SEND Support in Torbay Schools

If your child has special educational needs (SEN), their school should identify and meet those needs. This page explains what SEN Support is, what you can expect from your child’s school and how you should be involved in decisions about your child’s support.

What are special educational needs?

A child has special educational needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability which means they need special educational provision to be made for them.

A child doesn’t need to have a medical diagnosis to receive SEN Support.

The SEND Code of Practice identifies four broad areas of need:

• communication and interaction

• cognition and learning

• social, emotional and mental health difficulties

• sensory and/or physical needs.

These areas can help schools understand and plan support, but every child is different and may have needs across more than one area.

What is SEN Support?

Schools must use their best endeavours to make sure that children with SEN get the support they need.

If your child is identified as having SEN, the school should take action to remove barriers to learning and put appropriate special educational provision in place.

Your child’s class or subject teacher remains responsible for working with your child on a day-to-day basis, including where your child receives support from a teaching assistant or specialist member of staff. The SENCO supports staff to identify needs and plan appropriate SEN provision.

The graduated approach

Schools should use a four-part cycle known as Assess, Plan, Do, Review. This is an ongoing process rather than something that happens once. Support should be reviewed and changed as the school develops a better understanding of your child’s needs and what helps them make progress. 

Assess
The school should look carefully at your child’s needs, strengths, progress and barriers to learning. This should include your views and your child’s views. Advice from other professionals may also be needed.

Plan
You, your child and the school should agree the outcomes being worked towards, what support will be put in place and when it will be reviewed. The support and planned review date should be recorded.

Do
The agreed support should be put in place. Your child’s class or subject teacher remains responsible for working with your child and should work closely with any staff or specialists providing additional support.

Review
The school should review how well the support is working and your child’s progress towards the agreed outcomes. You and your child should be involved. The support should be changed where needed.

The cycle can then start again, using what has been learnt to decide what your child needs next.

Your involvement

You should be involved in decisions about your child’s SEN Support.

The SEND Code of Practice says:

“Schools should take seriously any concerns raised by a parent.”

The school should talk to you regularly about your child’s progress, the support being provided and the outcomes being worked towards. Your child’s views should also form part of the process. 

If you’re concerned about your child’s support

If you’re worried about your child’s progress or think they may have SEN, you can speak to their class or subject teacher or the school’s SENCO.

You may want to ask:

• What needs has the school identified?

• Is my child receiving SEN Support?

• What support and reasonable adjustments are currently in place?

• What outcomes are being worked towards?

• How will the school know if the support is working?

• When will the support be reviewed?

• How are my child’s views being included?

• Does the school need advice from any other professionals?

Each school must publish an SEN Information Report on its website. This should explain how the school identifies and supports pupils with SEN and give information about its SEN arrangements. 

What support might be available?

The support your child needs will depend on their individual needs. It might include changes to teaching, additional or different support, reasonable adjustments, specialist advice, equipment or targeted interventions.

Torbay has a Graduated Response which gives information about the provision and support available to meet different levels and types of need.

Torbay SEND Local Offer – SEND Support and Graduated Response⁠

If SEN Support isn’t meeting your child’s needs despite appropriate action being taken and reviewed, you may want to discuss what further assessment or support is needed.

Getting advice from SENDIASS Torbay

If you’d like help understanding SEN Support, your child’s rights or the support their school is providing, you can contact SENDIASS Torbay for impartial information, advice and support. SENDIASS Torbay request for support form – Fill in form