Initially from primary transfer information, however on entry to the school we conduct our own in house assessments such as cognitive and literacy assessments.
Identifying a pupil’s needs will involve using a range of teacher assessed attainment and progress data, as well as:
- Analysis of the pupil’s work
- Observations of the pupil (in class and in less structured situations)
- Feedback from discussions with parents, students and staff
- Attendance and behaviour data
We will assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, which will build on previous settings and Key Stages, where appropriate. Class teachers will make regular assessments of progress for all pupils and identify those whose progress:
- Is significantly slower than that of their peers starting from the same baseline
- Fails to match or better the child’s previous rate of progress
- Fails to close the attainment gap between the child and their peers
- Widens the attainment gap
This may include progress in areas other than attainment, for example, social needs.
Slow progress and low attainment will not automatically mean a pupil is recorded as having SEN.
When deciding whether special educational provision is required, we will start with the desired outcomes, including the expected progress and attainment, and the views and the wishes of the pupil and their parents. We will use this to determine the support that is needed and whether we can provide it by adapting our core offer, or whether something different or additional is needed.