An effective special educational needs and disabilities policy is one which is regularly reviewed, written and updated in line with local and national guidance.
An effective special educational needs and disabilities policy includes:
- reference to the SEND Code of Practice 2015;
- a clear statement of intent (a statement that proposes the aim and how this will be achieved);
- the name and role of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO);
- reference to the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and assessing children’s progress (including on-going, at two years and at the end of the reception class);
- guidance on developing Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for children and the reviewing and monitoring procedures. IEPs are not a requirement of the Code of Practice, however it is a good way of capturing what practitioners and their managers are doing for each child;
- reference to the Early Help Assessment Tool (EHAT);
- reference to the local SEND pathway including identifying need, requesting support and working together using a Team Around Me (TAM) approach;
- information regarding multi agency SEND support plans;
- record keeping procedures;
- procedures for transitions to schools and other settings;
- requesting and implementing Education Health Care Plans (EHCP) and the reviewing procedures.