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The SEND Code of Practice states that, once a child has been identified as having SEN, all settings should adopt a graduated approach to meeting that child’s needs; the child will now be referred to as needing ‘SEN Support’. The ‘Graduated Approach’ describes a series of actions, which create a cycle upon which the setting’s response to SEN and providing support to understand, address and meet the individual needs of the child. It is crucial that parents or carers are involved at every step of the process.

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Moving from one school or setting to another can be stressful, and while all children and young people benefit from positive experiences of transition, some require additional support. Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often find transition more challenging than their peers and it is important that feeder and receiving settings do as much as they can to ensure that transition is as smooth as possible for this group.

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The Equality Act of 2010 replaced the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995, and brought together a number of existing laws to protect people with ‘protected characteristics’ from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Disability is one of the nine protected characteristics, and so it is crucial for SENCOs, SLT, governors and all staff to understand their responsibilities under this Act. (See SEND Code of Practice 2015, pp. 16-17).
 

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SEN Support is part of a staged approach to identifying needs and providing support. The SEND Code of Practice (section 6.17) indicates that a pupil may have SEN if progress:

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The SEND Code of Practice (2015) specifies four ‘broad areas of need’, one of which is ‘Sensory and/or Physical Needs’. Everyone whose primary need is in this category likely to have a recognised disability or need with a diagnosis; these needs will be either sensory (hearing impairment, visual impairment or multi-sensory impairment) or physical (there is a wide range of physical disabilities. Some individuals may have more than one of these disabilities.

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The SENCO has the responsibility for overseeing the provision that is made for the children and young people in their setting who have been identified as having special educational needs and disability (SEND). The SENCO will have a strategic overview of policy and practice and is responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of the SEND provision across the whole setting. SENCOs will be most effective in this if they are part of the school leadership team.

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A key principle within the SEND Code of Practice (2015) is that parents and other stakeholders (including children and young people) should be involved in decision making and have their voices heard. One of the ways that this is facilitated is by making sure that information is clear, transparent, and readily available. The SEN Information Report is the first port of call for anyone wanting to know about SEN policy, provision and practice within a school.

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