CHAPTER 5

Working with pupils who have special educational needs

If you are working as a teaching assistant, it is likely that as part of your role you will at some stage be asked to support pupils who have special educational needs (SEN). You may do this because you are employed specifically to support an individual as a learning support assistant (more on this later), however, you may also need to work with individuals or groups who need additional adult help in order to have full access to the curriculum. In order to do this you will need to have skills in a number of areas, both in your relationships with others, such as teachers, parents and other professionals, as well as having empathy and understanding for the pupils you support. It may be that you develop a high level of responsibility, particularly if you are working with an individual, as you will get to know them and their particular needs and develop partnerships with others who support them.

you will need to have skills in a number of areas

SEN Code of Practice

The term ‘special educational need’ is defined by the SEN Code of Practice 2001 as ‘a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them’. The Code of Practice (COP) is a document which sets out clearly how the provision for pupils with special educational needs should be managed within schools and local authorities. If you are working with a pupil who has special educational needs, you should be familiar with the code and its fundamental principles, which are:

• •A child with special educational needs should have their needs met.
• •The special educational needs of children will normally be met in mainstream schools or settings.
• •The views of the child should be sought and taken into account.
• •Parents have a vital role to play in supporting their child’s education.
• •Children with special educational needs should be offered full access to a broad, balanced and relevant education, including an appropriate curriculum for the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum.

These principles focus on the child or young person and identify the steps which should be taken by schools and local authorities in order to support them and their families effectively. Schools should work with pupils and parents in order to ensure that as far as possible the needs of children and young people are met in mainstream schools. Your role according to the Code of Practice is to work closely with the pupil and with parents and teaching staff in order to do this.

Under the SEN Code of Practice, there are different levels of response to pupils with additional needs in schools and Early Years settings. If you are working with a pupil who has special educational needs, their level of support will be indicated on their IEP. They are set out as:

• •School or Early Years Action;
• •School or Early Years Action Plus;
• •Statement.

Early Years Action and Action Plus are for children who are in nursery or reception classes.

School or Early Years Action

At this stage, the teacher or parent has identified that a pupil is working at a different level from the majority of the class. The school, in consultation with the pupil and with parents, will need to form and provide an educational programme which is tailored to the specific needs of the pupil. They will also need to document what steps they are taking as a record, usually in the form of targets. Depending on the age and needs of the pupil, they will be involved in identifying and agreeing targets which are achievable. This document is known as an IEP, or Individual Education Plan (see Figure 5.1), and parents and pupils will both need to sign a copy which they should keep, while the school copy will go in the pupil’s file.

Figure 5.1 An example of an IEP

Targets

The IEP targets will have a date set for review and the school will need to make sure that this is recorded at the time of writing. Usually an IEP runs for half a term, although occasionally this may be slightly longer. If the target has not been met at the time of the review meeting, the SENCO may choose to record that it is ongoing, or amend it if it is not achievable for the pupil.

School or Early Years Action Plus

At this stage, the child or young person will have been working on their additional targets for some time. This may mean that they have had several IEPs and the school and parents may still have concerns about their progress despite the additional input. The SENCO may decide to increase the level of support to School Action Plus which means that the school will invite other professionals to assess the pupil (for examples of the kind of professionals these might be, see pages 85–7). This may happen either within or outside school, depending on their role. After the assessment, the other professional would support and advise the school on further targets and continue to help with monitoring and reviewing their progress.

Statement

At the third level of intervention for pupils who have special ­educational needs, all professionals working with the child or young person would need to show that the school has done all it can to support them. They should then set out why they have a case for needing additional help in order to meet the needs of the pupil. This will usually be a request for a number of hours per week of individual support in the form of a teaching assistant. At this stage, the SENCO will need to gather reports from all the professionals working with the pupil as well as all of their IEPs and the views of the parents and the pupil, and put together a case which will then be considered by a panel of professionals at the local education authority which will usually meet once a month. The panel may or may not decide that the pupil needs a statutory assessment, and may ask the school for more evidence if this is not clear. If the school is successful in their request, the pupil’s papers will then go to a further panel which will assess the pupil’s needs. At the next stage, if successful, the pupil will be allocated a set number of hours per week of individual support. This will then be reviewed annually at a meeting with all those who work with the child to assess whether the support is still needed.

Knowing about the needs of the pupil you support

If you are supporting a pupil who has special educational needs, you will need to know about and be able to respond to their specific needs. The Code of Practice sets out the four main areas of special educational need, and although each pupil will be different and their needs often relate to more than one area, it is helpful to have some idea of how their requirements are outlined. In each case, the needs of the pupil may be moderate, severe or profound: in other words they may be slight, or they may impact on the pupil in all that they do. The areas of need are discussed below.

you will need to know about their specific needs

Communication and interaction

This means that the pupil may have a speech and language delay, impairment or disorder which will affect their ability to communicate with others. The causes may be due to a variety of reasons, some of which are given below.

