The Graduated Approach to SEND Support

Working Together to Help Every Child Thrive

At Our Lady & St Joseph Catholic Primary School, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed and flourish. When concerns arise about a pupil's learning, communication, emotional wellbeing or development, we follow a graduated approach to ensure that support is carefully planned, delivered and reviewed.

The graduated approach is a continuous cycle of:

Assess → Plan → Do → Review

This process allows us to understand a child's needs, put the right support in place and regularly evaluate the impact of that support.

How Are Concerns Identified?

Concerns may be identified by:

Class teachers
Parents and carers
Pupils themselves
The Inclusion Team
External professionals
Assessment and progress data

When concerns are raised, teachers complete a SEND Concern Form which is reviewed by the Inclusion Team.

The SENDCO may then:

Observe the pupil in class and during less structured times
Review attainment and progress information
Gather pupil voice
Speak with parents and carers
Complete screening assessments and checklists
Seek advice from external professionals where appropriate

If additional support is required, an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or SEN Support Plan may be put in place.

Assess

We gather information to build a clear picture of a pupil's strengths and areas of need.

This may include:

Teacher observations
Assessment information
Parent and pupil views
Classroom monitoring
SEND checklists and screening tools
Advice from external agencies

Understanding a child's needs accurately allows us to plan the most effective support.

Do

The agreed support is implemented by teachers, support staff and specialist practitioners.

Support may include:

High-quality adaptive teaching
Small group interventions
Individual support programmes
Speech and language interventions
Communication and interaction support
SEMH and wellbeing support
Targeted literacy and numeracy interventions
Specialist recommendations from external professionals

The class teacher remains responsible for the pupil's progress and works closely with the Inclusion Team throughout the process.

Plan

Once needs have been identified, a personalised support plan is created.

At Our Lady & St Joseph, support plans are managed through EduKey Provision Map and include:

Areas of need
Strengths and interests
Individual targets
Support strategies
Planned interventions
Desired outcomes

Parents and carers are involved in the planning process and pupil voice is gathered to ensure that children have opportunities to share their views and aspirations.

Review

Support plans are reviewed on a termly basis.

During reviews we consider:

Progress towards targets
Intervention impact
Pupil voice
Parent feedback
Teacher observations
Assessment information

Support plans are updated through EduKey and new targets are agreed where appropriate.

This ensures that provision remains responsive to each child's changing needs.

Working in Partnership with Families

Parents and carers play a vital role throughout the graduated approach.

We:

Seek parental views at every stage
Invite comments on support plans
Share progress and next steps
Meet regularly to review outcomes
Work together to ensure consistency between home and school

By working collaboratively, we can provide the best possible support for every child.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

For pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the graduated approach remains central to our practice.

Support and provision are reviewed regularly throughout the year, with annual reviews held in partnership with families, the Local Authority and external professionals.

This ensures that outcomes remain ambitious, appropriate and focused on helping pupils achieve their full potential.