Support for SEN in schools

In South Tyneside, we want every child to reach their potential, and to enjoy learning and achieving.

Children and young people with SEND have a right to have their needs met and not to be disadvantaged.

All schools in South Tyneside are inclusive, which means they will adapt to include children with a wide range of learning and other special needs.

South Tyneside's Ordinarily Available Provision Guide explains the expected high quality provision which should be available within educational settings across the local area.

This document provides a range of strategies and interventions that schools / settings can use flexibly. All children and young people are unique, therefore the support should be adapted to meet their needs.

In this section

In this section you will find information about:

• The Council's responsibilities
  What the Council must do to support children and young people with SEND.
• The school / setting's responsibilities
  What the education setting must do to support children and young people with SEND.
• Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs)
  The person who is responsible for SEND arrangements in the school / setting, their responsibilities, and how to contact them.
• SEN information report
  The report that must be published by all mainstream school / settings about how they support children with SEND.
• Types of support
  Universal, Targeted and Specialist SEN support.
• Support with exams
  Support for children and young people with SEND when taking exams.
• Moving within or between schools (transition)
  How children and young people with SEND are supported when moving within or between schools.
• Resolving disagreements about support
  What to do if you disagree with your child / young person's plan of support.

We are required by law to support all children and young people with SEND.

We will:

• identify and assess needs of pupils with special educational needs / disability and provide suitable support for your child
• provide high quality support and services to schools
• improve access to the curriculum, premises and written information for pupils
• develop co-ordinated multi-agency support
• plan with schools and other relevant partners to develop systems for monitoring and accountability for special educational needs and disability
• continue to review arrangements for special educational needs and disability support
• provide independent and impartial advice for parents and carers

We have a range of services that support children and young people with SEND, and their families.

For more information, see education, services, teams and panels. 

Schools / settings should:

• Follow SEND legislation and statutory guidance
• Have an accessibility plan
• Make reasonable adjustments so all children and young people with SEND have access to a broad and balanced curriculum
• Update their policies and practices based on changes to SEND education
• Use their 'best endeavours to provide an inclusive education' 

What mainstream schools and academies must do

Mainstream schools and academies must:

• Make sure that a child with SEND gets the support they need to succeed.
• Make sure that all children and young people can take part in all activities alongside others.
• Make sure that there is a qualified teacher designated as the Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and a member of the Governing Body with specific oversight of the school's arrangements for SEN and disability.
• Let parents / carers or the young person know when they have identified that the child / young person has SEND, and that they are providing special educational support.
• Publish a SEN information report and accessibility plan.

Legislation / guidance

School / settings must follow legislation and guidance:

• Children & Families Act 2014
• Equality Act 2010
• SEND Code of Practice

This includes:

• mainstream schools, or academy
• pupil referral units
• early years providers (such as childminders, preschools or nurseries)
• post-16 providers (such as colleges or sixth forms)

Accessibility plan

Every school must make accessibility plans to:

• increase the ability for disabled pupils to take part in the curriculum
• improve the buildings and spaces so disabled pupils can take advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services available
• improve the availability of accessible information to disabled pupils

Schools should take into account the resources needed to carry out these plans, and regularly review them.

Reasonable adjustments

What a reasonable adjustment is

Reasonable adjustments refer to the positive steps that schools must take to make sure that all students can fully take part in the education provided by the school, and that they can enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services that the school provides for students.

Consideration should be given to whether adjustments would help to overcome the disadvantage, and whether the suggestions are reasonable.

Examples of reasonable adjustment could include:

• arranging for a student who uses a wheelchair to have classes on the ground floor of the building
• making sure that a teacher faces a deaf student so they can lip-read
• providing a piece of equipment, such as an adapted keyboard
• support with guiding pupils around the building
• extra support from staff

When reasonable adjustments are needed

Some children / young people will need reasonable adjustments, in addition to the support they already get.

Some children and young people are disabled, but do not have SEN, and will need reasonable adjustments to be made for them.

It is likely that a reasonable adjustment is needed so the child / young person is not at a substantial disadvantage, if:

• it would take extra time and effort for them to take part, compared with another child who does not have additional needs
• they would suffer inconvenience, indignity or discomfort if an adjustment wasn't made
• they would lose an opportunity, or make less progress, compared to another child without additional needs

Schools / settings should work with children / young people and their parents to see what reasonable adjustments can be made.

It is not expected that families suggest adjustments.

When reasonable adjustments are not needed

Some children / young people get support which meets their Special Educational Needs.

