Supporting Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as part of the graduated approach

Quality First Teaching (QFT)

QFT aims to engage and support the learning of all children and young people. It places a strong focus on pupil participation in learning.

Pupil profiles

Outlines information about a child/young person's needs that can be shared with staff.

• All about me (PDF, 580.0kb) (younger child)

Short note

Early identification is the key to supporting a pupil's needs. A 'short note' of early discussions with parents/carers should be added to the pupil's record and monitored on a regular basis in partnership with parents/carers. These templates can be adapted by settings.

Mainstream banding descriptors documents coming soon.

• Quality First Teaching - early identification short note (Word version) (DOC, 52.0kb)
• Quality First Teaching - early identification short note (PDF version) (PDF, 115.4kb)
• Short note about a child's emerging needs in early years (Word version) (DOC, 52.0kb)
• Short note about a child's emerging needs in early years (PDF version) (PDF, 216.5kb)

Planning tools

These tools describe the type of support that early years providers, schools and colleges should be making for pupils.

Early years planning tools

• SEN planning tool for early years (PDF, 641.0kb)

Practical approaches to support inclusion

• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion – Deaf Hearing Support (PDF, 390.7kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Multi-Sensory Impairment (PDF, 234.9kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs (PDF, 296.2kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion - Speech Language Communication (PDF, 183.5kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion – Pupils with a Visual Impairment (PDF, 273.0kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion for Pupils with Cognition and Learning Needs (PDF, 231.8kb)
• Practical Approaches to Support Inclusion Autism and Social Communication (PDF, 137.5kb)
• Anxious about school guidance (PDF, 1.7mb)

Further education and post 16 planning tools

• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with speech language and communication needs (PDF, 750.2kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with Autism (PDF, 532.6kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with a hearing impairment (PDF, 520.2kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with a visual impairment (PDF, 503.0kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with learning difficulties (PDF, 425.0kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with physical difficulties (PDF, 424.8kb)
• Further education (post 16) SEN planning tool - young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties (PDF, 352.2kb)

My Story

This can be used by a child/young person and parent/carers to record background information, so that they do not have to repeat this information to different professionals.

• My Story (monochrome version) (PDF, 2.6mb)
• My Story (PDF, 2.6mb)
• My Story for younger children (PDF, 1.2mb)

SEND support

Within this section you will find documentation, guidance and templates to help support a child/young person with special educational needs and disabilities:

• Individual learning plan for EHCP reviews (Word version) (DOC, 38.2kb)
• Individual learning plan for EHCP reviews (PDF version) (PDF, 1.9mb)