Teachers are able to identify specific difficulties and make suitable adjustments e.g.

• Teach to child’s learning style/build on strengths
• Demonstration, prompts, visual support and opportunities for practice.
• Concrete, practical-based learning activities
• Teaching uses multisensory methods (VAK) and ‘hand’s on’ practical activities
• Tasks broken down into manageable steps
• Differentiation in presentation, pace and outcome
• Mixed-ability groups (good role models / working to each other’s strengths)
• Supportive resources are available in class e.g. coloured overlays, word mats, table square, writing scaffolds, graphic organisers/task planners/ sand timers. These resources are placed and used to support independence.
• Mind mapping techniques
• Make links with previous learning.
• Social and emotional factors are taken into account
• Incorporate pupil interests to improve motivation
• Pre + Post teaching
• Specific/Precision teaching
• Promoting growth mind set
• Regular monitoring of progress using the assess-plan-do-review cycle of assessment.
• Realistic expectations and agreed targets
• Develop metacognition and pupils awareness of what works for them
• Additional support - staff aware of implications of child’s learning need and how to respond.
• Work buddy / peer support / sensitive groupings
• Extra thinking time to process information
• Regular ‘check ins’ with specific positive praise (language of success)
• Differentiated homework
• Modify language to reduce processing demands. Further support can be provided by modelling a task and giving verbal or written prompts.
• Visual timetable / word banks / word walls / ABC charts / phonic sheets
• Appropriate support to fully access learning is given to pupils with English as an additional language (EAL). EAL is not a special educational need, though some learners with EAL may also have underlying SEND.
• Strategies to build confidence and maintain self-esteem are being used. For example, using a growth mindset or opportunities to support other students.
• Appropriate equipment has been provided to assist the young person with their learning (e.g. pencil grip, writing slope or laptop).
• Use of the Oldham Graduated Response Toolkit.

Use alternatives to written recording

• Cloze procedure
• Word processing
• Drama /role play
• Talking tins

Use of ICT to support learning. E.g.

• Communication in print (CIP) Widgets
• Staff familiar with a range of apps /software to support areas of learning. (Wheel of Apps)
• www.callscotland.org.uk

Staff refer to and incorporate strategies outlined in the IDP for pupils with dyslexia

• www.idponline.org.uk

Universal reasonable adjustments for cognition and learning difficulties

• Whole school training in High Quality Teaching (HQT) for high incidence Cognition and Learning needs (MLD/dyslexia)
• Access to short term ‘universal’ interventions: individual/small group identified and delivered as part of general tracking (examples of these are included in the Graduated Response Toolkit)\
• Whole school strategies e.g. literacy strategy
• Provision of technology to support recording in lessons
• Ensure all cross curricula reading resources are matched to pupils reading ages
• Ensure pupils are positioned well so they can see and hear teaching clearly
• Staff CPD and induction programme supports inclusive practice, teacher’s ownership of all their children, and provides information about successful Cognition and Learning High Quality Teaching (HQT) strategies.

Further resources

The Dyslexia-SPLD Trust has a wide range of resources, including a free Professional Development Framework to help a SENCO support staff knowledge and training. The Dyslexia-SpLD and Literacy Professional Development Framework offers an evidence-based framework to support professional knowledge development:

• http://framework.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/

The Dyslexia-SpLD Trust also has a useful online guide to help implement the Code of Practice. This is also available as a free download:

• http://www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/

 
The Education Endowment Foundation has a Teaching and Learning Toolkit which summarises research to help schools make decisions about teaching practice to help close the attainment gap between children:

• https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/

Worcestershire Children First have created a website with resources that can be used to support pupils with EAL:

• English as an Additional Language Resources Information - Worcestershire Children First Education Services

A free Growth Mindset Toolkit is available from: Growth Mindset Toolkit - Transforming Education

• Oldham Inclusion Framework - Primary and Secondary
   

• Advisory Teaching Team (QEST) 
• Educational Psychology Team
• Health Visitors
• SaLT 

When would you move to SEN support?

Where there is a lack of adequate progress despite identified and targeted differentiation. 

Schools should seek to identify pupils making less than expected progress given their age and individuals circumstances. 

This can be characterised by progress which; 

• Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
• Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
• Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
• Widens the attainment gap

SEND Support additional to and different from the universal offer

• Use of multi-sensory strategies (using sight, touch, smell, hearing) required to support learning and opportunities for over learning through repetition.
• Pre- and post- teaching of concepts to secure knowledge.
• Adapting curriculum planning, delivery and resources where needed.
• Request and implement specialist advice, if this is not already available within school or from peer/cluster group support, to enable full access to the curriculum. Specific programmes to be introduced to develop skills and increase rate of progress on a regular basis (likely to be focussed on Maths, English or communication skills).
• Some specialist qualified dyslexia/ MLD specialist teaching support: 1-1/ small group/ advice and support to classroom staff. Systematic, evidence-informed intervention as advised by specialist with a focus on strengthening underlying skills: working memory, sequencing, decoding, reading comprehension, fluency, numeracy.
• Personalisation of strategies for pupil including Pupil Passports.
• Assistance with recording and/or alternative methods of recording and assistive technology.
• Individual adult mediation at the start of tasks and frequent check-ins to support completion.
• Individualised motivational strategies and mentoring.
• Individual mediation to support personal organisation, e.g., weekly check up ‘clinic’, meet and greets, extra organisational scaffolds.
• Access arrangements considered.

Further resources for targeted interventions

Specific, extra, time-limited support in-school for children with additional needs
nasen hosts the SEN Support Resources which provides leaders, teachers and practitioners with access to information about evidence-based practice that can be effective for all types of SEN support. It brings together in one place evidence from academic research papers, a survey of schools and post-16 institutions and a set of commissioned case studies in order to allow practitioners to look at the detail of interventions and approaches and consider what would be most beneficial in their setting and for their learners

Dyslexia-SpLD Trust specific resources for Targeted interventions:
Greg Brooks' compilation ‘What works – effective strategies for literacy intervention' was commissioned by the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust and is available on the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust website
 
Interventions for Literacy hosts a searchable database for ‘What Works’ in respect of literacy interventions.

Research suggests that numeracy interventions do not need to be intensive or delivered by specialists to be effective. It’s more important they are targeted to the specific level of the learner and follow a structured progression.

• Khan Academy | Free Online Courses, Lessons & Practice
• Numbers Count - Every Child Counts (edgehill.ac.uk)
• LUMEN | Loughborough University (lboro.ac.uk)
• Catch Up Numeracy - Catch Up
   

How might you put in place an SEN support plan?

• What has the assessment identified as particular areas of need? 

• What has the assessment told you about strengths and needs, barriers to and gaps in progress? 
• What is the child’s view? 
• What is the parent/carer view? 
• What outcomes are you looking for? 
• What are the identified changes and additional interventions? 
• What are the adaptations needed to achieve the identified outcomes? 
• How will these will be evaluated? 

What does an SEN support plan look like and how can it be implemented?

If a child or young person is behaving in a manner which is unsafe, the school has a responsibility to address the safety risk by using a care and support plan. You can download examples of care and support plans below.

A good SEN Support Plan should include the following; 

• Outcomes
• Actions
• Who is responsible
• By when 

Examples of SEN Support plans

Examples of One Page Profiles

A good SEN Support plan may include a provision map or personalised timetable for the pupil showing frequency and duration of specific interventions 

Interventions should be well founded and evidenced based. 

Interventions should last a minimum of 6 weeks 

Information on researched interventions can be found at:- 

• Education Endowment Foundation
• Interventions for Literacy
• Dyslexia-SpLD Trust