In Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) we strive to support all our children and young people to enable them to meet their full potential at school. In order to do this, many steps are taken to support them through their learning journey. This guide will describe how children and young people with Special Educational needs and/or Disability (SEND) should be supported. The SEND Code of Practice 2015 is the legal guidance which early years settings, schools and colleges must follow about special educational needs and/or disability.
What are Special Education Needs (SEN)?
There are four types of Special Educational Needs. Children and young people may have needs across some or all of these four areas and their needs may change over time:
- Communication and Interaction needs: Children and young people have difficulty saying what they want, understanding what others are saying and socially interacting with others.
- Cognition and Learning needs: Children and young people have difficulty learning or remembering basic skills. They may have difficulty with literacy or numeracy or learn at a slower pace than others.
- Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs: Children and young people have difficulty making friends or relating to adults. They may be withdrawn, isolated or find controlling their behaviour difficult.
- Sensory and Physical needs: Children and young people have sensory impairments such as with hearing or sight, or have physical difficulties that impact on their learning.
What is a Disability?
"You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities." The Equality Act 2010.
Children and young people with a disability do not necessarily have Special Educational Needs (SEN).
- Talk to your child’s early years practitioner, class teacher or tutor about things that worry you. All teachers are responsible for helping all pupils, including those with Special Educational Needs.
- Talk to the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) at your child's provision. The SENCO is responsible for helping to ensure the school or setting meets the needs of the child or young person with SEN. They will be able to tell you more about what support is already in place, to discuss any concerns with you and to describe what should happen next.
- The Head Teacher and School Governors are responsible for monitoring the support given to children with SEN. If necessary, talk to the Head Teacher or SEN Governor.
The Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice 2015 set out how all early years’ settings, schools and post-16 providers have to meet the needs of all children and young people with SEND. The Graduated Approach is the way early years settings, schools and post-16 providers support children and young people who have Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
- All children / young people should receive Quality First Teaching. This is called Universal Support.
- Some children / young people need additional and different Targeted Support. This is called SEN Support.
- A few children/young people have complex SEN. They will need personalised support and may need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Universal Support
- All children and young people are entitled to receive high quality, inclusive teaching.
- Children and young people make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best, quality first teaching takes this into account.
- Quality First Teaching will meet the individual needs of most children and young people.
SEN Support
- When a child or young person is identified as having a special educational need, the support they receive becomes more targeted.
- SEN support is used to describe the additional and different support that is available to children and young people.
- When an early years setting, school or college thinks a child or young person might need SEN support, they must work with the child or young person and their parents/carers.
- Early years settings, schools and colleges must publish on their website what is provided for children and young people for Special Educational Needs. This is called an SEN Information Report. You can find a link to each School's SEN Information report on the SEND Local Offer.
- SEN Support could include any of the following:
- additional materials or equipment;
- individual interventions or programmes;
- focussed support form the class teacher, SENCO or support staff;
- Advice and support from external professionals such as specialist teachers;
- Small group intervention work;
- Helping the child or young person to join in class activities;
- Helping the child or young person to interact with other children or young people.
What should the education setting do when SEN support needs are identified?
- Take immediate action when a child or young person is identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN);
- Inform the family as soon as the child or young person’s SEN is identified;
- Work in partnership with the child or young person and their parents and carers, including them in decision making and in reviews of the support put in place.
- Remove all barriers to learning by putting effective support for children / young people into place.
- Review the support put into place for children and young people with SEN at least termly;
- Gain advice from specialist professionals if possible;
- Use the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycles to inform changes to a child or young person’s SEN.
What is the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle?
This is a graduated approach based on a four step cycle:
Assess – analyse the child or young person’s special educational needs
Plan – identify the additional and different support needed
Do – put the support in place
Review – regularly check how well it is working so that they can change the amount or kind of support needed
Some children and young people will make progress and no longer need SEN Support. Others with more complex, long-term needs will need more assess, plan, do, review cycles to make good progress.
When do other professionals get involved?
If the child or young person continues to make less progress than expected, despite receiving additional support matched to their needs, then other professionals may be asked for their help and advice. Other professionals could include, for example, a specialist teacher, an educational psychologist or a speech and language therapist. The early years setting, school or post-16 provider will talk to the child or young person and their parents and carers before seeking other professional advice.
What happens if my child makes good progress on SEN Support?
Many children respond well to support and make good progress. As a result, their support may change as children become more independent. Following review, the children / young person’s needs may be met by the universal support available for all. If progress continues, the child or young person may not require additional targeted support any longer. This needs to be monitored by teachers / early years practitioners. Children and young people should receive SEN Support as long as it is needed. All support should aim to help children and young people become as independent as they can be so that they can be better prepared for adult life.
What happens if no progress is made through SEN support?
The special educational needs of most children and young people can, and should be, met through targeted support provided by the educational setting at SEN Support. A very small number of children and young people may not make progress despite interventions put in place at SEN Support. An Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment may be needed. An (EHC) Needs Assessment finds out about a child or young person’s special education needs and the support they need in order to learn, progress and achieve. An EHC Needs Assessment will find out if an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan is needed. At every stage, the views and wishes of the child or young person and their parent and carer will be listened to. The Children and Families Act 2014 state that local authorities are responsible for carrying out and Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment.
Who can request an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment?
Requests for an EHC Needs Assessments can be made by:
- The educational setting, such as early years settings, schools or post-16 providers
- The parent(s) or carer(s)
- The young person, over the age of 16 but under the age of 25
- Anyone else who knows the child or young person well and believes an EHC Needs Assessment might be needed, such as a health professional or social worker.
Please see the step-by-step guide to find out how to ask for an EHC needs assessment, which includes the template you need to complete to submit this request.
What happens when an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment is requested?
You can see the step-by-step process on the Request an EHC needs assessment page.
Sendias BathNES can help you to:
- Understand more about SEND law
- Express yours and your child’s views
- Prepare well for meetings
- Understand paperwork and processes
- Develop working relationships with professionals
Advice line: 01225 394382 (Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm an answerphone operates outside of these hours)
Mobile: 07530 263401
Email: sendias@bathnes.gov.uk
BathNES SEND Local Offer on Live Well B&NES hosts a wealth of information, support and signposting for young people aged 0-25 years with SEND, and their families. Explore support services, age related information, resources relating to diagnosed conditions, preparing for adulthood and more.
You can contact the SEND Service using the contact form or by calling 01225 394306.
The document below outlines Bath and North East Somerset's SEND Commitment.