If you feel that your child has Special Educational Needs and require additional support, the first step is usually to speak to your GP, health visitor, teacher or Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO/SENDCO) at school.
It can also be helpful to increase your own understanding by researching books on SEND, looking at information available online (but make sure that it is a trustworthy site as there is lots of false information online), or talking to other parents in a similar situation. If you don’t know anyone, there are many support groups right across the London Borough of Hounslow as well as regionally and nationally.
Every education setting (nurseries, schools, colleges etc.) should have a clear approach to identifying and responding to additional needs. Identifying the pupils needs at the earliest point and then making effective provision improves long-term outcomes for your child.
Education settings should:
- Make sure that the identification of difficulties (which may lead to a Special Educational Need) is part of their overall approach to monitoring the progress and development of all pupils (including those with behaviour difficulties).
- Assess each pupil’s current skills and attainment on entry.
- Make regular assessments of progress for all pupils. Where a pupil is falling behind or making inadequate progress given their age and starting point they should be given extra support.
Education settings should ensure that information gathering includes an early discussion with you and your child. These discussions should be structured in such a way that they develop a good understanding of your child’s areas of strength and difficulty, your concerns, the agreed outcomes sought for your child and be monitored on a regular basis in partnership with yourself (and the pupil where possible).
The education setting should make a record of all discussions kept on record and progress should be monitored by the school and you. If after robust monitoring and further assessment, your child is still not making the expected progress across any of the areas of need.
The four special educational needs headline areas are:
- Cognition & learning
- Communication & interaction
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Physical and/or sensory (hearing and/or visual impairment) there may be evidence to suggest that they have a Special Educational Need (and/or a Disability).