Information of the schools graduated approach - assess, plan, do, review
How will you find out more about what my child needs?
We work with you, your child and their previous teacher and assessment results to find out what they already know, how they learn best and what is next in learning. We then use a variety of engaging and interesting teaching approaches to stimulate your child’s participation and engagement. Through observing their responses to teaching – both what is taught and how it is taught – we find out more and more about what they need and how best to provide it.
What will you do once you know what my child finds difficult?
Once we have assessed what it is they are finding difficult and why, we plan together a range of strategies and approaches to address any gaps. We then implement the plan and monitor it, reviewing at the end whether it is has made a difference. Usually, this approach is enough to support most children in making adequate progress; it is only when we are not making the difference we would expect that we may ask you for permission to bring in another expert to work with us in meeting your child’s needs.
What extra support can be brought in to help the school meet the needs of my child?
There are a range of services that we draw upon – Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Paediatrics, school nursing, Educational Psychology, specialist teachers in literacy and numeracy, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), audiology and so on.
Who makes sure everything is happening?
You and the class teacher working together are critical to ensuring everything is happening. Every class teacher teaches all of the children in their class, including the children with SEND and they are responsible for your child’s progress. If we need to involve external professionals, we may need you to take your child to appointments, share information with the practitioners concerned and let us know what they have told you. We also need you to keep your child motivated and engaged in their learning!
If your child requires specialist assessment and intervention, this is discussed at termly progress meetings with the SENDCo. The SENDCo checks to make sure external agencies are working together as they should be and makes requests for additional resources if they are needed.
How will I know if the provision is making a difference for my child?
You will notice positive changes in whatever areas of need had been identified; that is why our initial identification and assessment is so important. It may be improvements in their reading, spelling and writing; or it could be that they tell us that they have less fights at play-time or that they are happier in school. Listening to what your child has to say, as well as what you notice in their behaviour at home, is important in knowing whether the provision we’re making is working.
What if it isn’t working as much as I’d hoped?
It can be difficult, especially at the beginning of working together, to know exactly how much progress a child is going to make with extra support. It is important to have high expectations for them, and also to be reasonable and realistic in what we all think can be achieved each term or year.
What we do if an intervention isn’t working as we might have hoped depends on the reason for lack of expected progress. If the extra support isn’t working, it may be that we haven’t given it enough time, or it wasn’t the right intervention for your child or that we uncover another barrier to learning while were providing the support.
The most important thing if you are worried is communication – talk to your child’s teacher or the SENCO. We have to ensure that everyone has a shared understanding of what’s happening – do we all have the common goals and timeframes? Have we shared these with each other? Do we share high and realistic expectations for your child? Working together we will come up with a plan for what to do next, and hopefully that revised plan will lead to success for your child!
What happens if I am still worried or disagree?
Again, it depends on what you are worried about – do you feel your child needs further assessment? Do you feel a different sort of specialist advice needs to be provided? Does your child need more time in a different intervention? Talking through your concerns with the SENCO will help you identify what’s worrying you and what we can do about it. Remember that the option of requesting an assessment for an Education, Health and Care Plan is always open to you, there is more information about this here.