Assessing Children with Additional Educational Needs


The purpose of assessing is to identify how pupils are functioning and the difficulties being experienced in order to ascertain their additional requirements.

The assessment of a pupil’s additional need will lead to a description of the additional provision and any resources required for meeting that provision.

Observing children while they perform tasks in the classroom or the playground helps the teacher determine how well they function:

• Carefully observe and record accurate observations
  
  
• Record children’s/pupils’ progress
  
  
• In pupils’ records, include comments from parents/carers and child
  
  
• Evaluate progress made – is it ‘adequate’?
  
  
• If inadequate, plan interventions which are ‘additional’ or ‘different’ from those usually provided.
  

Standardised Tests

These are used to look at specific skills and are administered to a group of children who are the same age. The child’s score is compared with scores received by others in the group. The child’s performance is calculated into percentiles or standardised scores. If, for example, a child’s score is at the sixth percentile, it indicates that out of 100 children 94 children scored higher. There are a number of different standardised tests that can be administered to determine a child’s attainment levels in specific areas, for example motor or reading difficulties.

In Bridgend, the Educational Psychologist Service in conjunction with Access and Inclusion has developed a Special Educational Needs Identification Profile (SENIP) to assist class teachers in identifying children’s specific areas of difficulty. The SENIP can also be used for target setting and monitoring for children who are placed at ‘school action’.



School Action

School Action is when a school identifies a child with additional needs and plans interventions which are additional to OR different from those provided as part of the school’s usual differentiated curriculum and strategies.

If this is the case, the class teacher will need to:

• Collect the relevant information
  
  
• Complete the SENIP and/or carry out an informal assessment
  
  
• Involve the parents/carers at an early stage
  
  
• Develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in consultation with the SENCo
  
  
• Aim the IEP at enabling the child to make progress
  
  
• Review the IEP at least twice a year, but ideally termly – with both parent/carer and child involvement
  
  
• Evaluate and decide future plans
  
  
  

School Action Plus

School Action Plus may be considered when reviews identify that ‘adequate’ progress is not being made. If a child’s class teacher in consultation with parents and SENCo concludes that a child may need further support to help their progress, a referral to the appropriate outside agency should be made whereby a decision will be taken regarding movement from School Action to School Action Plus.

Class teachers, in consultation with the SENCo, continue to implement IEPs that relate to agreed intervention and support by outside agencies.

Please click on the relevant Referral Forum below to download the appropriate form.

Bridgend Special Educational Identification Profile (SENIP)

Purpose of the SENIP

• To aid in the identification of children who may... or may not... have additional needs.
  
  
• To be used to aid target setting and monitoring for children who are placed at ‘school action’.
  
  
• To be used as a discussion document in the consultation meeting with the school’s link Educational Psychologist.

Completion of the SENIP

• It is imperative that the whole profile is completed.
  
  
• The questions have been designed so that they are not always phrased and scored in the same direction.
  
  
• The profile can be completed over a number of days.
  
  
• Class teachers, not the SENCo. should complete the profile.
  
  
• It is advisable to confer with colleagues who know the child.

Scoring of the SENIP

• Each question is answered by ticking one point on a three point scale.
  
  
• Each section has its own total score.
  
  
• Once the whole profile is completed scores for each section are transferred onto page 22.
  
  
• The sections are interpreted through the pupil the profile on page 23.

Outcomes of the SENIP

• The lower scores, which fall in the first column, can be considered a learning strength.
  
  
• Scores which fall in the central column indicate that the child requires further monitoring. The information can be used to set learning targets for a new Individual Action Plan (IAP).
  
  
• For all scores which fall in the final column, teachers will need to use their professional judgement to prioritise the largest area of concern and to refer accordingly.
  
  
  

The Referral Process

The completed referral form must be accompanied by:

• A current and previous IAP.
  
  
• Written parental consent for external agency involvement.
  
  
• If relevant to the area of concern, supporting evidence e.g. a sample of free writing.
  
  
• Any additional information.

Visit the Assessments section of the downloads page for the latest SENIP referral form.