Writing in the Guardian, Amy Cook, a senior researcher specialising in SEN, says the new approach to special educational needs provision will place pupils at the centre of planning and make teachers more accountable for their progress…
Pupils and families to have more of a say
…You should ask parents to share their knowledge about how their child is developing, and involve them when writing school policies. It’s up to you to consult them so you can work out what is best for each pupil. Young people will also have new rights. When they reach 16, you should normally consult them directly – their views will take precedence over their parents’ views.
Education, health and care plans to replace statements
Under the new rules, SEN statements and learning difficulty assessments (LDAs) will be replaced with education, health and care (EHC) plans taking children and young people up to the age of 25. From September, new assessments of SEN will follow the new rules, and support will be provided through an EHC plan…
School Action and School Action Plus to end
School Action and School Action Plus – intervention schemes that tracked progress – have been removed in the draft code. Instead, there’ll be a single school-based category for children who need extra specialist support. You should set out interventions and expected outcomes for these pupils, and review progress each term. You must also inform parents when pupils without an EHC plan receive special support.
Optional personal budgets for young people
Under the new system, young people and parents of pupils with an EHC plan can choose to hold a personal budget to buy in the support identified. The money will come from the high-needs funding block and will not normally affect the school’s notional SEN budget…
Teachers must make sure every pupil makes progress
The draft code makes teachers more accountable for the progress of all pupils, even those supported by specialist staff. As part of performance management, teachers should expect to be judged on how well they teach pupils with SEN. So you should check your teachers know how to identify SEN and support pupils with different needs, particularly those needs they see more frequently. Ideally, you’d also offer training to help with this.
Amy Cook is a senior researcher specialising in SEN at The Key, a support service for school leaders.
More at: Five things schools need to know about the SEN reforms
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