In a mainstream school a child with Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND) would be supported in following the National Curriculum alongside peers without SEND. All state maintained educational settings including nurseries, schools and colleges have a legal obligation to support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND) and are given funding for this purpose.
Each school is also required to produce an SEN Information Report which should explain how they can support pupils with a variety of needs. They must also have a policy which details how they support children with SEND to be included in school activities.
What Support Will My Child Receive in Mainstream Education?
The majority of children and young people with SEND will attend a mainstream school and will be provided with the extra support they need, through SEN support.
SEN Support is based on a 4-part cycle and must involve both you as the parent and your child/young person at all stages.
ASSESS – The school or college will assess the needs of a child or young person
PLAN – The School or college will then write a plan (taking into account the views of the children and young people)
DO – The plan is put into place
REVIEW – The plan is reviewed termly and should be amended or ceased when needed.
If your child is receiving school-based SEN Support the school should discuss this with you. They should also provide you with the outcomes they are seeking for your child and keep you updated on their progress towards these outcomes. They should also be able to explain to you what interventions and support they are providing in order to help your child or young person achieve these outcomes.
All mainstream schools have a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) who is responsible for:
- Helping to identify children and young people with special educational needs.
- Co-ordinating and organising support for children and young people with SEN.
- Liaising with parents of children and young people with SEN.
- Working with other providers, outside agencies, educational psychologists and making referrals to external agencies (such as speech and language or occupational therapy) in the support of young people with SEN.
- Ensuring that the school keeps the records of all pupils with SEN up to date.
- Ensuring the implementation of the SEN policy
If a school feels your child requires more support than they are able to provide from their resources and allocated funding they may request an Educational Health and Care (EHC) Plan assessment. The SEN support plan can be used to highlight the need for an EHC assessment.
For more detailed information on what local schools are expected to provide, see the RBKC Mainstream School Local Offer at:
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