Introduction
Some children find it much harder to learn and make progress than other children of the same age and may need extra help in school. It is estimated that one in five children will have special needs at some time during their school life and most of these needs can be met through careful planning. This may include changing how lessons are taught and/or extra support being provided by the school. Sometimes a school will need to ask for additional advice from outside professionals such as the Child and Community Psychology Service, Social Communication Service or Learning Support Service.
What can I do?
If you have concerns about your child you should first discuss these with your child's teacher. (If your child is pre-school, your doctor or health visitor can also help). Each school has a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and the class teacher can discuss what help can be offered that is different and additional to the help offered to the rest of the class, in order for your child to make progress. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) will be drawn up with targets for your child to achieve and this will be reviewed at least twice a year. The school should involve you in agreeing these targets so that you too can support your child. These school based stages of support are called School Action or School Action Plus. The "Plus" means ongoing involvement or advice from a professional from outside the school like those mentioned earlier in the introduction.
What if my child has severe or complex needs?
In a very small number of cases, a child may have severe or complex needs. When we describe children in this way we mean children with a long-term condition that affects most areas of their life not just their progress in school. In these cases a more detailed picture of needs is usually necessary and the Local Authority (LA) may decide to carry out a statutory assessment to obtain this. In Havering, the LA has given extra money to its schools so that they can address the needs of most children early, rather than relying on a statement to give them additional funding. Children attending special schools however, are required to have a statement of special educational needs.
What if I continue to have concerns?
If you continue to have concerns that do not seem to be resolved within school, you can contact the Special Educational Needs Section on 01708 431884/885 who will be pleased to help you. Or contact the Parents in Partnership Service 01708 433885 who can provide you with impartial advice and support. They have produced a range of information leaflets, including information about Statutory Assessment, SEN funding and many other topics to do with SEN that you may also find helpful.