Young People
- Using the Website and Accessibility
- My Education
- My Options
- My EHC Plan and Annual Review
- Exclusions
- SEND Support at University
- My Travel and Transport
- My Money and Benefits
- My Job
- My Housing
- My Relationships
- My Mental Health
- My Activites and Engagement Opportunities
- My Transition to Adult Social Care services
- My Transition to Adult Health services
- Appeals
- Complaints
- Disability Discrimination
- What It's Like to Be Me
- My Easy Read Guides
My Education
There are some laws to support children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). These are to make sure that you are treated fairly and receive the support you need from schools, educational settings, colleges, and the local authority.
Understanding support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support. Hi, I'm going to talk about me and what extra support and help I get at school. I love riding my bike, walking my dog, and playing with my friends. I can do lots of things really well, but sometimes I struggle and need extra help. Simple things can help me in school, such as a visual timetable, somebody taking extra notes for me, or being sat close to the front of the class. Sometimes I need help with my feelings and my worries too. In my school, we have somebody who can help work out new ways of helping me. They may be called a SENDCo, a SENCo, or an Inclusion Manager. I often talk to my teachers about how I am doing with my learning. My parent carers are also involved with me in this conversation. We talk about my outcomes, which are the things I have been trying to achieve. Together, we agree on my next steps and plan the support that I need to achieve this. My outcomes are aspirational, which means they might be challenging. This is why they need breaking down into manageable steps. We work through four steps: Assess, Plan, Do, and Review. Special Educational Needs (SEN) support at school is a four-stage cycle, also known as the graduated approach: Assess, Plan, Do, Review. Assess: My teachers will work with the SENCo to decide what kind of extra help and support I may need and talk to me about how I feel. Sometimes they will ask other professionals for advice. Plan: A plan will then be written out with all of my aims, outcomes, and what support they will give me, including dates of when this will be reviewed. Do: The SENCo will support my teachers, teaching assistants, and specialist staff to put all the support in place. Review: My school should meet with me and my parents at least three times a year. We will review my progress and what difference the support has made. We will talk about what can be done next. My school provides all the extra support I need for me to learn, but some people may need a lot more help and could consider applying for an Education, Health, and Care Needs Assessment. If you need more help understanding support at school or college, you can contact your local SEND Information, Advice, and Support Service (SENDIASS).
All children and young people are entitled to an education that helps them to make progress so that they:
- achieve their best
- become confident individuals living fulfilling lives, and
- make a successful transition into adulthood, whether into employment, further or higher education, or training.
For some children and young people to make progress, they need extra support, called SEN support, which is ‘over and above’ the support that their peers may need.
The law says that all schools and colleges must provide children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) with support to be able to access education and learning.
If you feel that you would like help and support to get the things that you need to succeed in learning, then you can contact Ask Us Nottinghamshire.
Sometimes children and young people feel that they aren’t getting the support that they need to succeed. This can feel worrying and frustrating. If you feel like this, it is very important that you talk to someone about how you feel. This person can be a parent, carer, a trusted adult or a teacher at school or college.
You may want to share how you are feeling about how things are going in school, at college, or at home. If you think that this would be helpful, you could talk through some of the questions below.
- What do you enjoy?
- Do you have any worries?
- Is there anything you would like to ask your teacher?
- Is there anything you think would help?
- Is there anything that is not helping?
- What would you like to change?
- What extra help is available?
- How am I doing with my work? Am I making progress?
- Who can I talk to if I am worried about anything?
- How do I know that my teachers or tutors know about my SEND needs and what support I need? (Tell them what would make you feel confident about this.)
- What do I do if I feel that I am struggling?
- Can you help me to make friends?
- If there somewhere I can go when I feel overwhelmed?
- Is there anywhere I can go that is quiet?
- What can my family do to support me at home?
- What will happen if things do not start to improve?
Writing a list of things that you would like to raise with your teacher or tutor is a good way to help you remember and can also be useful to keep the conversation structured.
Class and subject teachers, supported by other school and college staff, should make regular assessments of progress for all pupils, including you. If you need extra help, this should be identified, and support should be made available.
Any extra help that you get should be detailed in a SEN support plan. The college or school should keep records of the extra support given to you and the progress you have made. This should be reviewed at least three times a year with you and where appropriate, your family.
SEND support can take many forms, including:
- Accessible information, such as symbol-based materials
- Mentoring
- Assistive technology, specialist tuition or note-takers
- One-to-one and small group learning support
- Housing/independent living training
- A special learning programme, designed to support you
- Extra help from a teacher or a learning support assistant
- Making or changing materials and equipment to suit your needs
- Observing you in class or at break and keeping records
- Helping you to take part in the class activities
- Making sure you have understood things, by encouraging you to ask questions and to try something you find difficult
- Helping other children work with you, or play with you at break time
- Supporting you with physical or personal care, such as eating, getting around school safely, toileting or dressing
- Advice and/or extra help from specialists such as specialist teachers, educational psychologists, and therapists.
The support offered should be reviewed regularly, to make sure that it is helpful, and that you are making progress.
If you are having trouble with your education, such as struggling at school or college and don't know who to ask for help, or you need support in making decisions about your future, you can talk to us.
The Ask Us Nottinghamshire service is here to help with a range of issues. We can give you advice, speak to your parents, and help you identify someone at your school who can support you.
SEND Local Offer
The Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council SEND Local Offers are a great resource for finding events, support and activities in your area.
City Council County Council