to an EHCP within the next 2½ years.