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SEND support and provision guidance (Graduated Response)

School Age

All children and young people are entitled to an education that is appropriate to their needs, promotes high standards and provides them with opportunity to reach their potential, allowing them to achieve their best, become confident individuals and make a successful transition to adulthood (SEND COP, 2014: 6.1)

Quality First teaching, which is differentiated and personalised, will meet the needs of the majority of children and young people. Some children and young people require provision that is additional to or different to this. This is special educational provision (Section 21, Children and Families Act, 2014).

Bedford Borough’s SEND Provision Guidance, provides guidance for the families of children or young people with SEND, for young people with SEND themselves and for all those who work with children and young people with SEND, in particular those staff members who have a delegated responsibility for ensuring their needs are met.

It can be used:

• To provide a reference point to support staff in schools, colleges and post 16 providers when considering appropriate and purposeful provision to meet a child or young person’s need

• As a self-evaluation tool so that staff in schools, colleges and post 16 providers can check that they are providing appropriate and purposeful provision to meet a child or young person’s needs

• To promote the involvement of parent/carers and young people in decisions affecting the child or young person’s learning and support and to provide clarity and transparency when explaining to parent/carers the provision the school, college or post 16 provider is making for their child

• By the Local Authority to determine whether appropriate and purposeful provision is being made to meet a child or young person’s needs prior to requests being made for additional resources

Early Years

The Guidance on meeting Special Educational Needs in Early Years provides guidance to all Families, Early Years Practitioners and Health and Social Care Professionals to support planning and decision- making for special educational needs and disability (SEND), in relation to children who are eligible for funded nursery education.