The information below is taken from Section A of the Ordinarily available provision guidance for schools. The full guidance is also available to download as Ordinarily available provision guidance for schools (PDF).
Definition of Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP)
OAP is part of a school’s approach to inclusive education based on individual needs. It removes barriers to progress and supports the development of every child. It forms part of everyday provision that schools are expected to deliver, within their resources, and is available to all children as part of high-quality teaching and learning practice.
Key principles of OAP
- Empowers children and young people to be independent and develop their decision making in preparation for adulthood.
- Takes a personalised approach that acknowledges success looks different for everyone.
- Holds the views and aspirations of children, young people and their families central to planning, and ensures they are included in decision making.
- Ensures assessment and intervention focus on identified needs and not a diagnosis. This refers to a need led approach that centres on inclusion and adaptations.
- Is a whole school approach, where inclusion is fully integrated, not something extra.
- Places a strong focus on inclusive practice where schools endeavour to remove barriers to learning, adapt to support progress and social inclusion, create environments that offer a strong sense of belonging for all learners.
Importance of relationships
We thought we were good at relationships and that we held them in high regard. (After attending the Relational Practice Whole School Leadership Programme) We realised that we had more to do and that our actions were not intentional enough in ensuring relationships were at the heart of everything we do.
A Head Teacher
Relationships are essential for creating a successful and supportive school community where everyone belongs, and learning can take place. Relational practice is a way of being, a fundamental ethos which provides an environment where healthy relationships are fostered, where there is both, high support, and high challenge. It underpins and aligns with the approach.
A relational approach is evidenced through the daily interactions and culture of the school, promoting trust, empathy, and mutual respect among children and young people, parents, carers and the wider school team.
When relationships are at the heart of everything we do, the community feels connected, there is increased engagement, and everyone thrives both socially and academically.
Relational practice is about proactive relationship building and maintenance, reducing conflict and enabling resolution and repair. Relational communities seek to understand behaviour, show curiosity and acknowledge all behaviour as a form of communication. Having well established positive relationships with children and families leads to a secure foundation on which to build when additional support is needed. When additional support is needed it is provided in a restorative way where everyone is involved in what happens next and in deciding how to move forward.
Benefits of relational practice
For children
- Higher engagement: Feeling valued boosts motivation.
- Positive behaviour: Reduces behaviour that challenges.
- Stronger social skills: Develops communication, empathy, and teamwork. Includes a positive impact on attendance.
- Supports mental health and emotional well-being
For Teachers and Teaching staff
- Improved classroom environment: Fewer disruptions, more cooperation
- Job satisfaction: Meaningful connections lead to a more positive experience
- Better collaboration: Stronger relationships between teachers, children and parents
For the Whole School
- Increased sense of belonging: Fosters inclusivity and respect
- Higher academic performance: Studies link relationships to better learning outcomes
- Reduces conflict, bullying and discipline problems
- Creates a safe learning space where children feel respected
- Prepares children for future career, relationships, and lifelong success
- Aligns with school goals: Equity, inclusion, and positive school culture
Relational practice in OAP
Build strong relationships:
- Prioritise getting to know children and colleagues
- Show genuine interest in their lives and experiences
Create safe spaces:
- Ensure that children feel respected and understood
- Foster an environment where children feel safe to express themselves and take risks in learning
Listen with purpose:
- Actively listen to children’s concerns and needs
- Validate children’s feelings and experiences. This will help build trust
Model positive behaviour:
- Demonstrate the behaviour you would like to see from children
- Show kindness, open-mindedness, empathy, in your interactions
Collaborate with families and colleagues:
- Work together to provide consistent support for children
- Engage parents and external agencies to create a unified approach
Understand and respond to behaviour:
- Understand behaviour is a form of communication
- Address underlying needs rather than just managing symptoms
Provide ongoing support and training:
- Invest in continuous professional development for all staff, including support staff and staff not based in the classroom
- Offer regular meetings, supervision, and coaching to maintain skills
Before – What children said before restorative conversations where part of everyday practice
"I don’t think they like me because they always give me strikes."
"I always get sent out, but I can’t help it."
"You get a strike if you do something naughty, but only if you get caught!"
"I don’t always tell the truth because I don’t want to get into trouble."
"I don’t want to get anyone in to trouble or be called a tell-tale." [when teachers ask children who weren’t involved in an incident what happened]
"I don’t care, so red cards don’t work."
After – What children said about restorative conversations once embedded in everyday school practice
“I trust my teacher more now and feel less worried about speaking to her when something happens because I know it will be dealt with in a fair way.”
“My friends were all arguing, we managed to sort it ourselves by listening to each other. We didn’t need to tell anyone, and we are all friends again now.”
What teaching staff said about restorative conversations
“They take away the anxiety of being shamed. The child is not ‘told off’ but there is still a consequence, a logical one."
“Restorative conversations have been illuminating and have helped me view incidents in a different way. I thought I knew what was happening when I observed a situation, but I realised when I listened to the children’s perspective that I had misunderstood.”
“They help you build better relationships with the children. They build trust and support the children to take responsibility for their behaviour.”
“They (children) know they aren’t going to get in trouble, so they are more likely to be honest about what happened.”
“Because they have been involved, the children accept the consequences and take ownership, they understand why it has been given.”
“Children know the incident will be dealt with in a fair way. The structure (of the restorative conversation…) is predictable and everyone gets their say.”
Support around the child
All children in ßÙßÇÂþ» schools’ benefit from high-quality teaching and universal support, enabling the majority to thrive and make strong progress.
