The graduated approach

What is ‘the graduated approach’?

“Where a pupil is identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN), schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the graduated approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the SEN of children and young people.”

This means, if your child is considered to have a special educational need, the school will begin ‘the graduated approach’. It is a four-part cycle which is commonly referred to as the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle.

The following information is a guide as to what should happen at each stage of the cycle.

Part 1: Assess

Firstly, the school will look carefully at your child’s needs to determine where any difficulties lie. Needs are usually considered to be within one of the following four categories.

Communication and interaction
A child may have difficulties with speaking, listening and/or understanding what is said to them.

Cognition and learning
A child may learn at a slower pace, have difficulties in understanding particular areas of the curriculum and/or struggle with organisation or memory skills.

Social, emotional and mental health
A child may have difficulties with social interaction and/or managing relationships with others which impacts on their own learning or the learning of others.

Sensory and/or physical needs
A child may have a vision or hearing impairment or a physical need which makes it more difficult for them to access educational facilities generally provided.

In order to carry out a thorough assessment of your child, school staff will gather a range of information, which should include:

The views of your child or young person

Your views, as the child’s parent(s)

Class/subject teacher assessments

Your child’s current progress and attainment compared to previous years

Comparing your child’s development to their classroom peers

Comparing your child’s attainment to national data

Assessments from external agencies

Part 2: Plan

Once the assessment stage has been completed you and your child (if appropriate) will be invited to meet to decide on the next steps and this will involve developing a plan of action.

Your child’s needs (as identified in stage 1)

The barriers to learning (e.g. unable to read small print, cannot identify friends in the playground, difficulties seeing whiteboard)

The targets (what skills we want your child to work toward)

The support which will be provided

The support and teaching/learning strategies which will be used

This plan must be shared with everyone working with your child and a date will be set for a review meeting to monitor progress (usually within 6-8 weeks).

SMART targets

Professionals may refer to making ‘SMART’ targets. This means that any targets set for the child should be:

S = Specific (refers to a particular skill)

M = Measurable (easy to evidence when target has been achieved)

A = Achievable (realistic given the resources and support provided)

R = Relevant (appropriate for your child’s ability and development stage)

T = Time bound (a specified time frame in which your child should achieve the target)

Part 3: Do

The class or subject teacher is then responsible for making sure the agreed plan is carried out effectively.

Sharing and discussing the plan with all the relevant staff

Differentiating the curriculum

Ensuring all teaching and learning materials are accessible

Ensuring additional learning needs are planned for and met

Planning for and measuring impact of support staff interventions

Part 4: Review

Regular reviews, with the frequency determined by your child’s school, should take place between you, your child (if appropriate) and all relevant staff to evaluate the quality, effectiveness and impact of the support. This will include looking at your child’s recent progress and development, the feelings of you, your child and staff, as well as any new attainment or assessment data. Next steps can then be identified, and relevant changes made to the plan to make sure your child has the best possible opportunity to achieve their outcomes.

This cycle of action should be revisited regularly, and the ‘Assess, Plan, Do, Review’ cycle repeated.

What happens if my child is still not making progress and is not achieving their outcomes?

Referral to a specialist

An increase in targeted support with more frequent review cycles

A request made for an Education, Health and Care Plan assessment

Need more info

To find out more about this support in your area please call or email us

children@guidedogs.org.uk

0800 781 14444

The graduated approach

On this page

What is ‘the graduated approach’?

Part 1: Assess

Part 2: Plan

Part 3: Do

Part 4: Review

What happens if my child is still not making progress and is not achieving their outcomes?

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