Gainsborough Primary School

SEND provision for Children and Young People at Gainsborough Primary school

As part of the Children and Families Act 2013, Local Authorities are required to publish a ‘Local Offer’ which sets out support that is available for children and young people with SEND in the local area. 

Newham’s Local Offer is available on the Newham Website (https://families.newham.gov.uk/kb5/newham/directory/localoffer.page?localofferchannel=0) and tells parents/carers how to access services in their area and what to expect from these services. 

Alongside this, schools are required to publish information about their arrangements for identifying, assessing and making provision for pupils with SEND.

This is the Local offer for Gainsborough school. It describes the arrangements we make that are ‘additional to or different from’ for pupils with SEND. This information has been produced together with parents/carers, carers and our children and young people and will be reviewed annually. 

The following information outlines the support and provision pupils with SEND can expect at Gainsborough school.

The diagram below illustrates the schools graduated response to children’s needs. It shows the standard offer of teaching, learning and care for ALL pupils, the additional provision which may be needed by some pupils, the specialist provision available to the few children with significant or complex needs and those children within the Resource Provision for autism. 

Date of Review: September  2026

 

 

Information about Gainsborough School’s Offer of SEND provision:

1. What kinds of special educational needs does Gainsborough make provision for? 

As an inclusive mainstream school, we make provision for all children with SEND. If the level of need is such that it conflicts with a placement at our school then we involve the Local Authority to look at alternatives; this would be done in consultation with the parents/carers. 

At Gainsborough, we welcome and include children with all Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, covering the four broad areas of need, as outlined in the Code of Practice 2014.

Communication and Interaction

• Speech and Language needs and disorders

• Autism Spectrum Condition

Cognition and Learning

• Moderate Learning Difficulties

• Severe Learning Difficulties

• Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

• Specific Literacy Difficulties

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties

• Challenging Behaviour

• Attention Deficit Disorder

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• Attachment Disorders

• Anxiety or depression

Sensory and/or Physical Needs

• Hearing Impairment

• Visual impairment

• Multi-sensory impairment

We also have a 14 place resource provision for children with ASC, where pupil places are determined by the Local Authority (Newham). 
 

What expertise and training do staff receive to support children and young people with SEND?

The leadership team are experienced in working with children with SEND.

All class teachers and teaching assistants receive regular training updates on SEND. If a child has a specific need then additional support,  training or referrals to outside agencies may be arranged by the SENCo. 

The school runs specific intervention programs where we have particular support staff trained to deliver them to individuals. 

The school is partnered with a qualified counsellor at CAMHS, to provide support and advice for parents.

We have 2 specialist teachers for autism who work with our autistic children within the Resource Provision. They have received training around specific approaches to support autistic learners, and in turn train support staff and teachers in these approaches.

The Local Authority have commissioned a speech and language therapist to work with children in the Resource Provision.

All teaching assistants have additional training on autism specific interventions such as  SCERTS, colourful semantics, intensive interaction and attention autism, in addition to wider training in other areas, for example first aid.

The school regularly accesses support from the following services:

• Speech and language therapy

• Occupational therapy

• Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)

• Child Development Services (CDS)

• Language, communication and interaction services (LCIS)

• Complex needs and dyslexia services

There are other services available to our school and you can find a full list here: http://senddirectory.newham.gov.uk/Service.aspx 

3. What should I do if I think my child has SEN?

 

1. Tell us about your concerns.

- If you think your child might have SEN, the first person you should tell is your child's teacher.

- They will discuss your concerns and what can be put in place to support your child.

- They may suggest referring your concerns to the SENCo

- You can also contact the SENCo directly. gainsboroughinclusion@ekotrust.org.uk

2. We will invite you to a meeting to discuss your concerns.

- We will meet with you to discuss your concerns and try to get to a better understanding of what your child's strengths and difficulties are.

- Together we will decide what outcomes to seek for your child and agree on next steps.

- We will make a note of what's been discussed and add this to your child's record. You will also be given a copy of this. 

