SEN support

1. Overview

Nurseries, schools and colleges should be able to meet the needs of most children with special educational needs (SEN).

SEN support is the process staff use to identify and meet the needs of children with SEN.

If you have concerns about your child's progress, you can talk to the:

• key worker (in nursery)
• class teacher (in primary school)
• form tutor or head of year (in secondary school)
• tutor (in college)

They will discuss your concerns with you and may also talk to the special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). You can also ask to speak to the SENCO.

SEN support is part of a 'step by step' approach to meeting need using the assess-plan-do-review cycle. It is often known as a 'graduated approach'.

Staff will identify children’s needs as early as possible, so that support is put in place, without waiting for more specialist assessments and advice.