As special educational needs and disabilities coordinators, we can be a lifeline for some children and their families, supporting children with SEND through their education journey.
For some families, getting their child on the SEND register is incredibly important and seen as the ticket to them getting the help they need. Others will find it hard to accept that their child should be on the register at all. This divergence of perspectives underscores the importance of a clear, robust and objective referral process.
When I first became a Sendco, I felt like I was learning a totally new language. Staff would stop me in the corridor and raise concerns about children, which could sometimes be misunderstood or forgotten. So I’ve spent time building a more reliable, robust system that can be tracked over time. I use it alongside my entry and exit criteria, which I have written about before.
Here’s how it works:
1. Referral form
Staff submit a brief online form (I use Microsoft Forms) detailing their concerns and outlining any prior interventions. This initial step is designed to be quick and accessible, taking no more than five minutes. I didn’t want staff to refrain from submitting referrals over fear of accountability: if there is a child with unidentified special educational needs, I want to know about them. That being said, I do ask staff what adaptive teaching strategies have been used prior to them putting in the referral.
2. Round robin
A standardised online form is circulated among all the child’s teachers, allowing for a collective perspective on their needs. This allows me to see what other teachers are seeing. This also takes about five minutes, with mainly closed questions and an opportunity to raise any concerns at the end. Staff are always given one week to complete these with a reminder sent two days before the deadline. I generally have a high response rate.
3. Work review
I always like to have a look at the student’s books, scrutinising letters, spelling and legibility of writing as well as whether tasks are finished and if work is consistent throughout their lessons. This offers useful insights into their academic progress and areas of difficulty.
4. Observation
Observations are among the most fascinating parts of the process: observing one child can tell a whole story that teachers can miss when managing a class. This allows for a holistic assessment of the child’s behaviour, learning style and social interactions.
5. Testing
Over time, I have developed a bank of testing, which I will pick and mix depending on the nature of the concern. These tests can look at things including (but not limited to) processing speed, phonological awareness, speed of handwriting, spelling, maths, reading age, speech and language, and comprehension.
6. Reporting
The final report draws to an end the referral process and brings the whole process together. It can be lengthy, so I find it easier to write a small paragraph outlining my findings at the end of each of the above steps, set out as: background information, student views, parent views, testing results, summary, actions.
7. Information sharing
Finally, the report is shared with relevant staff (such as the head of year and designated 51ºÚÁÏ lead), parents and leadership, and a decision is made regarding the child’s placement on the SEND register. If a child is being added to the SEND register, families will receive a letter confirming this.
If a child is added, a one-page profile is completed and specific, individualised strategies would be added to support them. Teaching staff would use this in conjunction with their adaptive teaching booklet (which I have also written about before).
Because the referral system is so robust, if further referrals need to be made, the report can simply be copied and pasted, as the bulk of the work has already been done. This has saved us hours dealing with the local authority’s inclusion support for some things we have been able to do ourselves.
In terms of workload, I allow myself a half term to complete each referral which, on average, takes about four hours. However, although I always like to observe the child in class myself, there is no reason many of the other aspects of the referral cannot be delegated to an assistant Sendco (if you’re lucky enough to have one) or other SEND support staff.
Laura Chamberlain is special educational needs coordinator at Shireland CBSO Academy
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