3. We will decide whether your child needs SEN support.

- If we decide that your child needs SEN support, we will formally notify you in writing and your child will be added to the school's SEND register.

4. How do we identify children with SEND in school?

Special Educational Needs is identified using information from a range of sources. We ask about parental concerns about learning during admission interviews, where parents/carers are given the chance to tell us about any concerns they have regarding their child. If a child is transferring from another school/setting then we would contact the previous school to ensure all records are passed on. 

At Gainsborough we have an open door policy where we encourage parents/carers to talk to class teacher and/or SENCo/Inclusion Manager about any concerns they have in regard to their child’s development or learning.

Class teachers and support staff monitor and assess all children closely. If they have a concern about any areas then this will be discussed with the parents/carers and SENCo. At this point it is likely that the SENCo would agree to some follow up actions from the meeting, often observing the child or carrying out some more detailed assessments. 

Parents/carers would be invited into school to talk about the outcome and it would be explained to parents the next stages that we will take as a school, which could be interventions run by trained staff or referral to an appropriate agency that would be able to carry out further assessments possibly leading to a diagnosis of a specific difficulty. Parents/carers will be kept up-to-date about the progress their child is making. 

If you would like to speak to someone at the school regarding SEND then you can contact Sara Amin (Inclusion Lead and SENCo) by email: gainsboroughinclusion@ekotrust.org.uk or by phone: 02074763533

Further information can be found on the Schools SEND Policy

https://gainsborough.ekotrust.org.uk/newham/primary/gainsborough/arenas/websitecontent/web/ekosendpolicy2021_22.pdf?modified=1645710325708

5. How will I know if the additional support is having an impact?

At Gainsborough we use Individual Learning Plans where pupils, parents and teachers meet and discuss progress, participation and learning challenges. Together we agree on the next steps to support learning. Class Teachers are responsible for ensuring progress towards these targets is made and evidence will be collected to support these judgements. Learning plan reviews are held every term and the SENCo monitors and oversees this process.

We will follow the ‘graduated approach’ to meeting your child’s SEN needs.

The graduated approach is a 4-part cycle of assess, plan, do, review. 

Assess

If your child is not making the expected level of progress, we will make an assessment to find out what strengths and difficulties your child has. We will ask for you and your child’s input, as well as getting help from external professionals where necessary. 

Plan

In discussion with you and your child, we will decide what outcomes we are hoping to achieve. We will make a plan of the support we will offer your child to help them meet those outcomes. We will make a record of this and share with you and all relevant school staff.

We will put our plan into practice. The class teacher, with the support of the SENCo, will be responsible for working with your child on a daily basis, and making sure the support we put in place is having the impact we intended. 

Review

We will assess how well the support we put in place helped the pupil to meet the outcomes we set. We will use our improved understanding of your child’s needs to improve the support we offer. 

As a part of the planning stage of the graduated approach, we will set outcomes that we want to see your child achieve.

Whenever we run an intervention with your child, we will assess them before the intervention begins. This is known as a ‘baseline assessment’. We do this so we can see how much impact the intervention has on your child’s progress.

We will track your child’s progress towards the outcomes we set over time and improve our offer as we learn what your child responds to best.

This process will be continual. If the review shows a pupil has made progress, they may no longer need the additional provision made through SEN support. For others, the cycle will continue and the school's targets, strategies and provisions will be revisited and refined.

Other measures

Informally the class teacher and a supporting adult evaluate children’s progress at the end of every lesson.  The children’s learning outcomes reflect in the planning for the following lesson.

More formally at the end of every learning cycle, class teachers undertake assessments.  Teachers analyse and discuss with their link senior leader the child’s progress, plan next steps and set targets for children to achieve.

You have  the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress at parent evenings and during review meetings

6. How will I be involved in decisions made about my child’s education?

We have 3 parent evenings per year for all parents/carers and all children receive an annual school report. The school has an open door policy; parents/carers should first contact their child’s teacher if they are concerned regarding the child’s progress or SEND in school. 

