Education, Health and Care Plans
Teachers carry out regular assessments to monitor the progress the individuals in their class have made. Within the assessments teachers should be identifying students who are making less than expected progress based on their age and circumstances.
The 'Graduated Approach'
If a teacher suspects the child or young person has SEND, teachers should adopt a four part cycle known ad the 'Graduated Approach': assess, plan, do and review.
To encourage a consistent approach in West Sussex a document called the 'Graduated approach has been published for early year settings, schools and Post-16, browse on the Local Offer or Download the PDF. The document contains helpful information and strategies. Although the document is aimed at education settings, information/strategies/resources can be used by others working with families or parent carers.
SEN Support
If a child or young person has been identified as needing additional support, planning an appropriate programme of short-term teaching will be used to identify the area of need. This is called SEN Support. After the support has been put in place, the student’s progress will be reviewed to see whether the additional support helped. If the additional support was helpful it may continue or stop if the child/young person has made the progress.
If the child or young person hasn't made progress then the school may call upon a range of specialist expertise. These services could include:
| Early Years training for settings The Early Years training guide provides an overview of the courses that we offered. The training courses include support and network meetings, statutory (including Child Protection), EYFS, playwork, management and leadership courses. |
| Autism Social Communication The Autism and Social Communication Team provide specialist advice to promote the educational, social and emotional development of children and young people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC)/Social Communication Difficulties (SCD). Through partnership with parents, professionals within the educational setting and others involved with the child’s development; we aim to maximise high quality local, inclusive educational opportunities for all children with ASD and SCD |
| Learning and Behaviour The Learning and Behaviour Advisory team provide expertise in special and additional educational needs to children, families and schools in order to improve children's educational outcomes and emotional well-being. |
| Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) supports children/young people in West Sussex with speech, language and communication difficulties (and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties). Chichester and Worthing Mid Sussex and Crawley |
| Sensory Support TeamThe West Sussex Sensory Support Team works directly with children and their families, pre-schools and schools to support and promote the inclusion of children with sensory needs in a range of settings. |
| The paediatric occupational therapy service aims to help children achieve or maintain their maximum level of independence and to develop practical life skills at home and school. |
The West Sussex Local Offer website contains further services which may support the learning of students. It is important to note, that these services may be independent from the Local Authority and may not be free to access.
West Sussex schools and education settings have been working together to share and develop effective support and practices for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. A range of good practice reports have been produced to highlight examples of the work that is underway within local schools and the impact this is having on staff, children, young people and their families.
As a parent carer you may want to speak to another parent. The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum may be able to offer you information, support and training around your child's needs. They are an independent charity run mostly by parent volunteers; representing parent/carer views to various organisations and professional bodies to improve county/health/social care services for disabled children, young people and their families.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)
If a child or young person has been receiving SEN support for a while and isn't making the progress, the educational setting, parent carer or young person if they are over 16 may consider requesting an assessment to see whether an Education, Health and Care Plan is needed.
Requesting an Education, Health and Care Plan
Requesting an EHCP as a professional or Parent carer/Young person. In the first instance parent carers are encouraged to speak to the school teacher and school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) / Inclusion Manager.
If you would like any support in understanding the process then contact the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIAS) call 0330 222 8555. On their page you will find a range of helpful leaflets to also support you in understanding the process. Their leaflets have been translated into Bengali, French, Polish, Portuguese and Tamil.
The Law and Guidance
Please find links below to statutory and local strategy initiatives supporting the education of children and young people.
