Special Education Needs (SEN) - Code of Practice

The code is intended to create a partnership between schools, LAs, Health Authorities and Social Services, working with pupils who have special education needs.

Class teachers identify a child’s special educational needs, and after consulting the school’s Senco (the teacher responsible for Special Educational Needs), take initial action to meet the child’s needs within normal classroom work, and to monitor and review the child’s progress. The Senco takes the lead responsibility for gathering information and for co-ordinating the child’s special educational provision, working with the class teacher and the parents. Sometimes Intervention programmes are put in place for groups of children to give them extra support. This is known as School Action. These are designed and monitored by Class Teachers and delivered by Teaching Assistants.

The SENCO and the teachers can seek support from specialists from outside school, for example; the Educational Psychologist or Learning Support Team. The child will then be identified as needing more support than the school can provide on its own. We call this School Action Plus.

If necessary the LEA will consider the need for a statutory assessment and, if appropriate, makes a multi-disciplinary assessment, makes a statement and arranges, monitors and reviews provision. Parents are consulted at every stage.

If a sensory difficulty is present then the teachers will take advice from the external agency involved, i.e. speech and language therapist, doctor or nurse, etc. and will then adapt the teaching to accommodate this advice.

Early identification of special needs in education is important so this school uses the Foundation Stage Profile assessment with all pupils as they join the reception classes.