Occasionally support from outside agencies is required. This type of support is available for children with specific barriers to learning that cannot be overcome through Quality First Teaching and intervention groups and means they have been assessed as needing some extra specialist support in school. This may be from:

• Local Authority services such as the SENIT, an Educational Psychologist or Behaviour Support Service.
• Outside agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Service, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy.

For your child this would mean:

• They will have been identified by the class teacher as needing more specialist input in addition to Quality First Teaching and intervention groups.
• You will be asked to come to a meeting to discuss your child’s progress and help plan possible ways forward.
• You may be asked for permission for the school to refer your child to a specialist professional e.g. a Speech and Language Therapist or Educational Psychologist. This will help the school and yourself understand your child’s needs better and be able to support them better in school.
• The specialist professional will work with your child to understand their needs and make recommendations, which may include:
  • Making changes to the way your child is supported in class e.g. some individual support or changing some aspects of teaching to support them better
  • Support to set targets which will include their specific expertise
  • A group run by school staff under the guidance of the outside professional e.g. a social skills group
  • A group or individual work with outside professional
• The school may give your child some individual support in school. They will tell you how the support will be used and what strategies will be put in place.

If you would like to discuss your SEND requirements in detail please contact the school to arrange an appointment.