School Based Assessment

The emphasis to our commitment to supporting children with SEND is to provide a consistent approach to ensure that:

• High-quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may not have SEND.
• All school members are routinely providing support and guidance as set out in the SEND Code of Practice 2015.
• Pupils’ barriers to learning are identified early, quick and correct support or intervention is provided.
• CTs and Leadership monitor the impact and effectiveness of support and interventions through the graduated approach.
• Parents will know what support they can reasonably expect to be provided.
• Children and young people, their parents or carers, will be fully involved in decisions about their support and what they want to achieve.
• The support given should be in line with the pupil’s needs and not dependent on diagnosis.

What is Quality First Teaching and SEN Support?

QFT is….

Teachers are responsible and accountable for the progress and development of the pupils in their class including those receiving support from TAs or specialist staff.

High-quality teaching, differentiated for individuals, is the first step in responding to pupils who may/or may not have SEND.

Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good teaching.

Some pupils (LA) may be just behind ARE, but would be making some progress, These pupils should make ‘good’ progress with QFT and effective classroom practice and may need CT directed class-based intervention.

SEN Support is….

Where good quality first teaching is NOT meeting the pupils’ educational needs and the person requires additional or different support beyond classroom practice available to pupils of the same age.

We recognise the areas of need as defined in the Code of Practice:

Cognitive and Learning (C&L)

• Specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia (SpLD)
• Moderate learning difficulties (MLD)
• Severe learning difficulties

Communication and Interaction (C&I)

• Speech, Language and Communication Need (SLCN)
• Developmental language disorder (DLD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Reluctant speakers / selective mutism
• Stammer

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH)

• Social interactions
• Becoming withdrawn or isolated
• Anxiety/depression
• Displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour
• ADHD

Sensory and/or Physical

• Visual impairment (VI)
• Hearing impairment (HI)
• Physical disability (PD)
• Sensory processing difficulties
• Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD), (Dyspraxia)

To ensure that ALL children are given the opportunity to achieve their potential, we follow a graduated approach that carefully tracks the support given and allows for informed judgments and decisions to be made with the child’s best interests at the heart of the provision we provide.

Stage 1: Classed Based Support

Stage 2: Classed Based Support with SENco Advice (once all QFT strategies have been exhausted, Early Identification forms are completed and discussed at termly In School Reviews (held three times a year))

Stage 3: SEND Support

Stage 4: SEND Support with External Agency Input.

More details of this approach can be found below.