What are SEMH difficulties?
The SEND Code of Practice identifies social, emotional and mental health difficulties as one of the four main categories of SEND.
Every school is required to identify and address the SEND of the pupils that they support and must use their best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEND gets the support they need – in this instance, this means doing everything they can to meet children and young people’s SEMH needs.
According to the Code, children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviour.
These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained.
Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder. The underlying causes may be environmental difficulties at home or school or both.
Whatever the root cause(s), SEMH needs can be challenging for both a child or young person and those around them to cope with and, in some instances, can place a child or young person at risk of exclusion.
A graduated approach
The graduated approach involves a four step cycle of assess, 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.
The Targeted Support Framework (TSF) is designed to support schools and settings to implement a robust graduated approach for children and young people who need support that is ‘different from or additional to’ ordinarily available inclusive education. It is intended to support all staff, including class teachers, to consider the needs and barriers to learning a child and young person may be experiencing and plan and deliver effective support to meet these needs.