Out-of-the-box ways to help learners with SEND in mainstream schools

One of the challenges with SEND education is that for some learners – such as the academically able – the support available in mainstream schools can be less than they might need. And yet specialist schools with a high level of pastoral and learning-related support may not offer an appropriate academic pathway.

This leaves a gap that can be challenging for families. Supplementing the support available in mainstream schools can create a great deal of project management for parents, who have to liaise between their child’s school and different services and professionals. While this should, in theory, be undertaken by a school SENDCo, often this resource is at a premium, and SENDCos have so many responsibilities that they are not able to spend the time needed to create an individual programme that will enable a learner to be more successful or stay at that school. In addition, where parents are supplementing provision outside of school, this makes it harder for schools to manage the additional support.

One way we have seen parents address this is by seeking a robust package of support for their child that is professionally managed and coordinated. In the past, options to achieve this were limited. But partly because local authorities have reduced the number of specialist advisory teachers they employ, there are more professionals and organisations now that are available to do this. It can be more helpful for learners with 用帥杏 and Health Care Plans (EHCP) for an organisation to be specified in the EHCP to arrange this and coordinate the provision. Sometimes this needs to be with a mixture of public sector and independent services, due to shortages in public-sector personnel in areas such as speech and language therapy.

Other options include appointing alternative provision organisations that can come into school and deliver specialist teaching and therapeutic support, such as occupational or speech and language therapy. This can be timetabled to a frequency that is considered appropriate for the learner’s individual needs, and delivered in a group or one to one. It can provide in-depth pre-teaching and extra-teaching of the curriculum in areas of difficulty, integrated with the school’s own teaching plans, as well as specialist interventions needed to improve academic performance, boost inclusion and address therapeutic targets.

When specialist teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists and other key professionals work together in an integrated way, their impact becomes more profound – and, in turn, a child’s learning becomes more integrated. This kind of joined-up support can also offer different curriculum options that a school might not otherwise be able to provide, and allow learners to remain in mainstream education. We often see parents ferrying their children to therapy and education settings after school, and yet this is not necessarily the most effective way to deliver support, even if it is the only option at times.

Due to the social exclusion that can happen for some learners who endure high levels of sensory distress in school settings, it is sometimes helpful to have a hybrid provision in and outside of school (home or community-based), thus giving access to social connections and valuable learning in school, while balancing this with the sensory and mental health capacity needed to be in that environment. Again, this can work excellently if it is person-centred, sensitively curated and designed with the right support from appropriately qualified professionals. We advise asking the professionals recommending support to also specify who should provide it and who is responsible for organising and managing it.

Of course, while these options can be ideal, it often takes careful work to access this kind of support, and that is where advice and input from professionals is helpful. Often, the work needed to put provision in place – particularly where it is complicated and involves a variety of services – is underestimated, and it is sometimes assumed that schools have the resources to manage provision from a variety of sources, when in reality this may not be the case.

If you need help navigating these issues or support working with your child’s current school, our advisory team can help you.

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Out-of-the-box ways to help learners with SEND in mainstream schools

TE Schools Advice