SEND IASS - Special Educational Needs (SEN) support factsheet

Stockton-on-Tees local offer

You can find out what particular SEN Provision is available at individual education settings in Stockton's local area.

Visit the Stockton Local Offer.

Legal guidance

Find what the code says about putting SEND law into practice. Chapter 5 covers duties on Early Years Providers, Chapter 6 covers Schools, and Chapter 7 covers Further Education.

View the SEND Code of Practice.

The graduated approach

Pupils learn in different ways and can have different kinds or levels of SEN. Therefore, the SEN Support system uses a "Graduated Approach". This means that increasingly, step-by-step, specialist expertise can be brought in to help the school with the difficulties that a child may have.

The graduated approach may include:

• an individually designed learning programme
• extra help from a teacher or a tutor or a teaching assistant
• being taught individually or in a small group for regular short periods
• making or changing materials and equipment
• drawing up a personal plan that includes setting targets for improvement and regular review of progress before setting new targets
• advice and or extra help from specialists such as specialist teachers, educational psychologists and therapists

The four-part cycle

School's SEN support should take the form of a four part cycle. This is called the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle.

Assess the child's needs

Plan how to address those needs

Do put the plan into practice

Review how it's going and if anything needs to change

The SENCO will work with teaching staff to assess your child's individual needs, so that they receive the right support. If the school decides that your child needs SEN Support, they should agree with you what help will be provided, the outcomes that will be set, and a date when you can check what progress there has been. School should keep a record of this plan and share it with all those who work with your child so that they are aware and can implement any teaching strategies that are needed. Your child's teacher is responsible for the work that is done with your child and should work closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved. School should then review your child's progress, and the difference that the support has made, on the date agreed in the plan. If your child has not made progress in spite of having received extra support, the review should decide what could be done next. This may include more or different help.