Speech and language delays or disorders

These may range from problems such as a stutter to more complicated disorders where pupils have difficulties in thinking through their language (known as processing). Some pupils may need regular speech and language therapy in order to help them to develop their communication skills.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Individuals who are autistic have a developmental disorder which affects the way in which they relate to others. This will vary in severity – whilst some pupils may just seem distracted, others may display quite disruptive behaviour such as frequent interruptions, and some may not speak at all. Autistic pupils will find it difficult to communicate with their peers and to play imaginatively, and may react inappropriately in some social situations. They may need varying degrees of support to help them to communicate effectively with others.

In addition to this, the communication abilities of pupils who have other areas of special educational need such as cognition and learning, or sensory needs, may be affected by an overriding condition. For example, a child or young person who has learning difficulties may have slower language processing skills or find it difficult to follow instructions. They might also have a limited understanding of non-verbal communication such as facial expressions or body language shown by others.

Cognition and learning

Pupils who have cognition and learning needs may find it difficult to absorb new information, and they may take longer to do their work. For effective learning to take place, pupils need to have developed a range of cognitive skills for processing and storing information. When they have difficulties in this area, there will be an impact on the development of these skills. Pupils may therefore need help in the following areas.

Language, memory and reasoning skills

Children who have cognition and learning difficulties may take longer to develop language skills. This in turn affects their learning, as they are less able to store and process information.

Sequencing and organisational skills

Pupils may need help and support when organising themselves because they may find it difficult to follow sequences of ideas.

Understanding of numbers

The abstract concepts of arithmetic may be difficult for these pupils to grasp and they will need practical help with numbers.

Problem solving and concept development

Understanding new ideas may take more time for these pupils and they may need one-to-one support.

Behaviour, social and emotional development

Pupils who have behaviour, social and emotional development needs may display challenging or immature behaviour and their needs can be varied, as the reasons for poor behaviour are complex. When managing these pupils you will need to be proactive rather than reactive in your approach – in other words, it is important that pupils are aware of guidelines for their behaviour and the consequences of their actions. They also need to be given opportunities to develop relationships with others and treat them with respect.

be proactive rather than reactive

If you are working with these pupils as an individual support assistant you will need to work closely with other professionals to decide on the best form of intervention to use, but developing a positive relationship and finding out as much as possible about them is a good starting point. As well as their IEP, these pupils may also be given a Behaviour Support Plan (BSP) if they need to have shorter-term targets for more regular review (for more on behaviour management in general see Chapter 4). Figure 5.2 shows some intervention strategies for pupils who have social and emotional needs.

Figure 5.2 Strategies for behaviour intervention

Sensory and/or physical

Pupils with sensory and/or physical impairments will have hearing, visual or physical support needs. They may have a disability or medical condition which impacts on all areas of their learning, or they may need very little support. It should not be assumed that these pupils need any form of special educational provision if they are able to access the curriculum without support, as their condition may not impact on their educational needs. However, in some cases, pupils will require specialised provision to ensure that they are included in all areas of the curriculum. Depending on their needs, you should find out about any specialist equipment they have and be able to select and use any materials required to support their learning. Pupils with sensory or physical impairments may tire easily and their social and emotional development may be affected as they may become frustrated if they are not able to complete tasks as quickly or as well as they would hope to.

You should ensure that pupils with disabilities are encouraged to participate as much as possible in all activities alongside their peers and that you intervene only if necessary and after speaking to the pupil.

Working with parents

The Code of Practice was introduced in 2001 to make the process of identifying, assessing and supporting pupils with special educational needs more straightforward, and to give them an increased right to education in a mainstream school. It also increased the level of support available to parents and families of these pupils and involved them more in the process, so that it became more of a partnership. As a result, if you are working with a pupil who has special educational needs, you should find that you are working closely both with pupils and families as part of your role.

The most important area to remember when working with parents is that lines of communication will need to be kept open at all times. You will need to establish a positive relationship with them in order to ensure that the flow of information between home and school is continuous. The relationship should be one of mutual support and co-operation as both the school and parents will have the pupil’s interests at the heart of all they do.

lines of communication will need to be kept open at all times

The school will need to make sure that parents have regular information about the pupil’s progress, are aware of any intervention which is made, and are encouraged to contribute in any way which may support their child. They will need to consult parents before referring the pupil to any other professional. The school should also ensure that they are as supportive as possible to parents, who may be under pressure due to their child’s needs, and respect their contributions and points of view. All schools should have a member of staff who is a family support worker, and, if you are supporting an individual pupil, you may need to work alongside this staff member.

