SEN Information Report - Devon guidance - Support for schools and settings

Contents

Introduction

Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2015) the governing body or proprietor of every maintained school, maintained nursery school and Academy school (other than a special school that is established in a hospital) must publish information on their website about the implementation of the policy for pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the form of an SEN Information report. This report should be kept up to date with significant changes and published annually each September. The report differs from the SEN Policy in that the policy details the school’s ethos and approach to SEN whereas the SEN information report describes what has happened and how the policy has been implemented in the last academic year. This checklist is based on the requirements set out in schedule 1 of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Regulations 2014 and paragraphs 6.79-6.81 of the SEND Code of Practice.

The following guidance is designed to assist schools in deciding what information to include in the report. The guidance is not an exhaustive list of information but a suggestion of the types of information schools may wish to include.

The primary audience for the report is parents and carers therefore it is important to ensure the language used within the report is not education elitist and is written in plain English. Furthermore, best practice would be to involve and consult parents in the drawing up and review of the report. It is advised the report is published using a Dyslexia-friendly ‘sans serif’ font such as Arial, Comic Sans, Century Gothic, Verdana, Trebuchet or Calibri. Please also ensure your report is available in the range of languages appropriate to your setting.

Guidance

School policy and procedure

Parent/carer procedure Key information Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)	Key information	Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)
What kinds of SEND do pupils in the school have?	Is this a mainstream or special setting? Outline main needs currently supported in school Consider general statement on inclusion/vision for SEND	The kinds of special educational needs for which provision is made at school.
How do you know if a pupil needs extra help?	How does the school track pupil progress? What systems are in place to quickly respond to difficulties in learning? What systems are in place for spotting pupils who may have unidentified needs? Does the school use any particular screening tools/assessments? How does the school decide when a pupil is having difficulties accessing learning?	Information about the school’s policies for identification and assessment of pupils with special educational needs

Day to day support

Parent/carer questions	Key information	Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)
How do teachers help pupils with SEND? How will the school support my child?	What is the school’s approach to differentiation and how does this support pupils? How is the school developing quality first teaching? What is the school’s graduated approach to meeting the needs of pupils?	The school’s approach to teaching pupils with SEND
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs? Is there any additional support available to help children with SEND?	How does the school approach the identification of need and the matching of those needs to appropriate provision? How does the school adapt the curriculum and learning environment? How is learning planned for pupils with SEND, including group and individual adaptations to the curriculum? How does the school make use of the resources in their delegated budget to support pupils with additional needs? What types of support are available? How are resources allocated? How are such decisions made and who is involved in this process? How are parents/carers and pupils involved?	How adaptations are made to the curriculum and learning environment
How will the school know how well my child is doing?	How does the school track and monitor progress? How does the school identify aspirational outcomes and develop clear steps to achieve them? How is this information shared with parents/carers?	Arrangements for assessing and reviewing pupil’s progress towards outcomes
How will I know my child is making progress? How do you check on this?	What are the school systems, processes and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of its SEND provision? How does the school assess whether any additional support provided has had an impact on educational progress? How does the school know its arrangements are effective? How are Governors/Trustees involved in this – what are their responsibilities?	How the effectiveness of provision is evaluated
How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom, including school trips?	What extra-curricular activities are available at the school? How does the school enable access for pupils with SEND? How are parents/carers involved in the planning of activities/school trips? What additional support is available during unstructured times and at the beginning and end of the school day? How are pupils, including those with SEND encouraged and enabled to contribute to all parts of school life, such as school councils and in roles of responsibility?	How pupils with SEND are enabled to engage in activities available with those in the school who do not have SEND
How will you support my child’s overall well-being?	What pastoral, medical and social support is available in the school for children with SEND? How does the school manage the administration of medicines and providing personal care? What support is there for behaviour, avoiding exclusions and increasing attendance? How does the school ensure the safety of their pupils? How do pupils contribute their views? How are pupils, including those with SEND encouraged and enabled to contribute to all parts of school life, such as school councils and in roles of responsibility?	Support for improving emotional and social development