This means that they are not at a substantial disadvantage, and reasonable adjustments are not needed.

What a reasonable adjustment is not

In law, reasonable adjustments are different from big capital projects, like installing a lift or building an accessible toilet.

Schools / settings still have a duty to do this kind of improvement work in a planned way, with support from the Council, and have an accessibility plan.

More information

For more information, see Equality and Human Rights Commission: What are reasonable adjustments.

The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is responsible for the arrangements in the school / setting for children with SEN and / or disabilities.

The SENCO is responsible for:

• making sure all practitioners in the school / setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN, and their approach to identifying and meeting special educational needs
• co-ordinating support for children with SEN
• advising and supporting colleagues
• overseeing the day-to-day operation of the school's SEN policy
• helping to identify children with special educational needs
• making sure parents are closely involved, and their insights inform the actions taken by the school / setting
• working with other providers, outside agencies, educational psychologists and external agencies, particularly for children getting support
• making sure that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up-to-date
• helping to plan for children with SEN to transfer between early years and schools

Contacting your child's SENCO

If you feel that your child is not making the expected progress, you should discuss this with their teacher and / or the school SENCO initially.

The SENCO may observe your child, discuss progress with other staff, and look through their records to identify any areas of need.

You can ask for a meeting with the SENCO and teacher to discuss any concerns and observations you have.

If it is felt that a SEN Support Plan is necessary, this will be discussed with you.

You will meet regularly with the SENCO. This is usually once a term, but may be more or less often, depending on the needs of your child, and what support and strategies are being used.

You can request a meeting with the SENCO at any time, but you should be mindful that most SENCOs are required to carry out teaching duties and may not always be available straight away.

It is a good idea to check with the school / setting the best way of getting in contact with the SENCO, and what the response time is expected to be.

SENCO support in schools / settings

• Mainstream schools / settings
  All mainstream schools / settings must have a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who is a qualified teacher.
• Nurseries
  A maintained nursery must make sure that there is a qualified teacher designated SENCO to make sure there is support for children with SEN. The SENCO should have the qualification for SEN co-ordination, or relevant experience.
• Childminders
  For accredited childminders who are registered with a childminder agency, or who are part of an approved network, the SENCO role may be shared between childminders and the agency or coordinator of the network. Early years providers should also have a SEN policy which should include the name of the SENCO.

All mainstream education settings must publish a SEN information report.

This report must be updated every year and be made available on the school / setting's website.

It must include:

• The kinds of SEN that are provided for.
• Policies for identifying children and young people with SEN and assessing their needs. This should include the name and contact details of the SENCO (mainstream schools)
• How they consult parents / carers and involve them in their child's education.
• How they consult young people with SEN and involve them in their education.
• How needs are assessed and reviewed, including how the school / setting works with parents / carers and young people as part of this process.
• Arrangements for supporting children and young people in moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood. Outcomes should reflect their ambitions, which could include higher education, employment, independent living and participation in society.
• The approach to teaching children and young people with SEN.
• How adaptations are made to the curriculum and the learning environment for children and young people with SEN.
• The expertise and training of staff to support children and young people with SEN, including how specialist expertise will be arranged.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the support given to children and young people with SEN.
• How children and young people with SEN are enabled to take part in activities with children and young people in the school who do not have SEN.
• Support for improving emotional and social development. This should include extra support for listening to the views of children and young people with SEN and measures to prevent bullying.
• How the school involves other bodies, including health and social care bodies, Council support services, and voluntary organisations, in meeting children and young people's SEN and supporting their families.
• Arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEN about the support provided at the school.

Schools offer a range of support for children and young people with SEN.

Universal Support

Support that is available to all children in a school / setting is known as 'Universal Support'.

Department for Education guidance promotes 'Quality First Teaching' in schools, which has a strong focus on teachers understanding the unique needs of each child.

This means adjustments can be made, and support can be personalised for all learners, including those with SEND.

This means that most children and young people with SEND can have their needs successfully met in local mainstream schools, with 'reasonable adjustments' where needed.

Targeted SEN Support

If your child has received support with reasonable adjustments, but has not made expected progress, they may need extra 'Targeted SEN Support'.

Schools / settings should hold a face-to-face meeting with you and your child / young person to discuss their needs and plan support.

Your child may also need a SEN support plan.

The changes that are made as part of Targeted SEN Support are carried out by the school / setting.

Specialist SEN Support

A small number of children and young people have needs that can't be met through universal or targeted support.