Parents should be asked to support the school by giving them information as they will have the most expertise on their child and their needs. They will need to feel welcome in school and able to raise any concerns that they have about the pupil.

Working with outside agencies

There are a number of different agencies with whom you may come into contact when working with pupils who have special educational needs. These will mainly be based outside school and pupils will usually have appointments during or after lessons. However, they may also act in an advisory role and come to the school to give support for strategies which may be used when working with pupils who have special educational needs. If you are starting to work with an individual pupil, you will need to find out those agencies who are working with the pupil and whether you need to be present at any meetings which take place. The main agencies with whom you may come into contact are described below.

Speech and language therapist (SLT)

The speech and language therapist will give support to pupils with a range of difficulties. These may be issues such as problems with articulation or minor speech impairment to more complex language disorders. The pupil will need to be referred to the speech therapist either through their GP or the school, and will usually be given six-week ‘blocks’ of therapy as well as work for pupils and families to do at home as well as advice for the school. The SENCO will also liaise with the SLT to continue work in school on a day-to-day basis until the next block of therapy.

Occupational therapist (OT)

The occupational therapist will work with pupils on programmes to develop their fine motor skills. These are to do with the level of control they have over their hands (for example, cutting, threading, fastenings, and pen and pencil control). They will develop individual programmes for pupils to use at home, as well as giving advice for activities that they can work on at school.

Physiotherapist

The physiotherapist will work with pupils on programmes to develop their gross motor skills. These are to do with the level of control they have over their arms and legs (for example, walking, running, jumping, waving, throwing and so on). They will develop individual programmes for pupils to use at home, as well as giving advice for activities that they can work on at school.

Educational psychologist (EP)

The educational psychologist will come in and work with the school to assess pupils who are a cause for concern and to decide whether it is appropriate for them to go for a statutory assessment. They will usually come into school once a term. Often the educational psychologist will work long term with specific pupils if the school has concerns and will meet with parents and staff to devise learning plans and will write reports.

Sensory support teacher

When a school starts working with a pupil who has sensory support needs, the sensory support teacher will come into school to advise staff how to prepare the learning environment and give advice about managing their needs. For example, the school may need advice and/or equipment if they have a pupil with a hearing or visual impairment.

Autism advisory teacher

This teacher will be a specialist in working with pupils who have autistic spectrum disorder and will regularly come in to school to observe and devise specific strategies for individuals. If you are working with an autistic pupil it is likely that you will have some contact with this teacher.

Working with your SENCO and understanding their role

If you are working with pupils who have special educational needs it is likely that you will be managed by or have a close relationship with your SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator). The SENCO is responsible for the day-to-day co-ordination of educational provision for pupils in the school with special educational needs. They will usually be a member of the school’s senior management team, although this is not always the case. It is likely that they will have a large workload as they will be responsible for managing the paperwork not only for pupils with statements but also all intervention programmes in the school and all pupils who have IEPs or BSPs. As well as advising other school staff, they will also need to co-ordinate the advice and reports written by external professionals, as well as managing appointments between these professionals and parents and teaching staff.

The role of the SENCO has in the past sometimes been taken by non-qualified teachers and has in some schools become a non-teaching post due to the workload, but this will depend on the school and the number of pupils. It is intended that from September 2011, all SENCOs will be qualified teachers, and there is now a national qualification available for SENCOs new to the role.

You should have time set aside with the SENCO to discuss any issues which come up in your work with pupils. This may mean going through new reports or strategies which have been suggested, so that you can work out how to fit these in to the pupils’ timetable, and also to discuss any issues both before and after any meetings with parents and external agencies. The school should also have a SENCO assistant, who should have some time set aside to give support with administration. It is important that the assistant and SENCO also have some time together each week to discuss issues and catch up.

have time set aside with the SENCO

Working in a special school

Special schools exist as provision for pupils whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream school. They may specialise in specific conditions or needs, such as pupil behaviour, or may be for pupils who have moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties. If you are working in a special school, it is likely that your role will vary from day to day, depending on the needs of the children. In some special schools, all support staff will support all pupils, as there will be fewer numbers and all staff will know all pupils, whilst in others you may support a named pupil. You may be given a different timetable depending on the day and who is available, or you may have the same routine. You may also need to have additional training depending on the school and the needs of the pupils; for example, if you are required to carry out lifting or are asked to work on specific physio or occupational therapy with pupils, or need training in the use of equipment.

Depending on the school, you may not have as much contact with parents as at a mainstream school, as in some special schools the pupils will arrive and leave each day in special transport buses. However, parents will be encouraged to participate in the life of the school in other ways.

Further reading

• •Dix, Paul (2009) Taking Care of Behaviour, Pearson.
• •www.nasen.org.uk – National Association for Special Educational Needs.