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SEN provision in Greenwich

 
If a parent or teacher (or both) identifies a child as possibly having special educational needs, information will be collected in order to decide whether they need more help.

Assessing the child

There is usually more than one way that this information will be collected and the child's special educational needs will be assessed.

This may be through a referral from the child's doctor (GP) or by speaking to the child's individual teachers to discuss any concerns or issues.

A special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) will also be involved in considering the child's needs.

The SENCO might be the headteacher in a small school, but usually it will be another teacher.

What does special educational needs mean?

Children are considered to have special educational needs (SEN) when their needs are different from, or additional to, those that can be met by the differentiated curriculum and the usual range of strategies used by teachers.

As a result, this means that children who have a learning disability or difficulty may find it harder to learn than children of the same age.  

This does not include children whose first language is not English. However, these children may still have learning difficulties that need to be assessed.

Differentiated curriculum

Greenwich schools provide for children with a range of ability and needs by offering different tasks and activities in the classroom (a differentiated curriculum).

Teachers can also use a range of strategies to help children learn. For example, schools have programmes of support for children with literacy difficulties.

In these cases, the school will follow the recommendations in the government's Code of Practice and use the following SEN procedures:

School Action and School Action Plus

Schools in Greenwich follow the recommendations in the government's Code of Practice.

This says that most provision for children with SEN should be met using the following procedures:

Statutory assessment

If a school believes that it cannot meet a child's needs, they may request a statutory assessment.

Find out about the statutory assessment of special educational needs.

Parent/school partnership

The Government's Code of Practice on SEN emphasises the importance of parents and schools working together in the best interests of their children.

Parental support and positive involvement is very important for the child's progress.

Parent Partnership Service

Greenwich Parent Partnership Service supports parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). The service offers parents information, advice and guidance so they can make appropriate, informed decisions regarding the learning of their children.

Download a flyer about the Parent Partnership Service (pdf, 114kb)

Further information

A to Z of Services

Contact information