Your child / young person may need Specialist SEN Support if:

• they are accessing everything that is available through Targeted SEN Support, and
• they have involvement from other professionals and specialists, and
• they are not making the expected progress.

Funding

If your child / young person needs Specialist SEN Support, they may need extra help and funding from the Council.

Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

If your child needs:

• specialist support in their current setting on a long term basis (more than a year)
• an additional resource base, or a
• specialist setting

they may need an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Children / young people with SEND may get support when taking exams.

These are known as 'exam concessions', 'access arrangements' or 'reasonable adjustments'.

It means that children / young people with special educational needs, disabilities, or temporary injuries can take part in assessments, without changing the demands of the assessment.

For those with special educational needs, it means they can demonstrate their skills and knowledge in the subject, without being disadvantaged by their SEN in areas that are not being tested.

Eligibility

Children / young people don't automatically get support with exams because they have SEN.

Some children will get support with exams, even though they don't have SEN.

The decision is at the discretion of the individual Schools Examinations Officer, working with the SENCO.

How to access support

Primary

Access arrangements might be used to support pupils who have difficulties with:

• reading
• writing
• difficultly with concentration, and / or processing difficulties.

Arrangements for 2021

From 2021, decisions about Key Stage 2 access arrangements are delegated to headteachers.

They do not need to submit applications for additional time, or submit notifications that pupils used an aid, in the Key Stage 2 tests for 2021.

See GOV.UK: Key Stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements.

Secondary

Schools need to comply with Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).

Schools need to demonstrate the young person's history of need, including evidence of the support they have been given, and the persistent difficulty they have experienced over time.

See the Joint Council for Qualifications.

What might be available

Arrangements will be made on an individual basis.

Some of the most common arrangements are:

• Extra time - usually around 25 per cent, although more time can be given to candidates with more severe difficulties and disability on an individual case by case basis.
• A reader: Readers can be used for candidates who have visual impairments, or a disability that affects their ability to read accurately themselves.
• A scribe: Scribes can be allocated to candidates who have a disability or injury that affects their ability to write legibly.
• Modified papers: These are papers which must be ordered well in advance of the exam in different sizes, fonts, colours, braille, or modified language.
• Assistive technology: If the candidate uses assistive technology as their normal way of working, they will be able to continue this for exams.
• A separate room to complete examinations

Transition is the term used to describe any changes for your child as they move into, within, between and out of schools / settings.

The key educational transition stages are:

• Starting early years
• Early years to primary school
• Key stages within primary school (early years to key stage 1, key stage 1 to key stage 2, and possibly moving between year groups)
• Primary to secondary school
• Secondary school to further education or work, and preparing for adulthood

Why transitions are important

The SEND Code of Practice emphasises the importance of transitions, especially when moving from one phase of education to another.

This includes children and young people who receive SEN support as well as those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Transitions can cause anxiety for children / young people and parents / carers, so it is important to have a plan that will support the child / young person.

'To support transition, the school should share information with the school, college or other setting the child or young person is moving to' (SEND Code of Practice 6.57)

Planning

A transition plan should be developed.

You, your child and any other relevant professionals should be involved in the planning process and this should be done in a suitable time frame.

The child / young person's SEN support should be reviewed.

The current setting should share information with the setting the child / young person is moving to using the agreed South Tyneside format.

For children / young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), there are timescales that must be followed at certain stages. See annual reviews.

What might be available

Transition planning should be based on the child and their needs, and what the school / setting is able to provide.

You should discuss what support can be given to your child with the current / new setting.

Some examples of what might be offered as part of a transition include:

• Regular visits to their new school or college
• The opportunity to meet key staff
• Visits to their current school or college from staff that will be working with them in the future
• Their new timetable so they can talk about any concerns before they start
• A visual timetable if necessary
• A map of the school / college to help them plan routes between classes

Your child's school / setting is responsible for assessing which SEND range your child's needs fall into, and what support should be put in place.

This should be done in partnership with you and your child / young person. 

We recommend that you reflect on the progress your child is making, and any adjustments to their plan of support.

We understand that you may disagree with the plan.

In the first instance, we recommend that you discuss this with your child's teacher or SENCO.  

If you are unhappy about the support your child is getting, and this has not been resolved through informal channels, you may wish to progress this further.

Check the school / setting's website for their escalation policy.

If you need further information and advice, you can contact SENDIASS.

For SEND support plans, see SEN support plans: Resolving disputes.

For Educations Care and Health Plans, see EHCP mediation and appeals.