What To Ask At School Before Your Kids Been Register

The Transport code of Practise (CoP) does not mention a SEN register.

It states that 'every school is required to identify and address the SEN of the pupils that they support' and record when they decide a kid has special educational needs in the school records. This is commonly known as the SEN annals.

Whatever we call the record, in that location are questions about how we place when children have Special Educational Needs. In that location'southward no single clear answer. This reflects that children exercise not necessarily fit easily into categories.

All the same, this leads to inconsistency betwixt schools and confusion for staff which is further exacerbated past differences in services available in different areas.

The CoP tells united states of america that 'a educatee has SEN where their learning difficulty or inability calls for special educational provision, namely provision different from or additional to that normally available to pupils of the same historic period.'

Notwithstanding, there are groups of pupils who require different or additional special education provision who do not necessarily have SEN. These may include educatee premium, children with English language as an additional linguistic communication, looked after and previously looked subsequently children, pupils open up to social intendance and students with disabilities and medical needs.

There may be children inside these groups who also take SEN, just to imply or assume that all educatee premium or EAL children have SEN is neither helpful nor appropriate.

Any child with an didactics, health and care plan is identified as having SEN and should be recorded as such on the school records. The question for most schools is almost the children at SEN Support (K Lawmaking) level and when they demand to be recorded as having SEN and included on the SEN register.

Care for children in mainstream schools

The CoP identifies iv areas of need: communication and interaction; cognition and learning; social, emotional and mental health; physical and sensory needs. If individual children require provision 'different from or additional to' that of their peers in any of these areas to access learning or appoint in school, they should exist identified with SEN.

Consequently, there will exist children identified with SEN who are achieving at age-related expectations as they demand additional or unlike support for reasons beyond cognition and learning. Children with SEMH or physical and sensory needs who are achieving academically still need to exist included on the SEN register.

There is a view that any child with a diagnosis should be on the SEN annals but this misses the point of 'different from or additional to'. Quality-starting time teaching (QFT) includes a loftier level of differentiation. The needs of many children with a diagnosis of ASD, dyslexia or ADHD can and should be met through QFT.

The definition of SEN should be needs-led and based on providing provision to meet children'south needs and if this tin exist done without additional SEN provision, there'southward no need for a child to be on the SEN register.

Equally, there volition be many children who will non have a diagnosis, simply crave back up and provision that is 'unlike from or additional to' the rest of their cohort. Often the provision of this back up can form a basis of a later on diagnosis.

Using interventions equally a grade instructor

At your school you might utilize the rule that any child receiving an intervention should exist included on the SEN annals. This needs to be looked at differently. An intervention may be office of the back up you provide to a child on the SEN register, just the fact they are receiving intervention support is non a reason to identify them on the annals.

It undermines the importance of differentiation as integral to outstanding education.

A significant number of interventions, such every bit wobble cushions, visual timetables and word banks, for case, can and should be part of QFT. Furthermore, there are many reasons for children to attend intervention groups, both long- and brusque-term, other than SEN.

Many pupils need brusk boosters to support their learning without having SEN. A child who is a 'daily reader', because there's no one at home able to hear them read, should not necessarily be on the SEN register, despite receiving a long-term daily one-to-one intervention.

Exterior agencies for SEN support

Another dominion of pollex used by some schools is that a child should be on the SEN annals if an outside agency is involved. This can lead to a catch-22 state of affairs. Often outside agencies will just go involved if the child is on the SEN register.

As, given the difficulties in many areas of accessing exterior agency back up, this tin can contribute to the postcode lottery for accessing SEN support. In areas where support is only provided for EHCP and statutory work, if outside agency involvement is the criteria for inclusion on the SEN register we deny support to children at SEN Back up level.

Moreover, outside agency involvement can be short-term for specific issues, such equally speech difficulties in Reception, for case, which are not impacting on the child's learning, progress or social interactions. In these cases information technology's questionable if the child needs inclusion on the SEN register.

Low attainment and individual circumstances

The CoP is articulate that 'slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean that a child has SEN'. So not achieving age-related expectations should not automatically lead to placement on the SEN register.

Nosotros need to consider the reasons for underachievement and respond to them, but SEN is only one possible reason. The supposition of SEN can exit children's true needs unmet. Equally, assumptions about children from detail backgrounds can get out children with their SEN needs unmet.

The issue of SEN identification is circuitous and needs to focus on an individual'southward needs, including their ability to engage in and access learning and the social and physical environments of schoolhouse. Nosotros need to focus on the child's need for provision 'different from or additional to' that provided to their peers.

This should guide their placement on the SEN annals.

Yet, more important than placing a kid on the SEN annals is the provision and support we provide to them. Beingness on the register does not make a difference; how nosotros respond to a child's needs through high quality provision and inclusive practise does.

Your SEN register should be dynamic and oftentimes reviewed, focusing on the needs of children with SEN at all levels.

Sara Alston is an independent consultant, trainer and practising SENCo. Her new book, co-authored with Daniel Sobel, is called The Inclusive Classroom: A New Approach to Differentiation (Bloomsbury). Follow her on Twitter at @seainclusion. Visit her website at seainclusion.co.u.k..