1. SEN/Disability Strategy Group May 2011
An agreed approach to: Identification of SEN SEN Registers/Lists Provision Mapping Individual Education Plans for pupils with SEN/LDD in Northamptonshire Schools
SEN/Disability Strategy Group
May 2011

2. Ofsted message is…
At present, the term ‘special educational needs’ is used too widely. Around half the schools and early years provision visited used low attainment and relatively slow progress as their principal indicators of a special educational need. In nearly a fifth of these cases, there was very little further assessment. Inspectors saw schools that identified pupils as having special educational needs when, in fact, their needs were no different from those of most other pupils. They were underachieving but this was sometimes simply because the school’s mainstream teaching provision was not good enough, and expectations of the pupils were too low. A conclusion that may be drawn from this is that many pupils are being wrongly identified as having special educational needs. Ofsted National SEN Review 2010
What might be lost if the needs of a child were to be met through a highlighted provision map rather than an IEP? – record of strategies? Monitoring arrangements? Involvement of parents? Involvement of child?
Consider use of GEP?

3. SEN Green Paper message is…
“we intend to tackle the practice of over‐identification by replacing the current SEN identification levels of School Action and School Action Plus with a new single school‐based SEN category for children whose needs exceed what is normally available in schools” (p10)
“previous measures of school performance created perverse incentives to over‐ identify children as having SEN. There is compelling evidence that these labels of SEN have perpetuated a culture of low expectations and have not led to the right support being put in place” (p9)
“teachers and staff in schools must be equipped to identify correctly barriers to children’s learning and understand whether this is a special educational need so that every child can be given the best opportunity to succeed by professionals who know how to support them. At present, the way that schools identify children with SEN is not achieving this. In particular, children are often identified as having lower‐level SEN (at School Action) when in fact the barrier to their learning could and should be addressed through normal day‐to‐day classroom practice” (p67)

4. “we propose to replace the SEN Code of Practice categories of School Action and School Action Plus with a new single school‐based SEN category, providing clear guidance to schools on the appropriate identification of SEN” (p68). We propose to be much clearer in guidance for professionals about how to identify SEN accurately. Statutory guidance is set out in the SEN Code of Practice which we will make shorter and clearer for professionals” (p67)
“ensuring that schools are clear about their provision that is normally available for all children, including targeted help routinely provided for those falling behind and the additional provision they make for those with SEN, should simplify the process of planning the right help at school level” (p68)

5. Interpreting “Additional to” or “different from” in current C. of P.
The current Code of Practice states that pupils at SEN School Action or above must be receiving support which is “additional to” or “different from” the educational provision made generally for children of their age in schools maintained by the LA, other than special schools, in their area.
This is not “more literacy” or “more maths” but would be interventions which address the underlying learning needs of the pupil in order to improve his or her access to the curriculum.

6. So, within their whole-school inclusion policies, schools should be moving from : To
Pupils
needing to
catch up
School Action
School Action
Plus
Statement
Underachieving
Or less-experienced
learners -
“target group”
Special Educational
Needs

7. What do schools need to do? (1)
Ensure that there is a whole-school provision map for all vulnerable learners having additional support of any kind (this would include pupils who are underachieving, pupils with genuinely identifiable SEN, pupils with English as an additional language, pupils with persistent absence, Looked After Pupils etc).
Ensure that under-achieving children have their needs met through good differentiated teaching (including “Wave” interventions).
Recognise that Wave 2/3 provision is part of the differentiation of the main curriculum for pupils who, for whatever reason, are underachieving or have gaps in their learning.
Ensure that pupils identified at with special educational needs are receiving support which is “additional to” or “different from” .

8. What do schools need to do? (2)
Where schools choose to use Individual Education Plans to support pupils with special educational needs, ensure that they are of good quality and meet the requirements of the Code of Practice.
THEREBY ENSURING THERE IS A CONTINUUM OF PROVISION FOR VULNERABLE LEARNERS AND THAT PUPILS WHO ARE UNDER-ACHIEVING OR HAVE ANOTHER NEED (eg EAL) ARE NOT ERRONEOUSLY CATEGORISED AS HAVING A SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEED AND PUT ON TO THE SCHOOL’S SEN LIST.

9. Waves of intervention model – Northamptonshire LA interpretation
Provision at Wave (the old national strategies model) is part of the usual school, differentiated, school curriculum. It is a differentiated offer for pupils who, for whatevver reason, are needing to catch up with their literacy and maths. This is not a specific SEN provision and IEPS will not be required
All interventions will be monitored through a whole-school provision map and the usual whole-school tracking systems.
Wave 3
More–personalised
Interventions to enable pupils to make accelerated progress in literacy and maths
Wave 2
Interventions to enable children to work at age related expectations or above
Explain slide. Wave 1 should include all the reasonable adjustments a class teacher would be expected to make in their school. How do you know who is accessing all of these things and what they are so you can track children through them and judge impact? – provision mapping.
Wave 1
Inclusive quality first teaching for all
3.11

10. What is Whole School Provision Mapping?
A means of documenting the range of provision for pupils with SEN / LDD within a school and evaluating its impact upon progress
Shows a continuum of provision
e.g. through year groups, key stages, areas of need

11. Why use Provision Maps?
Plan strategically to meet pupils’ identified needs and track their provision.
Audit how well provision matches need
Recognise gaps in provision
Highlight repetitive or ineffective use of resources
Cost provision effectively
Demonstrate accountability for financial efficiency
Demonstrate to all staff how support is deployed

12. Why use Provision Maps? continued.....
Inform parents, LEA, Ofsted and parents about resource deployment
Focus attention on whole school issues of learning and teaching as well as individual needs
Reduce paperwork
Provide a basis for evaluating and future planning – timetable balance, class grouping, staffing

13. Provision mapping for individuals
A means of documenting and tracking the range of opportunity any vulnerable learner will receive, across a week, month, term to meet a specific need.
Could be in the form of an ongoing, annotated timetable
Gives “ownership” to the pupil, who can record how often s/he has worked on an agreed target and how well s/he has done.

14. Common misconceptions.....
More pupils on your SEN list generate more money – not true.
Children need an IEP to be on the SEN list – not true.
Multi-professional input at (currently) School Action Plus can only be triggered by IEPs at (currently) school action – not true. (However, schools need to provide evaluated evidence of support and intervention at school action – hence the provision map).

15. Remember that...
Good practice for all pupils is good practice for pupils with SEN:
Accurate, well moderated assessment
Smart targets
Evaluation which moves the situation forward:
What has made a difference?
What will make a difference?

16. Further guidance and materials
NCC’s Model Provision Map format And NCC’s Model Inclusion Policy for schools Can be downloaded from : Schools are encouraged to edit, adapt, augment these to suit their own needs.