The graduated approach involves a four step cycle of asses, plan, do, review. This process starts at the whole school level. Teachers are continually assessing, planning, implementing and reviewing their approach to teaching all children, making adaptations where needed. These small changes and adaptations should be informed by the schools’ ordinarily available inclusive provision offer.
Once a special educational need has been identified, the graduated approach should become increasingly personalised, with more frequent review.
Where a pupil is identified as having SEN, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the graduated approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the SEN of children and young people.’
SEND Code of Practice 6.44
The graduated approach should not be considered a single, linear event but a continual cycle of assessment and planning. Individualised assessments will support a growing understanding of the child and young person’s strengths as well as their barriers to learning, and this will inform the provision and support put in place. This may lead to a greater level of support or adaptation, and may result in a greater number of professionals involved, alongside the child or young person and their family. Regular reflection on the impact of any provision and support will ensure that the most effective approaches are used to meet the child or young person’s needs.
