School education for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities

Class teachers regularly assess each pupil’s learning and achievement. This information builds on information from previous settings – nurseries or other schools – and other classes and means that teachers can identify when pupils are not making expected progress for their age.

This might mean that the pupil's progress:

• is a lot slower than that of other children of the same age;
• doesn't match or improve on the child’s previous rate of progress;
• widens or doesn't close the gap in learning between the child and other children of the same age;

Progress might include areas other than academic subjects such as reading, writing or maths- for instance in social skills such as making and keeping friends, or communication.

Where a pupil’s progress continues not to improve, in spite of good teaching targeted at those things the child finds difficult, the class teacher, working with the SENCO, will assess the pupil’s learning in more depth to find out is the child has a learning difficulty. If your child’s school thinks your child has SEN, they should talk to you to see what you think and gather evidence such as reports about your child’s progress. If your child does have SEN, then the school will put in place additional or different provision to meet the child's special educational needs- known as SEN Support.