Supporting Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Once a special need has been identified, the school or setting will do everything they can to help your child.  You can also do things at home that might help - your child’s school can give you advice on this.

Schools follow what is known as a graduated approach.  This means that they recognise that children learn in different ways and can have different kinds or levels of SEN.  They use a step by step approach to meet your child’s needs.

At all times, schools and settings will tell you what is being provided that is different from, and additional to, what the other children are given.  They may discuss writing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) to set out the actions and targets that they think should support your child.  This level of support is called ‘School Action’ or ‘Early Years Action’.

Your child’s needs will be monitored and you will be told how he/she is getting on.  If the school does not think that your child is making sufficient progress, they will discuss with you what they can do next.  This will usually be to ask advice from specialist services that visit the school. This could be either an educational specialist, such as an Educational Psychologist, or a health specialist such as a Speech and Language Therapist.

The specialist support person and the school will look together at what additional strategies can be used to support your child.  Your child will continue to have plans written (such as IEPs) to indicate what the plans of support are.  This level of support is called ‘School Action Plus’ or ‘Early Years Action Plus’.  While your child is at School Action Plus you will be invited to discuss your child’s progress at least twice a year.  If your child makes progress with their learning, the level of support will be moved back to School Action/Early Years Action.  

If your child does not make sufficient progress, the school will meet with you to discuss the next option.  This may be a request for additional support from the local authority through CLASP funding, or they may suggest that they request that the local authority carries out a Statutory Assessment.  Both of these requests have to be made through the Statutory Assessment Advisory Group (STAG).  The level of your child’s difficulty will determine which type of request is made.

Related pages:

• Special Educational Needs (SEN)
• Statutory Assessment Advisory Group (STAG)
• Care or Learning Access and Support Planning (CLASP)
• Statutory Assessments
• Support in School for SEN 
• Medicines in schools     

Leaflets and publications:

• Parent Partnership leaflets
• SEN guide for parents
• SEN Code of Practice
• Removing Barriers to Achievement (government strategy)     

Information for practitioners:

• Implementation Review Unit statement on SEN and disability – minimising bureaucracy 
• TeacherNet SEN Toolkit   
• Inclusive Schooling – Children with Special Educational Needs 
• Every Child Matters
• TeacherNet - SEN and disabilities 
• TeacherNet – whole school issues     

Contact us:
Pupil Assessment Support Team (PAST)
School Improvement and Inclusion
3rd Floor, New Town House
Buttermarket Street
Warrington, WA1 2NJ
Tel: 01925 442935
Email: esvpast@warrington.gov.uk