Key factors which underpin SEND support

There are several key factors which underpin SEND support within education settings.

Key Factors Underpinning SEND Support in Education Settings

Culture, Leadership, and Management

• Strong Commitment to SEND: Schools and settings must prioritise SEND, ensuring the inclusion and support of all pupils.

• High Priority for SEND: Reflect this commitment in the inclusion of pupils and meeting their needs.

• Promote Positive Outcomes: Aim for positive outcomes for all pupils.

•  Valuing All Pupils: Ensure all children and young people are valued and positively reflected.

• Leadership by Example: Headteachers and senior leaders should lead by example.

• Commitment to Inclusion: The ethos, vision, and values of the education setting should demonstrate a commitment to inclusion.

• Robust Staffing and Resources: Ensure appropriate staffing structures, delivery models, and resource allocation, including time for planning, reviewing, and sharing ideas.

High-Quality Teaching

• Knowledgeable Staff: Staff should be well-informed about supporting individual needs and identifying barriers to learning.

• Adaptable Teaching: Adapt whole-class teaching to meet individual needs using the Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) and a graduated approach.

• Tailored SEND Support: Ensure pupils who need SEND support receive tailored interventions.

• Responsibility for Progress: Staff should take responsibility for the progress of all pupils, including those with SEND.

Use of Expertise

• Knowledgeable Staff: Ensure staff across teams are highly knowledgeable about SEND.

• Skilled Support and Training: Staff delivering support and training should be skilled and equipped for their roles.

• Continuous Professional Development: Implement ongoing professional development to enhance staff practice.

• Access to Expertise: Ensure expertise is accessible to all staff and responsive to the setting's needs.

• Collaboration with Specialists: Staff should know how and when to work with specialists, both within and outside the setting.

• SENDCO and Support Teams: Ensure a SENCO and a SEND or Learning Support team are in place to provide support and advice.

Personalisation

• Individual Support: Provide high-quality support tailored to each young person's needs.

• Understanding Pupil Needs: Staff should deeply understand the needs of their students.

• High Expectations: Maintain high expectations for all pupils in all areas.

• Promote Independence: Support young people to become more independent, especially at key transition points.

• Celebrate Strengths: Focus on celebrating young people's strengths and successes.

• Involve Families: Involve young people and their families in the support process, valuing their input.

Strategies

• Graduated Approach: Ensure the graduated approach is in place.

• Purposeful Strategies: Choose strategies that align with the young person's needs and desired outcomes.

• Regular Review: Regularly review and adapt support to meet specific needs.

• Understanding and Monitoring: Staff should understand all strategies used and monitor their outcomes.

• Aim for Inclusion: Always aim for inclusion in mainstream settings and minimize disruption.

Progress Tracking

• Regular Data Collection: Collect data regularly to identify needs early.

• Comprehensive Assessments: Use a range of assessments to get a full picture of each young person’s needs.

• Monitor Progress: Monitor progress in various ways to inform daily decision-making.

• Accountability Systems: Ensure there is accountability for young people's progress.

• Class/Subject Teacher Responsibility: Class/subject teachers are responsible for the support and progress of pupils with SEND support, even if other adults are involved.

• Provision Mapping: Use systems like provision mapping to identify needs and review strategies.

Communication and Collaboration

• Collaborative Support: Ensure all those involved in supporting a young person work together, including teachers, external agencies, the young person, and their family.

• Shared Goals: Focus on shared goals and communicate effectively to achieve them.

• Supportive Relationships: Foster supportive relationships through collaboration.

Preparing for Adulthood

• Support for Adult Life: Provide support to prepare young people with SEND for adult life, focusing on employment, independent living, health, and community inclusion.

• Explicit Support for Teenagers: Ensure explicit support for teenagers, starting from Year 9 for those with an EHC Plan.

• Careers Guidance: All young people aged 13-25 in educational settings are entitled to careers guidance.

Assessment and Identification of Need

• Broad Areas of Need: The SEND Code of Practice (2015) identifies four broad areas of need and support:

  1. Communication and Interaction

  2. Cognition and Learning

  3. Social, Emotional, and Mental Difficulties

  4. Sensory and/or Physical Needs

• Holistic View: Avoid defining a young person by any single category of SEND, as needs often span multiple areas.

• Tailored Support: Use these categories to guide the support provided to individuals in their settings.