Your child's teacher will meet with you 3 times per year to:

- Set clear outcomes for your child's progress

- Review progress toward those outcomes

- Discuss the support we will put in place to help your child make that progress

- Identify what we will do, what we will ask you to do, and what we will ask your child to do

Parents/carers should always contact the class teacher if they have any concerns regarding their child, the class teacher may then arrange a meeting with the SENCo/Inclusion Manager and/or other agencies working with the child. 

We know that you’re the expert when it comes to your child’s needs and aspirations. So we want to make sure you have a full understanding of how we’re trying to meet your child’s needs, so that you can provide insight into what you think would work best for your child.

We also want to hear from you as much as possible so that we can build a better picture of how the SEN support we are providing is impacting your child outside of school. 

If your child’s needs or aspirations change at any time, please let us know right away so we can keep our provision as relevant as possible.

If a parent/carer is concerned about something that has happened in school then they can contact the class teacher and/or SENCo/Inclusion Lead to arrange a meeting to discuss the issue and a way forward. It is always our intention to work closely with parents/carers in the best interest of the child. If the situation has not been resolved then the parents/carers can contact Barb Sims, the headteacher, who will respond accordingly.

Outside agencies typically write reports and send these to the child’s home address; parents/carers are invited in for meetings to feed back any findings from the reports. We then discuss with the parents/carers and other professionals the next steps for the child. 

For our children in the Resource Provision parents/carers can either contact school directly to speak with the resource provision teacher or they can use the child’s home school communication book if they have any queries. On a termly basis parents/carers are invited to review progress and set new targets for the following term.  
 

7. How will my child be involved in decisions made about their education?

The level of involvement will depend on your child’s age, and level of competence. We recognise that no two children are the same, so we will decide on a case-by-case basis, with your input.

• We may seek your child’s views by asking them to:

• Attend meetings to discuss their progress and outcomes

• Prepare a presentation, written statement, video, drawing, etc.

• Discuss their views with a member of staff who can act as a representative during the meeting

•   Complete a survey

• For some pupils we may prepare a presentation of photographs of them accessing learning

8. How will the school support my child?

Class Teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching

Providing Quality First teaching through differentiation to meet the individual needs of your child by building on what your child already knows, can do and understand.

Making sure specific strategies suggested by other members of staff are in place to support your child to learn

Specific Group Work

Specific group work includes interventions which may take place in or out of the classroom and may consist of small group work or individual intervention. The interventions may be led by the classroom teacher or other member of staff.

Specialist Interventions recommended by outside agencies

When your child has been identified by the SENCo or class teacher as needing some specialist outside advice in order to support them successfully, the school will refer your child for assessment from a local authority or central service. The school will not be able to access outside agencies without your permission.  Once referred, a specialist will assess your child and make recommendations for support.

The Class Teacher

Responsible for:

• Ensuring that your child receives qualify first teaching in the form of planning, delivering and supporting all learning styles, interests and abilities

• Monitoring your child’s progress

• Recognizing when your child might need additional or different support in order to make progress and informing the Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCo)

• Writing pupil support plans for children and sharing and reviewing these with parents at least once a term.

• Setting targets on support plans and discussing these with parents and pupils in a timely manner

• Ensuring that the school’s Special Education Needs policy is followed in their classroom for all pupils they teach with SEN.

There will also be specific resources and strategies that will also be used to support children. Some examples of these are:

- Visual timetables

- Social stories

- Referrals to speech and language therapy for assessment and advice

- Writing Slopes and pen grips

- Quiet workstation

- Nurture groups

9. How will the school evaluate whether the support in place is helping my child?

We will evaluate the effectiveness of provision for your child by:

•  Reviewing their progress towards their goals each term

• Reviewing the impact of interventions after 6 - 12 weeks depending on the intervention

• Using pupil questionnaires

•  Monitoring by SENCo and senior leaders (learning walks, observations, learning outcomes, etc)

•   Using provision maps to measure progress

•   Holding an annual review (if they have an education, health and care (EHC) plan)

10. How is the decision made about the type of provision my child will receive?

The school budget, received from Newham Local Authority, includes money for supporting children with special education needs (SEN).  The Head Teacher decides on the deployment of resources for Special Education Needs and Disabilities in consultation with the school governors on the basis of needs in the school.         

