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Schools have a responsibility to make provision for pupils with special educational needs.

We provide funding through normal school budgets to help schools to support pupils with special educational needs. Derbyshire local authority has produced The Derbyshire Descriptors of Special Educational Needs (SEN) Provision.

The Descriptors offer guidance and advice to primary and secondary schools about the level and type of support they should provide for pupils with additional needs. They are used by the local authority to monitor provision for pupils with SEN without a statement.

They outline how schools should:

• Assess, plan and review provision.

• Arrange teaching groups.

• Adjust the curriculum and teaching methods.

• Provide resources, such as access to additional support from a teaching assistant for up to three hours per week for pupils at School Action or up to eight hours a week for pupils at School Action Plus.

Your child may:

• Have difficulties with language which affect learning.
• Find it hard to listen and understand what you say.
• Find it hard to express themselves using words and sentences.
• Use speech which is difficult for others to understand.
• Have limited social interaction.
• Be over physical with other students
• Show a marked difference between their language and other skills
• Not be doing as well as they ought to be at school.
• Show frustration or become stressed and be unable to explain what is the matter.
• Have a speech and language therapy programme.
• Have problems communicating with other children and making friends.
• Possibly have motor difficulties e.g. writing, running, hopping.

What can your school do?

• Use teacher assessment and observations to establish how your child learns best.

• Find out which ways of teaching are the most effective.

• Discuss your child with relevant professionals who visit the school and use their advice to plan different work for your child.

• Arrange for your child to have some extra help in smaller teaching groups supported by a teaching assistant.

• Organise groups carefully so that your child can talk to and mix with other children.

• Organise the classroom to help your child to listen and pay attention.

• Teach new words for topic work.

• Use classroom supports such as visual timetables and prompts.

• Follow guidance from Derbyshire’s File for Language Friendly Schools.

• Involve you and your child in planning and in reviewing progress.

Who else can help?

Schools have access to a range of professionals who advise on arrangements for supporting pupils with behaviour difficulties. These include:

• The County Behaviour Support Service

• The Educational Psychology Service

• The Local Inclusion Officer Service

• The Support Service for SEN

If your child has other difficulties as well as with language, all schools have access to county services which can offer support and advice for pupils with:

• autistic spectrum difficulties

• hearing, physical and/or visual difficulties

• learning difficulties

Your GP can advise on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and voluntary services such as Barnardo's.

You or your child’s teacher (with your permission) can ask a speech and language therapist to see your child. Your GP can make a referral for physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

What other advice is available?

Derbyshire has published comprehensive files of advice and information on dyslexia, autism and speech and language difficulties.

Contact details

Derbyshire Educational Psychology Service
County Hall
Dale Road
Matlock
DE4 3AG
Tel: 01629 580000

Local Inclusion Officer Service
Chesterfield Area Education Office
Sheffield Road
Chesterfield
S41 7LU
Tel: 01246 204851

Derbyshire Parent Partnership
The Community Centre
School Board Lane
Chesterfield
S40 1DD
Tel: 01246 273154/5

The full version of the SEN Descriptors is available in every school.

If you require this and other local inclusion officer service leaflets in large print or another format, please contact the head of Local Inclusion Officer service listed above.