Involving families

Parent/carer questions	Key information	Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)
How will you help me to support my child’s learning? When will we be able to discuss my child’s progress?	How does the school share progress information with parents/carers? What opportunities are there for regular contact about things that have happened in school? In addition to the normal reporting arrangements, what opportunities are there for parents/carers to discuss their child’s progress? What other opportunities are there for involvement and consultation with parents? Open mornings, meet the teacher, parent learning sessions etc? How does the school explain how learning is planned and how this can be supported outside of the school?	Arrangements for consulting with parents/carers of children with SEND and involving them in their child’s education
How will my child be able to share their views?	How does the school engage pupils in decision making around provision for them? How are pupils supported to ensure their voices are heard? How does the school encourage the active participation of pupils?	Arrangements for consulting with children with SEND and involving them in their education
How will you support my child when he/she joins your school or moves class or transfers to a new school?	What is the school’s approach to transition? How does the school work with other settings to transfer information and support transition to the next setting? Who is responsible for providing this support and what are the usual timescales? What support is available for work experience or out of school activities?	Arrangements for supporting pupils moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood

Staff skills and wider support

Parent/carer questions	Key information	Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)
What skills do the staff have to meet my child’s needs? What specialist services are available at or accessed by the school?	What is the school’s approach to CPD for staff which enables them to support pupils with SEND? How does the school prepare for new children coming to the school who have needs that they have not previously supported? Are there any specialist staff in school? What are their qualifications? What external support services can the school access? Which professionals and organisations provide support to pupils? Have any staff members undertaken specialist training to support specific roles? What other services are accessed from health and social care?	The expertise and training of staff to support pupils with SEND, including how specialist expertise will be secured How school involves other bodies, including health and social care, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting pupils’ SEN and supporting their families
What happens if my child needs specialist equipment? How accessible is the school and how does it arrange the facilities children need?	What facilities and equipment are routinely provided to support pupils with SEND? How is additional equipment secured? How does the school make best use of resources in its delegated budget? Is the school fully wheelchair accessible? Are their disabled changed and toilet facilities? Does the school have disabled parking bays? Have the auditory and visual environments been audited?	How equipment and facilities to support children with SEND will be secured
How will my child manage tests and exams?	What access arrangements are available if appropriate for examinations? How are decisions about support made and how are families involved in this process?	Information regarding access arrangements

Parent/carer questions

Key information

Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)

What skills do the staff have to meet my child’s needs?

What specialist services are available at or accessed by the school?

What is the school’s approach to CPD for staff which enables them to support pupils with SEND?
How does the school prepare for new children coming to the school who have needs that they have not previously supported?
Are there any specialist staff in school? What are their qualifications?

What external support services can the school access?
Which professionals and organisations provide support to pupils?
Have any staff members undertaken specialist training to support specific roles?
What other services are accessed from health and social care?

The expertise and training of staff to support pupils with SEND, including how specialist expertise will be secured

How school involves other bodies, including health and social care, local authority support services and voluntary sector organisations, in meeting pupils’ SEN and supporting their families

What happens if my child needs specialist equipment?

How accessible is the school and how does it arrange the facilities children need?

What facilities and equipment are routinely provided to support pupils with SEND? How is additional equipment secured?
How does the school make best use of resources in its delegated budget?

Is the school fully wheelchair accessible?
Are their disabled changed and toilet facilities? Does the school have disabled parking bays?
Have the auditory and visual environments been audited?

How equipment and facilities to support children with SEND will be secured

How will my child manage tests and exams?

What access arrangements are available if appropriate for examinations?
How are decisions about support made and how are families involved in this process?

Information regarding access arrangements

Accessing advice and support

Parent/carer questions	Key information	Links to SEND Code of Practice (2015)
What should I do if I think my child may have a special educational need or disability?	Who is the SENCO and what are their contact details? When and how is the SENCO best contacted? Who else is part of the wider SEN team and what are their key roles and responsibilities? Who is the Governor responsible for SEN and what are their contact details?	Contact details for the Special Educational Needs Coordinator
What do I do if I’m not happy or if I want to complain?	Who is the first point of contact if parents/carers wish to discuss concerns? What is the school’s approach to resolving concerns? Who can families talk to if they are worried? How does the school communicate with parents and carers and what measures are employed to ensure concerns are addressed? Where can the formal complaints policy be found and what are the key points?	Arrangements for handling complaints from parents of children with SEND
Where can I get information, advice and support?	How does the school signpost families to services that can provide additional support? Who is the first point of contact?	Contact details of support services for parents of pupils with SEND
Where can I find out about other services that might be available for our family and my child?	How does the school link to the LA local offer and how is this information made available to parents/carers? How has the school contributed to the LA local offer Where can the LA local offer be accessed?	The school’s contribution to the local offer and where the LA’s local offer is published

SEN Information Report – Devon guidance