SENDCOs - Print version

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What is SEND support? 

Special educational support is educational or training provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for others of the same age, ie provision that goes beyond the differentiated approaches and learning arrangements normally provided as part of high-quality, personalised teaching. This is called Ordinarily Available Provision [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/5427/ordinarily_available_provision_-_early_years_school_age_and_post_16].

Four broad areas of need give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for, not to fit a pupil into a category.      

The broad areas of need are: 

  1. Communication and interaction 
  2. Cognition and learning 
  3. Social, emotional and mental health
  4. Sensory and/or physical needs.

Children who receive SEN Support usually have a written plan or a provision map prepared for them that describes what additional or different support the school will offer, and how together parents/carers and school will help the child make progress. Our schools will work together with parents/carers to plan and monitor the impact of the SEN Support. 

SEN Support might include extra help with reading, writing and maths but might also focus on other things such as speaking and listening, visual enhancement, motor/movement or mobility skills, or social and emotional development. SEN Support can be delivered by staff from the school or from outside professionals such as specialist teachers. Even when support is delivered by these external professionals, it is the responsibility of the child’s class teacher to monitor the progress the child is making as a result of that and any other support as part of the assess, plan, do review cycle.

Where can I get support?

In Coventry we have a range of specialist inclusion teams who support children and young people aged 0-25 with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).

You can find information about these support services:

The EHCP process

Find out about statutory assessment [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coventrys-special-educational-needs-disability-send-local-offer/statutory-assessment].

What is provision mapping?

You aren't required to have a provision map, but the SEND Code of Practice [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25] (see paragraph 6.76) suggests them to help you keep an overview of programmes and interventions for different groups of pupils.

Why use a provision map?

Think of your special educational needs (SEN) provision map as a tool that can help you:

  • Develop provision that meets the needs of your pupils
  • Evaluate the impact of your provision on pupil progress
  • Identify patterns of need, and areas for staff development
  • Decide which interventions are worth carrying out (whether the time and resource invested are worth the outcome) 

It does this by showing you, at a glance:

  • What interventions are taking place in your school
  • The evidence base you have for running those interventions
  • The time and resource invested in an intervention
  • How effective those interventions are
  • Your provision map should set out any provision that is additional to or different from your differentiated curriculum.
  • The SENCO should be using the provision map to monitor the level of interventions and make strategic decisions about SEN provision.
  • In some schools, the responsibility for using and maintaining the provision map sits squarely on the shoulders of the SENCO, and other members of staff rarely engage with it. It's worth challenging this assumption in your school, so your SEN provision is as effective as possible.

Further resources

Dimensions Tool

Dimensions - Home (covwarkpt.nhs.uk) [https://dimensions.covwarkpt.nhs.uk/Default.aspx]

Coventry guidance for SENCos: My Support Plans

A guide for SENCOs [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/24128/my_support_plan_-_a_guide_for_sencos.pdf]

SEN Inclusion Fund (EYFS SEND) relevant documentation

Coventry Support Services and training links

Condition-specific training – Coventry City Council [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/coventry-send-support-service/condition-specific-training]

SENCO NPQ

Special educational needs co-ordinator's national professional qualification - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/special-educational-needs-co-ordinators-national-professional-qualification]

NASEN

Whole School SEND

Whole School SEND [https://www.wholeschoolsend.org.uk/index.php/]

SENsible SENCO

Join Thousands of Members Benefiting from SENsible SENCO [https://www.sensiblesenco.org.uk/] 

Chiltern Teaching School Hub

CPD videos [https://www.youtube.com/@ChilternTeachingSchoolHub/videos ]

Creative Education

Range of courses with a SEND focus to purchase at a reasonable cost

Special Needs Jungle

Special Needs Jungle - News, info, resources & informed opinion about Special Educational Needs, disability, children’s physical and mental health, rare disease. Campaigning to #FixSEND [https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/]

Schoot [https://schoot.co.uk/training/]

Schoot is a subscription based, online platform, designed to inspire successful educators through on-demand, high-quality training and opportunities for collaboration with other primary, special and secondary schools: Training Catalogue  [https://schoot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Schoot-Training-Catalogue-2023-24-Dec-v5-1.pdf]

Beacon School Support: Behaviour Support for Schools, Teachers and Families (beaconschoolsupport.co.uk) [https://beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/]

Positive Young Minds

A place for teachers, SENCOs, parents and children to find support with inclusion, SEND, wellbeing and mental health: SENCO Resources - Positive Young Minds [https://positiveyoungmind.com/senco-resources/] 

10 characteristics of effective SEND provision:

2 minute video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk0cCYnonB8 ]

High Speed Training

Amazing Things Project

Short videos to share with children to help understand different needs:- 

Transition 

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