The Head Teacher and the SENCo discuss all the information they have about Special Education Needs in the school including:

• The children getting support already

• The children needing extra support

• The children who have been identified as not making as much progress as would be expected

From this information they decide what resources, training and support is needed.

11. How will the school make sure my child is included in activities alongside pupils who don’t have SEND?

We are a fully inclusive school where we believe that all children have the right to a good quality education no matter what their needs are. When children start at Gainsborough we ensure that any children with medical needs are properly assessed on entry, with risk assessments, management plans or care plans written before the children start in consultation with parents and (where appropriate) outside agencies.

We work with outside agencies and services that are already involved with the children to ensure their wider needs are met. We also identify the family’s wider needs, where appropriate, and signpost the family to relevant agencies and services, if help is requested. During admission interviews, if the family shares information regarding the child's SEND, then liaison with the Inclusion Lead is arranged to provide additional information. This may be during the interview or a phone call later in the day.

At Gainsborough we believe that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom.  As part of organising an educational visit or residential stay for their class, teachers have to take into account the needs of all children, including how they can physically travel to a destination.  After consulting with parents we will arrange the necessary adaptations to ensure a visit is successful. 

A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure that nobody’s health and safety is compromised. In the unlikely event that it is considered unsafe for a child to take part in an activity, then alternative activities, which will cover the same curriculum areas, will be provided.

12. How does the school make sure the admissions process is fair for pupils with SEN or a disability?

As a school, our Admissions Policy sits in line with the Local Authority to avoid any discrimination against a pupil with SEND.

We regularly responded to EHCP consultations meeting deadlines to enable pupils to be admitted. Pupils are unable to take a vacant place during this consultation phase. 

Places for the schools Specialist Resource Provision need to go through the Local Authority SEN Panel.

13. How does the school support pupils with disabilities?

We promote and celebrate the individual characteristics that make all of our children special. This includes information days, ensuring children with disabilities access trips and school-based activities alongside their peers, and that reasonable adjustments are made.

The school has the following in place to support access into and out of the building:

• Ramp access

• Lift access

• Hoists 

• Evac chairs

• Taxi services for children with mobility issues 

• Power assisted doors 

To support access for learning we have the following:

• Height adjustable medical bed

• 3 Large disabled toilets one with hoist and shower

• Height adjustable desks

• Interactive white boards

• A sensory room 

• A soft play

• Exam arrangements for KS1 and 2 SATs

For our children in the Resource Provision the following is available, subject to the local authority application process, which is not under school control

• SEN transport, usually in the form of a access to a school bus

See the school’s Accessibility Plan for more information: https://gainsborough.ekotrust.org.uk/newham/primary/gainsborough/arenas/websitecontent/web/gainsboroughaccessibilityplanfeb2022.doc_20221113222325290.pdf

14. How will the school support my child's mental health and emotional and social development?

All children in the school follow a curriculum which includes PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education), emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development, as a whole-school approach. Classes also have frequent circle times. 

Some children need additional physical breaks throughout the day, support staff are trained to facilitate children asking for this.

In addition, we work with a CAMHS counsellor who supports parents and offers advice. 

We also have a number of staff who are mental health first aiders. 

15. How does the school support children during the next stage of their education?

Transition to a new school

The majority of our children leave us in year six and join one of the Newham secondary schools. Our SENCo attends a transition meeting with the child's new school. Here they pass on copies of all the key information about the child e.g. copies of their most recent SEND Support Plan and any other reports. We make recommendations to the school about what provision the child needs and a copy of the meeting notes are passed to the parent of the child. We also organise extra transition visits where a member of Gainsborough staff attends the school with the pupil on a weekly basis for at least 3 weeks. This might include becoming more familiar with the school building and learning about the timetable.

