Education, Health and Care Plans
Children and young people will progress at different rates and will learn in different ways. Teachers are expected to take this into account when planning their lessons to ensure each pupil in their class can learn. This is known as 'differentiation'.
Teachers carry out regular assessments to monitor the progress the individuals in their class have made. Within the assessments teachers should be identifying students who are making less than expected progress based on their age and circumstances.
Most children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities will have needs that can be met by effective use of the resources that are already available in their mainstream school or setting. The SEND Code of Practice calls this ‘ordinarily available’ provision.
In West Sussex the ‘Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice’ (OAIP) guide has been written to provide examples of how resources can be used to deliver effective strategies as part of good quality teaching and inclusive classroom practice. The video below contains some examples of support that could be used.
The graduated approach cycle should be followed if a child or young person is not making progress despite quality first teaching adjustments being made and they are likely to need support that is additional to and different from their peers on a regular basis. The ‘graduated approach’ cycle consists of 4 key stages, ‘assess, plan, do, review’ and is used to ensure appropriate, effective, support and strategies are in place that will enable the child or young person to move forward in their learning.
The OAIP and information on the graduated approach cycle can be found on the Tools for Schools website.
SEN Support
If a child or young person has been identified as needing additional support, planning an appropriate programme of short-term teaching will be used to identify the area of need. This is called SEN Support. After the support has been put in place, the student’s progress will be reviewed to see whether the additional support helped. If the additional support was helpful it may continue or stop if the child/young person has made the progress.
If the child or young person hasn't made progress then the school may call upon a range of specialist expertise. These services could include:
- Early Years training for settings The Early Years training guide provides an overview of the courses that we offered. The training courses include support and network meetings, statutory (including Child Protection), EYFS, playwork, management and leadership courses.
- Autism Social Communication The Autism and Social Communication Team provide specialist advice to promote the educational, social and emotional development of children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC)/Social Communication Difficulties (SCD). Through partnership with parents, professionals within the educational setting and others involved with the child’s development; we aim to maximise high quality local, inclusive educational opportunities for all children with ASD and SCD
- Learning and Behaviour The Learning and Behaviour Advisory team provide expertise in special and additional educational needs to children, families and schools in order to improve children's educational outcomes and emotional well-being.
- Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) supports children/young people in West Sussex with speech, language and communication difficulties (and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties). Chichester and Worthing Mid Sussex and Crawley
- Sensory Support TeamThe West Sussex Sensory Support Team works directly with children and their families, pre-schools and schools to support and promote the inclusion of children with sensory needs in a range of settings.
- The paediatric occupational therapy service aims to help children achieve or maintain their maximum level of independence and to develop practical life skills at home and school.
West Sussex schools and education settings have been working together to share and develop effective support and practices for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. A range of good practice reports have been produced to highlight examples of the work that is underway within local schools and the impact this is having on staff, children, young people and their families. Read reports on the Local Offer.
As a parent carer you may want to speak to another parent. The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum may be able to offer you information, support and training around your child's needs. They are an independent charity run mostly by parent volunteers; representing parent/carer views to various organisations and professional bodies to improve county/health/social care services for disabled children, young people and their families.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
If a child or young person has been receiving SEN support for a while and isn't making the progress, the educational setting, parent carer or young person if they are over 16 may consider requesting an assessment to see whether an Education, Health and Care Plan is needed.
Requesting an Education, Health and Care Plan
You can read guidance associated with consideration of the suitability of an education, health and care needs assessment (EHCNA) to help decide if an EHCNA is right for you. Parent/Carers and Young People can apply in two ways:
Settings can apply by emailing the required forms to the SEN Assessment Team – please visit Tool for Schools website to access these forms
If you would like any support in understanding the process then contact the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS) call 0330 222 8555. On their page you will find a range of helpful leaflets to also support you in understanding the process. Their leaflets have been translated into Bengali, French, Polish, Portuguese and Tamil.
Who do I contact if I have questions about an EHCP that has been written?
If there is anything that you are confused about or do not agree with, you can phone SENAT and speak to your Planning Coordinator. You can ask for a meeting to discuss your concerns if you think that would help.
The Law and Guidance
Please find links below to statutory and local strategy initiatives supporting the education of children and young people.
