An explanation of that element of special educational provision for children with special educational needs (but without statements) which the Local Authority expect normally to be met from maintained schools' budget shares and that element of such provision that the authority expect to be met by the Authority from funds which it holds centrally - (Regulation 2 Schedule - Part 1)
The majority of children with special educational needs have their needs met within their local mainstream school. Each school has a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), who has responsibility for co-ordinating special educational provision within the school.
Parents who are concerned about their child's progress in school should first discuss those concerns with their child's class teacher, the school's SENCO or the Headteacher.
All local mainstream schools have identified funding within their school budget to meet the special educational needs of their pupils, without reference to the Local Authority for statutory assessment or the need to provide a Statement of Special Educational Need. The deployment of these funds is the responsibility of the School's Governing Body and Headteacher. Most schools, however, deploy significantly more than the designated funding to support special educational needs provision in the school and are successful in meeting the needs of the majority of their pupils without reference to the Local Authority.
Mainstreams schools in Doncaster may reasonably be expected to make the following provision from within their own budgets for pupils with special educational needs but without Statements of Special Educational Need:
An Individual Education Plan for each pupil with special educational needs at School Action and School Action Plus, that records key short-term targets and strategies for individual pupils that are different from or additional to those in place for the rest of the group or class
The arrangement of class or teaching groups, for the whole or part of the school day, that take into account the needs of pupils with special educational needs, including arrangements for the teaching of literacy and numeracy in accordance with the national strategies
Access to specialist services provided by the Local Authority under agreement with the school, such as the Learning and Behaviour Support Service or the Educational Psychology Service, to support the design and implementation of education and social skills programmes to support pupils with special educational needs
The design and implementation of individual programmes of study relating to the pupils' special educational needs
School policies and programmes that enable pupils with special educational needs to be as fully included within the social and academic life of the school as possible, including the use of resources that reflect inclusivity for all pupils
Referral to appropriate agencies of the Local Authority or partner agencies, such as the Primary Care Trusts, where these may support the school in meeting the pupil's special educational needs
Appropriate training of staff within the school to enable them to deliver programmes of study related to pupils with special educational needs
Specialist teaching for part of the school week to support particular difficulties on an individual or small group basis, where deemed appropriate by the school
Additional support for part of the school day for individual or small groups of pupils from a learning support assistant either in-class or on a withdrawal basis, working under the direction of the class or specialist teacher, where deemed appropriate by the school
Additional learning support to assist pupils with health or self-care needs, where these relate to pupils needs defined under the SEN and Disability Act 2002
The provision of specialist resources to enable pupils with special educational needs to access the curriculum, such as individual reading programmes, photocopied enlargements for the visually impaired or simplified diagrams
The provision of smaller items of equipment to enable individual pupils to access the curriculum, such as access to information and communication technology, adjustable lighting and specialist seating
Close liaison with parents/carers to support the pupil with special educational needs, including their involvement in the design of Individual Education Plans and referral of parents to the Doncaster Parent Partnership Service, where appropriate
Access to specialist facilities to enable curriculum materials and resources to be adapted for pupils with significant visual impairment
Radio aids for pupils with significant hearing impairment, when recommended by the Local Authority's specialist teacher
Reasonable adjustments to the physical environment of the school as part of the Local Authority's Access Plan
The Doncaster Local Authority makes the following provision from its central budget for pupils with special educational needs but without Statements of Special Educational Needs:
Specialist teachers for pupils with visual impairment to advise school staff in the design and implementation of programmes of study that enable pupils with visual impairment to fully access the curriculum
Specialist teachers for pupils with hearing impairment to advise school staff in the design and implementation of programmes of study that enable pupils with hearing impairment to fully access the curriculum
Specialist teachers for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder to advise school staff in the design and implementation of programmes of study to enable pupils with social communication difficulties to fully access the social life of the school and the curriculum
A specialist teacher to advise schools on appropriate access to information and communication technology for pupils with physical impairment
Access to specialist staff to advise on physical access, moving and handling of pupils and access to the curriculum for pupils with physical impairment and significant medical needs
Access to advice from the Local Authority's approved centre for access and communication technology for pupils with significant communication difficulties
Support for schools from specialist subject inspectors to advise on access to the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs
Specialist services for schools, such as the Learning and Behaviour Support Service, Education Welfare Officers and Educational Psychology Service, that may be accessed on demand or through service agreements between the Local Authority and schools
Support from the staff of Doncaster special schools to advise their mainstream colleagues on programmes of study to support pupils with special educational needs
Monitoring and advice from the Local Authority's Monitoring Review and Development Team to provide support and guidance on management systems for special educational needs and the effective deployment and monitoring of special educational needs resources
The Doncaster Parent Partnership Service to advise and support parents of pupils with special educational needs in their relationships with the school and other professional staff supporting their child and in understanding and exercising their rights in relation to meeting the educational needs of their child
The above provision is accessible through the school and parents who feel that their child may benefit from access to such services are advised to contact the school's SENCO or Headteacher.
A small number of children have difficulties which extend over wider areas of the curriculum, are more severe in nature and/or are longer-lived and are deemed to place the child within the designation of special educational needs.
For a small minority of children their difficulties are such that the Local Authority will undertake a statutory assessment of the child's needs under the Education Act 1996 and, if appropriate, will issue a Statement of Special Educational Needs, setting out the child's needs and the provision required to meet those needs.
