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Special Educational Needs

If your child is struggling with work at school, or with their behaviour, you may be contacted by the Special Needs Coordinator or your child's class teacher.

It is our aim as a school to treat all children as individuals and in some way every child's requirements are special.

Nevertheless, there is a recognised process that we aim to follow to give particular support to those children who are most vulnerable and we would like to work closely with you to ensure they make the best possible progress.

School Action

If we feel we need to keep an extra eye on your child's work and progress, we will meet with you to discuss the programme of work we would like to follow. Your child will be placed on the Special Needs Register to help us focus our efforts more keenly on their needs. This is part of the "Special Educational Needs Code of Practice."

We will discuss with you and your child precisely how we aim to tackle to specific problems your child is experiencing. This will be recorded with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child. (It may be called an Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) if you child's difficulties relate to managing his / her behaviour. This will set out when we intend to review your child's progress against agreed targets.

This is a stage of the Special Educational Needs Process called "School Action."

School Action Plus

If we feel that insufficient progress is being made, or that we need additional advice, we may involve one or more outside agencies who will offer their expertise to try and maximise progress. If this stage is reached, this is called "School Action Plus." It will continue to be followed by a period of time during which your child's progress is closely scrutinised.

Formal Assessment

Again, after an agreed period, your child's progress will be monitored and reviewed. If your child continues to experience significant difficulties, then a Formal Assessment of your child's needs may be requested. This would involve a review of your child's educational provision to date and would take account of viewpoints from you, your child, school staff and outside agencies. This process can take up to six months to complete.

Statement of Special Educational Needs

At the end of the Formal Assessment, the Local Authority may decide that a "Statement of Special Educational Needs" will be written which sets out the details of the problems your child is experiencing along with the measures that will be taken to help. This sometimes (but not always) involves additional support for your child.

In truth, it is relatively rare for children to experience the later stages of the Code of Practice. Most children's needs are et within School Action and School Action Plus, though advice and support can be obtained from the School Special Needs Coordinator and / or your child's class teacher.

Whatever the case, the best thing you can do for your child in these circumstances is to be patient and supportive and work with school and the advice of agencies where involved to bring about the best progress possible.

The full details of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice can be found here.

The National Association of Special Educational Needs website can be found here