Class teacher input via excellent targeted classroom teaching also known as Quality First Teaching.
For your child this would mean:

• That the teacher has the highest possible expectations for your child and all pupils in their class.
• That all teaching is based on building on what your child already knows, can do and can understand.
• Different ways of teaching are in place so that your child is fully involved in learning in class. This may involve things like using more practical learning.
• Specific strategies (which may be suggested by the SENDCO or outside staff)  are in place to support your child to learn.
• Your child’s teacher will have carefully checked on your child’s progress and will have decided that your child has gap in their understanding/learning and needs some extra support to help them make the best possible progress.

All children in school should be getting this as a part of excellent classroom practice when needed.

Specific group work with in a smaller group of children.

This group, often called Intervention groups by schools, may be

• Run in the classroom or outside.
• Run by a teacher or a Teaching assistant who has had training to run these groups.

For your child this would mean:

• He/She will engage in group sessions with specific targets to help him/her to make more progress.

This type of support is available for any child who has specific gaps in their understanding of a subject/area of learning.

Specialist advice from outside agencies e.g Speech and Language therapy OR Occupational therapy groups

For your child this would mean:

• Your child will have been identified by the class teacher/SENDCo (or you will have raised your worries) as needing more specialist input instead of or in addition to quality first teaching and intervention groups.
• You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
• You may be asked to give your permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s particular needs better and be able to support them better in school.
• The specialist professional will work with your  child to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:

• The school may suggest that your child needs some agree individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.

Specified Individual support

This is usually provided via an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP- previously known as a Statement of SEN).This means your child will have been identified by the class teacher/SENDCo as needing a particularly high level of individual or small group support, which cannot be provided from the budget available to the school.

Usually your child will also need specialist support in school from a professional outside the school. This may be from:

• Local Authority central services such as the Advisory Service ( for students with a hearing or visual need)
• Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language therapy (SALT) Service.

For your child this would mean:

• The school (or you) can request that the Local Authority carry out a statutory assessment of your child’s needs. This is a legal process which sets out the amount of support that will be provided for your child.
• After the reports have all been sent in the Local Authority will decide if your child’s needs are severe, complex and lifelong and that they need more carefully planned support in school to make good progress. If this is the case they will write an EHC Plan. If this is not the case, they will ask the school to continue with additional SEN support and also set up a meeting in school to ensure a plan is in place to ensure your child makes as much progress as possible.
• The EHC Plan will outline the outcome-based support your child will receive from the LA and how the support should be used and what strategies must be put in place. It will also have long and short term goals for your child.