SEND

Stratton School values the contribution that every child can make and is committed to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of their specific needs, make the best possible progress.

The school seeks to raise the achievement, remove barriers to learning and increase physical and curricular access to all.

All children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) are valued, respected and considered equal members of the school. As such, provision for pupils with SEND is a matter for the school as a whole.

All teachers are teachers of pupils with SEND. The Governing Body, Headteacher, SENDCO and all other members of staff are responsible for teaching children with SEND.

The Graduated Pathway

The Graduated Pathway is Gloucestershire’s response to ensuring Early Help is available to all children, young people and their families with additional needs, whether these are educational, social or emotional needs or a disability.

The Graduated Pathway is based on a simple Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle and has the following graduated responses which can be used in any order depending on what would best meet the needs of the child or young person:

My Profile – A My profile can be completed with any child even if there are no concerns about the child’s wellbeing or development. The My Profile helps a child or young person to share personal information which can help professionals working with them to understand what motivates them, their preferences, their goals and their self-image. It can also help professionals to understand what form of communication is most meaningful to the child or young person.

My Plan – A My Plan is used when it is clear what the presenting needs are and who or what can help. It is a holistic child or family centred plan and can be used as a single or multi-agency plan. The My Plan should draw together existing information to identify the current needs and set out the outcomes to be achieved. The My Plan allows professionals working with children and families to quickly and simply draw together an action plan to co-ordinate the appropriate help and support for the child and/or family at the earliest opportunity.

My Assessment and My Plan + - this should be considered where needs are unclear and the impact is unknown; where there is already a significant impact which is likely to escalate; and where it is unclear what or who may help. The My Assessment focusses on listening to the child/young person and their family in order to understand what is happening for them and what they need to help them make positive changes. My Assessment draws together information from a range of professionals into one document so that a detailed analysis can be made and an action plan can be developed. The ‘Analysis of Assessment’ form can be used to gather information from other Professionals in a timely manner.

The My Plan + is the Plan developed from the My Assessment. The ‘+’ indicates to other professionals that an assessment has been completed to ensure there is not duplication of work and that the family do not have to tell their story repeatedly. The My Assessment and My Plan + must be completed together with the family so that they can be empowered to make changes for themselves.

Radar Chart - The Radar Charts should be used in conjunction with the My Plan/My Assessment to help a family think about their current situation and identify the areas where they may need support. It can help a family to see what is going well and identify and prioritise areas of need. There are 2 separate Radar Charts: one for use with children/young people; and the other for parents/carers and professionals. The Radar Charts can be used to gather information to inform a My Plan or My Assessment and when gathering information at Review. It can be used to document distance travelled and can be accompanied by the Progress Charts to track the changes that have been made by the family over time. The Radar Charts should be used at every stage of the Graduated Pathway and during the Review process.

An Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) – an EHC Plan is a statutory plan that has replaced a Statement of SEN. An EHC Plan may be needed when a child or young person’s educational needs cannot be met within existing additional resource already delegated to the school. The Local Authority assesses this need based on the evidence provided. Evidence can be provided using the Graduated Pathway and principles of Assess, Plan, Do & Review. If you have completed a My Assessment for a whole family and an individual child requires an EHC Plan you do not need to complete a separate assessment as long as the My Assessment and My Plan + includes all the evidence required relating to the individual child’s education and learning.

Single Assessment – If a referral is made to Social Care, they may undertake an Assessment of Need to help them make a decision about what happens next. This looks at the developmental needs of a child/young person, the family’s strengths in managing the difficulties they may be experiencing, and any support they may already have in place.