SEND Graduated Approach
Graduated Approach: Assess Plan Do Review Cycle
This is an approach required by the SEND Code of Practice which states:
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.
6.44 DFE Code of Practice
Why does the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process begin within the classroom?
As stated in the code of practice, “High quality teaching, differentiated for individual pupils, is the first step in responding to pupils who have or may have SEN. Additional intervention and support cannot compensate for a lack of good quality teaching” 6.37 DFE
It is important for the SEN department and pastoral teams to work with the subject teacher(s) to ensure teachers’ understand how to implement strategies to identify and support vulnerable students within a mainstream classroom environment. Staff should use the same principles of Assessing need, Planning for this, Doing (or putting this into action) and then Reviewing how effective strategies when thinking about differentiation.
What happens if the concern remains despite quality first teaching and the planning for needs undertaken by the teacher?
Where a student is identified as having a SEN need and has a barrier to learning, which requires a greater support despite quality first teaching, then the school implement a four-part cycle known as Assess, Plan, Do, Review.
It is important to note that this four-part cycle will usually start within the classroom environment, through formative and summative teacher assessments or through the student’s responses to the classroom environment.
However, when a student who is continuously underperforming or there is a concern regarding an unidentified learning, social and emotional or other special need, this four-part process becomes more formalised by either the SEN department or pastoral teams, through targeted intervention and closer monitoring. There are Student of Concern meetings to consider additional support strategies as needed.
What happens at a Student of Concern meeting?
An example relating to academic progress is below.
Step 1: The student is raised at the Student of Concern meeting and baseline data is reviewed; an observation, file review and/or cognitive assessment maybe carried out depending on the need identified.
Step 2: SEN Team/Pastoral Teams will review the evidence and recommend a specific intervention.
Step 3: The student accesses the intervention over a period of time and their progress is monitored.
Step 4: The outcome is review by school’s data systems i.e. class charts, Academic Attainment etc. and findings are discussed at the next Student of Concern meeting and with parents/carers.
What does the SEN support process look like at Oaks Park High School?
Quality First Teaching will have been implemented and the student is issued a Pupil Passport so teachers are made aware of individual needs and specific differentiation or strategies required.
A Teacher Meeting takes place to ensure staff fully understand how to meet the students’ individual needs within the classroom environment.
Where there is also sustained targeted and specialist interventions and support put in place, then an SEN support plan is issued, with individualised targets set according to specific need.
The SEN support plan is reviewed on a termly basis i.e. every 12 weeks. Review meetings can take place as part of the subject teacher evenings or separately. Parents/carers and Year Teams (where appropriate) will be invited to review meetings or discussions.
Provision Mapping (internal software) reports will also be reviewed to track the student’s progress and the impact of interventions the student is receiving.
An Example of an Assess Plan Do Review process can be found here