A Guide for Users - Implementing Sefton’s Graduated Approach
Where a child or young person is identified as having SEN, educational settings should act to remove barriers to learning and put effective provision in place implementing a Graduated Approach.
Sefton’s Provision Grids provide a reference for practitioners to check that they are applying the graduated approach robustly and consistently.
The following are examples of ways they can be adapted and used:
- To develop provision maps.
- As an audit or quality assurance tool
- To support new staff with what resources and strategies your setting recommends and if or when to move from universal to targeted to personalised provision.
- Work with existing staff, or with colleagues from different settings, to ensure consistency in the level of provision.
- Communication with parents; outlining provision the setting is making for their child.
- As a means of examining the graduated approach to date prior to making a request for outside agency support, funding or EHC needs assessment.
- Used by Sefton Council Officers and SEN Panels to ascertain whether settings have taken sufficient relevant and purposeful action before initiating statutory assessment.
- As a point of reference for non-educational professionals when working with CYP with SEND.
Provision Grids
The Provision Grids are a set of documents for the following areas of need:
- Autism
- Cognition and Learning - Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)
- Speech, Language and Communication
- SEMH
- Visual Impairment
- Hearing Needs
- Physical Needs
- Medical Needs
- Sensory Needs & Environment
The Provision Grids are practice guides to implementing and evidencing a robust graduated approach to identify and meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Teaching and learning strategies, identification and assessment tools are illustrated within a tiered approach - universal, targeted and specialist levels of provision.
Assess, Plan, Do, Review
According to the SEND Code of Practice 2015, all settings ‘should adopt a graduated approach with four stages of action: assess, Plan Do and Review’ For most children, this cycle will show progress as children develop in line with expectations. However, for some children, this process could indicate that they may have require provision that is additional to or different from what is usually available.
Assess
- The first step is to identify the child's needs through assessment and observation.
- This may involve gathering information and assessments from parents, teachers, and other professionals involved in the child's care, including, where relevant, assessments and advice from external agencies
- It's important to consider the child's strengths as well as their areas of difficulty.
- Capture progress and attainment data relative to the Child or Yong Persons (CYP) starting point These documents will support you to have high quality assessment information.
- The assess column in the Provision Grids related to CYPs area/s of need – Link to provision grids page
- You need to ensure you have considered:
(Refer to sections 5.33, 5.39, 6.27, 6:45 and 7.14 from SEND Code of Practice January 2015)
Plan
- Once the child's needs have been identified, a plan for interventions should be developed.
- This plan should be tailored to the child's specific needs and may include strategies for supporting their learning, communication, behaviour, and social skills.
- The plan should be clear, measurable, and achievable, with specific goals and objectives.
Do
- With the plan in place, support should be provided to help the child achieve their goals.
- This may involve adjustments to the child's learning environment, additional resources or equipment, and support from teaching assistants or specialist staff.
- Consistency and collaboration between parents, carers, and professionals are key to successful implementation.
Review
- Regular reviews should be carried out to monitor the child's progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the support provided.
- Reviews may take place termly or more frequently if needed.
- Adjustments to the support plan should be made as necessary based on the child's progress and any changes in their needs.
The provision grids are a guide and not an exhaustive list which you are limited to. Whilst every effort has been made to secure the veracity of the resources and strategies identified, they are offered as illustrative examples for securing good practice rather than a recommendation.
If you have any suggestions for improving the Provision Grids, please do contact us Inclusion.Service@sefton.gov.uk
Responsibilities
The Educational Setting
The legal responsibilities for disabled children and children with SEN lie with the responsible body (Equality Act duties 2010) or the appropriate authority (Children and Families Act 2014 duties). In both cases this is the governing body for a maintained school, including a maintained nursery school, and the proprietor, that is the owner or the management committee, of a private, voluntary or independent nursery.
Providers must have arrangements in place to support children with SEN or disabilities.
Maintained schools, maintained nursery schools and all providers who are funded by the local authority to deliver early education places must have regard to the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2015.
The Headteacher or Manager
The manager or head of the school/setting has responsibility for the day-to-day management of all aspects of the setting’s work, including work with children with SEND. The manager/headteacher agrees policies, works closely with the SENCO on the implementation of SEND and disability policies; and has an important role in enabling and supporting the SENCO to meet their responsibilities.
The SENCO
The setting SENCO is responsible for supporting colleagues and coordinating the approach of the setting to children with SEN.
This involves:
- Ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting SEN
- Advising and supporting colleagues
- Ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insight informs actions taken by the setting.
- Liaising with professionals and agencies beyond the setting
DfE and DH (2015) SEN and disability code of practice: 0-25 years
All Early Years Educators
All members of staff have responsibilities to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. They must understand these responsibilities and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting Children’s needs. Where a child is identified as having Special Educational Needs Disabilities, the Code of Practice (2015) envisages that the individual practitioner, usually the child’s key person, will lead the engagement with the child and the child’s parents, with the support of the SENCO, and remains responsible for working with the child daily.
“Maintained schools and maintained nursery schools must identify a member of staff to act as Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and other providers (in group provision) are expected to identify a SENCO. Childminders are encouraged to identify a person to act as a SENCO. Childminders who are registered with a childminder agency or who are part of a network may wish to share the role between them.”
Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage September 2021
Disclaimer: The links to external websites providing teaching and learning resources are provided by Sefton Council in good faith. All information and materials on these external websites are for your general information and use only and do not constitute any advice or recommendation. You should not rely on any information or materials in making or refraining for making any decision. Sefton Council does not guarantee the accuracy or validity of the information and materials, nor does it guarantee the quality or fitness for purposes of nay works, goods or services that may be provided by any third party. To avoid doubt no liability is accepted in this regard.