When our pupils are preparing to join a new school we make contact with their new school and invite them to our school to meet with our staff and the family. This is an opportunity for the new school to find out as much information as possible about the child. If possible, staff from the new school might attend the annual review that year so actions for the following year can be agreed. We invite staff from the new school to spend time with the pupil at our school and our staff accompany the child to visit the new school, supporting the new school staff to begin to understand the child's needs. We take pictures of the new school and talk to the child about it frequently; parents/carers are also given a copy if this. We ask the new school to lend the child a school jumper or t-shirt that they wear when they attend the new school. All school records are passed to the new school.

Transition to our school

When any child joins our school we are required to complete an admission interview. In addition to this, for pupils with a high level of need or part of the resource provision, two members of staff will visit the family at home to meet the child where they feel most comfortable. We also talk with the child and family about their likes, dislikes, how the child learns best and what they do when the child is happy or sad. We try to find out as much as we can to help us plan their transition. Members of staff will also visit the child in their current nursery or school. Again, this allows staff to find out as much as we can about the child, including the strategies that work and the ones that do not. The length and the nature of transition to our school is planned around the needs of the child. The current setting, other agency staff and the family will plan together when the child will visit the school and how long each visit will last and will agree the review points before the child start to attend full time with us. 

Our priority is that the child has a positive experience of visiting our school from the outset. Parents/carers often attend one or two of the transition visits with the child. We also ask that a member of staff from the current setting accompany the child so that they have a familiar adult with them. The transition process is reviewed daily with the family, and adjusted as necessary.

16. What support is in place for looked-after and previously looked-after children with SEN?

Barb Sims is the designated staff member who oversees looked-after and previously looked-after children. She will work with the SENCo, to make sure that all teachers understand how looked-after or previously looked-after children’s circumstances and their SEN might interact, and what the implications are for teaching and learning.

Children who are looked-after or previously looked-after will be supported much in the same way as any other child who has SEND. However, looked-after pupils will also have a personal education plan (PEP). We will make sure that the PEP and any SEN support plans or EHC plans are consistent and complement one another.  

17. What should I do if I have a complaint about the provision for my child with special educational needs?

If you have any issue regarding your child’s education, we highly recommend coming in and talking to the appropriate person first. This might be the SENCo. If this does not resolve your issue, then the school has a comprehensive complaints procedure which is available in the school office and on the school website. 

18. What support is available to me and my family?

We are able to signpost parents/carers to different services, support groups and we introduce parents to others with children who have SEND. We work closely with other professional services and make referrals when needed.

Contact details of support services for the parents/carers of pupils with special educational needs

If you would like to speak to someone at the school regarding SEND then you can contact Sara Amin  (Inclusion Lead) by email: inclusion@gainsborough.newham.sch.uk or by phone: 02074763533

There are many other services that you could contact for further information regarding your child's SEND, these services are not linked to the school, however they might be able to offer advice and support to you. 

Afasic – Unlocking Speech and Language

Afasic is the UK charity representing children and young people with speech, language and communication difficulties, working for their inclusion in society and supporting their parents and carers. 

Tel: Helpline 0300 666 9410 / Office 020 7490 9410

Behaviour Support Services

A team of teachers and a nursery Early Years Practitioner experienced in working with children exhibiting social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

Tel: 02033736851

Child and Family Consultation Service (CFCS), Newham

CFCS is the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS),  part of the NHS. There are a variety of clinicians who work at CFCS  including child and adolescent psychiatrists, clinical  psychologists, child and adolescent psychotherapists,  family therapists and nurses.

Tel: 020 7055 8400 / 020 7055 8401

Community Children’s Nursing Team (CCNT)

The CCNT is a team of specialist children's nurses with the knowledge, skills and expertise to offer families the choice of safely caring for their sick child within their own home, school or nursery.

Tel: 020 7059 6517

Community Paediatricians

We are doctors with expertise in child development, neurodisability, safeguarding and immunisation.

Tel: 020 8350 7356

Complex Learning Needs and Dyslexia

We are a team of specialist teachers and early years practitioners with substantial experience and qualifications in the field of learning difficulties and dyslexia e.g advanced diplomas, masters degrees, AMBDA approved qualifications, assessment practising certificates.

