School SEN Support

A person is considered to have SEND if they have an intellectual disability (also known as a learning disability) or a condition that makes it harder for them to learn, and they need more support than other pupils who are the same age.

All mainstream schools must provide support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Schools should take a 'graduated approach' to provide extra support using the following four-step process:

• Assess – teaching staff assess your child’s needs.
• Plan – school agrees the support that will be provided, how often and who will be responsible for it. A date should be set for progress to be reviewed.
• Do – the support is put in place and regularly monitored.
• Review – school reviews the support plan and your child's progress at least three times per year.

The SEND Code of Practice says that parents and carers must be formally notified where it has been decided that a pupil is to be provided with SEN support. It also says that they should be involved in any discussions and planning about what support their child is receiving.

If you have concerns regarding your child’s needs, you should discuss this with the class teacher and/or SENDCo. You can ask for a meeting to discuss your concerns and go over the support that is in place or what could be provided.

Contact have a useful factsheet, Extra support in mainstream school, that explains the kinds of support schools may be able to offer.

It is also useful to look at your schools SEND/Inclusion policy found on their website.

Find out more about school SEND support in Greenwich on the Local Offer Education & School page.