Tel: 020 8475 2311 / 020 8475 2301

Disabled Children and Young People’s Service

The primary role of DCYPS is to complete Child In Need assessments and care plans, provide support and advice to children, young people and families where child’s disability is the overriding issue. The team also carry out safeguarding investigations for children at risk of significant harm, and work with Looked After Children.

Tel: 020 3373 6643

Language, Communication and Interaction Service

A team of special educational needs practitioners, teachers and speech and language therapists with knowledge and expertise in working with children and young people with social communication difficulties, autism spectrum disorders and specific language difficulties.

Tel: 0208 325 4527

Physiotherapy

A team of specialists for babies and children whose development of movement is being impaired by a wide range of conditions.

Tel: 020 8250 7365

Resources for Autism

We provide autism specific play, youth and adult services. This includes a Newham based specialist Saturday play service  and one to one paid support at home and in the community.

Newham residents can access out of borough holiday schemes for 8 – 19 year olds, adult social and skills based groups, art and music therapy

Tel: 02084583259

School Nursing Service

School nurses are qualified nurses with additional training, which specifically relates to the health of school age children. The service is divided into four locally based teams across the borough.
The School Nursing Service is committed to promoting the health and welfare of school age children to enable each child to reach his / her full developmental and educational potential.

Tel: 020 7059 6933

Sensory Service

We are educational and allied health professionals, all with additional qualifications related to hearing impairment, visual impairment or multisensory impairments.
Some of our staff are based in schools, whilst others work throughout Newham, both in homes and nursery settings.

Tel: 020 3373 2105

Sickle Call and Thalassaemia Services

The Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia centre is a team of experienced specialist nurses and nurse counsellors who are dedicated to meeting the needs of individuals affected with sickle cell anaemia or thalassaemia major and any other unusual haemoglobin.
The team includes a social worker and psychologist who are based in the centre, a haematologist and a paediatrician based at the hospital

Tel: 020 8821 0800

Special Educational Needs (SEN) Section

The service is made up of officers with specialist knowledge in special educational needs, and administrative officers who arrange and review educational support to children and young people aged under 16 with severe and complex special educational needs (SEN).

Tel: 020 8430 2000

Speech and Language Therapy

We offer assessment, diagnosis, therapy, advice and information to people of all ages who have communication or eating and drinking difficulties.

We carry out assessments with people to see if there are difficulties in:

• attention and listening skills

• interacting with others

• understanding spoken language

• using spoken language appropriately for their age

• speaking fluently (stammering)

• pronouncing words

• use of voice

• eating and swallowing safely.

We then provide individual or group therapy as needed. We provide advice, programmes and activities to parents/carers, school staff and other professionals.

We work with and share what we are doing with other people who know the individual, parents/ carers and families, education support teams, teaching staff and other professionals.

We work in:

• the Child Development Centre for pre-school children aged 1-3 years

• local clinics and in children's centres for pre-school children aged 3-5 years

• schools for children aged 5-16 years

Tel: 020 8250 7340

Wheelchair and Special Seating Service, Newham

Newham Wheelchair and Specialist Seating Service provides manual and electric wheelchairs, buggies, pressure distributing cushions and associated special postural management equipment. Once equipment has been provided, the service continues to monitor and review clients' equipment needs.

Tel: 020 8496 9029

19. How do we make changes to the curriculum to ensure it is matched to the pupils' needs?

We follow a creative curriculum which builds on previous learning and children’s interest. Our focus is to teach children the skills that they need to be independent and creative problem solvers. Teachers differentiate work to meet the needs of all children, taking into account their starting point and prior learning. 

Children with identified SEND requiring extra support will be supported to access the learning in their classroom this might include adapted work, a visual schedule, physical breaks. 

We know that some children with significant needs are supported in a group or individually with a teaching assistant to access the curriculum at their level. If a child’s developmental level is such that it requires a sensory based curriculum this will be provided by a specialist teacher who breaks down the learning required within the national curriculum but takes into account their wider needs. 

Teachers assess children’s learning during each lesson and assess against age-related expectations termly. Each term a member of the senior leadership team meets with the teachers to talk about the progress the children are making. For children who have not made expected progress, or whose attainment is below expected, an action plan is created to support the children to make progress. This is then monitored for the next half term to ensure children are making progress. 

For children who are not accessing age-expected levels teachers assess the smaller steps that they take with their learning, we use a national target setting tool to ensure that our pupils with a high level of SEND make progress in line with other pupils with a similar difficulty. We also use other assessments in school to support teachers in planning for the children, these include the engagement model, pre-key stage standards and SCERTs assessments. Children not making expected progress will have a time-limited intervention that will be monitored at the start and end to ensure progress was made. If this is not the case then we would consider a referral to other agencies or a different type of intervention.

What is an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP)?

Where learning needs are severe, complex and lifelong and require a particularly high level of specialist individual or small group teaching, parents can request an EHCP. An EHCP is a Local Authority document which formally sets out a child’s specific areas of need and what provision they require. An EHCP replaces a Statement of Education and is suitable for children from Birth up to 25 years of age.  EHCP’s are written in consultation with parents, school and any other involved agencies, who all agree outcomes to be achieved over a given time frame.  This plan of support is available for children with significant lifelong barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.  If your child has an EHCP they may also need specialist support in school from other professionals, for example a speech therapist from the Local Authority. 

What an EHCP means for your child:  

The school (or you) requests that the Local Authority carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out what type of support your child needs, the amount of support that will be provided for your child and targets to achieve.  After the request has been made to a panel of professionals, they will decide whether they think your child’s needs seem complex enough for an assessment. If the answer is yes, they will ask you and all professionals involved with your child to write a report outlining your child’s needs. If the answer is no, they will ask the school to continue with the current support. 

After the reports have been sent in, the Panel of Professionals will decide if your child’s needs will have a lifelong effect. If this is the case, an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with the current level of support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to help your child make as much progress as possible.  If your child receives an EHCP, it may outline the number of hours of individual/small group support your child will receive from the Local Authority and how the support should be used.

21. Glossary

Access arrangements – special arrangements to allow pupils with SEND to access assessments or exams

Annual review – an annual meeting to review the provision in a pupil’s EHC plan

Area of need – the 4 areas of need describe different types of needs a pupil with SEND can have. The 4 areas are communication and interaction; cognition and learning; physical and/or sensory; and social, emotional and mental health needs.

CAMHS – child and adolescent mental health services

Differentiation – when teachers adapt how they teach in response to a pupil’s needs

EHC needs assessment – the needs assessment is the first step on the way to securing an EHC plan. The local authority will do an assessment to decide whether a child needs an EHC plan.

EHC plan – an education, health and care plan is a legally-binding document that sets out a child’s needs and the provision that will be put in place to meet their needs.

First-tier tribunal/SEND tribunal – a court where you can appeal against the local authority’s decisions about EHC needs assessments or plans and against discrimination by a school or local authority due to SEND

Graduated approach – an approach to providing SEN support in which the school provides support in successive cycles of assessing the pupil’s needs, planning the provision, implementing the plan, and reviewing the impact of the action on the pupil

Intervention – a short-term, targeted approach to teaching a pupil with a specific outcome in mind 

Local offer – information provided by the local authority which explains what services and support are on offer for pupils with SEN in the local area

Outcome – target for improvement for pupils with SEND. These targets don't necessarily have to be related to academic attainment 

Reasonable adjustments – changes that the school must make to remove or reduce any disadvantages caused by a child’s disability  

SENCo – the special educational needs co-ordinator

SEN – special educational needs

SEND – special educational needs and disabilities

SEND Code of Practice – the statutory guidance that schools must follow to support children with SEND

SEN information report – a report that schools must publish on their website, that explains how the school supports pupils with SEN

SEN support – special educational provision which meets the needs of pupils with SEN

Transition – when a pupil moves between years, phases, schools or institutions or life stages