At times—and not solely in relation to educational needs—some children may require additional support. In such instances, schools can refer to the Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP) document to identify reasonable adjustments, minor adaptations, and supportive strategies that can be scaffolded around the child to help them continue to make the progress we know they are capable of.
If a child is not making progress, despite the above, schools can look at providing SEND support for the child, in the form of appropriate interventions.
All the above should be considered alongside conversations with parent/carer to understand if anything at home is impacting on school life.
Assess, Plan, Do and Review
The support and actions put in place by the school to meet a child’s needs will usually be re-visited, reviewed, and refined. This allows for increased focus and informed provision to be put in place. These actions aim to ensure children can make good progress and better access the school curriculum. This is often referred to as a graduated response.
For most children, high quality teaching strategies remove potential barriers to learning and enable progress. Where there is evidence of ongoing difficulties that prevent progress, indicating the need for additional support and/or provision, the school should apply the four-part model outlined in the SEND Code of Practice: assess, plan, do, review.
Assess
- What is happening for the child?
- How does the child describe their needs/difficulties?
- What are the parents seeing at home?
- Is there a pattern i.e. a particular lesson/environment?
Plan
- What additional high quality teaching strategies could support the child?
- What additional provision and resources are needed to meet needs?
- Best time for the support to take place?
- Who is best placed to act as point of contact, deliver and review additional support?
- Best way to measure impact?
Do
- Deliver agreed support strategies and note differences made.
- Refine strategies to maximise the effect they have.
- Ensure that additional provision is delivered as it is meant to be
- Observe and gather feedback.
Review
- What adjustments are needed based on observations and feedback?
- What worked well, what didn’t work well?
- Did the child make sustainable progress?
- Identify next steps. Is further support needed?
- Is further training needed for the staff team?
Reasonable adjustments
All children should be helped to fulfil their potential. Reasonable adjustments can help to create equity by minimising the disadvantages that children might face compared with their peers.
Most reasonable adjustments are amendments made to policy and practice that are straightforward to implement, where teaching staff recognise barriers to learning and see the benefits the adjustments have for children. Whilst there is no requirement to change policies for all pupils, adaptive learning environments provide the best opportunities for all children to succeed.
Whilst it is not possible to say what is and is not reasonable, because situations and circumstances are different, schools are encouraged to consider the following when thinking about the reasonable adjustments they can make.
- What is already in place?
- Cost and resources available to the school.
- Potential impact/outcomes.
- Is it practical?
- Health and safety requirements.
- Impact on school standards (incl. academic, musical, sporting).
- Interests of other pupils and prospective pupils.
You can read more about the Equality Act Guide for schools in the National Children's Bureau guidance .
Examples of reasonable adjustments
What are reasonable adjustments and how do they help disabled pupils at school? gives more information on reasonable adjustments, including examples.
When putting reasonable adjustments in place, it is important, in all instances that a member of the school staff team is allocated as a point of contact between home and school, to agree what can be put in place, a timeframe, and dates for review. The same member of school staff should check in with the child daily, to ensure the adjustment is appropriate, and to understand if further adjustments are needed. This may include increasing, extending, or ending the adjustment.
- Child with a broken foot who requires adjustments to the school uniform (footwear) to accommodate the injury for a fixed period, determined by need.
- A child who has experienced a bereavement, requires temporary adjustments to their timetable to support them throughout the grieving process.
- A child who experiences panic attacks is permitted to remove their school tie as and when required.
- A child who has recently been observed struggling to manage their emotions in class has a conversation with a trusted adult, they agree that a movement break card may help. This permits the child to leave the class when needed.
- A child who becomes dysregulated when unclear about what happens next in school is permitted to wear a smart watch with their timetable.
- A child with a visual impairment is able to leave the classroom early to ensure they can easily move through the corridors before everyone starts to move around.
- A child with a visual impairment sits at the back of the class to accommodate their field of vision.
- An inclusive and considered Whole School Food Policy is implemented to enable a child with diabetes to consume a high-calorie snack at breaktime.
- School uniform is adapted for a child who has an allergy to synthetic material or severe eczema.
- Communication systems like traffic light cards are put in place for a pupil who needs extra time to complete a task.
- A child with specific literacy difficulties i.e. dyslexia, has a printout of Interactive Whiteboard presentations to make reading and tracking text easier.
- A short-term reduced timetable, which is reviewed regularly, is agreed for a child with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other neuro-divergence (ND) who finds classroom environments overwhelming, to build their confidence back up to full time attendance.
Working with children and families to make adjustments can increase attendance, improve behaviour, and contribute to building positive relationships. Schools are encouraged to discuss reasonable adjustments with parents and children, who may be able to provide insight that offers innovative solutions.
The states:
In practical situations in everyday settings, the best early years settings, schools and colleges do what is necessary to enable children and young people to develop, learn, participate and achieve the best possible outcomes irrespective of whether that is through reasonable adjustments for a disabled child or young person or special educational provision for a child or young person with Special Educational Needs (SEN).
Schools should assess each child’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, building on any information provided by previous settings and key stages where appropriate. At the same time, schools should consider evidence that a pupil may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and, if so, what reasonable adjustments may need to be made for them.
They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory – it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage.
Further detail on disability discrimination duties in schools can be found on page 3 of the .
High quality teaching
The following sections set out expectations for how high quality teaching will be delivered across various domains, as well as characteristics of good practice.
Provision and coproduction with children, parent and carers
Children told us
‘At my school I have a key worker who comes and gets me from my tutor group to check on me and make sure everything is ok. My mum and dad can speak to the key worker when they need to.’ Key Stage 4 child
‘Some children have difficulties, like my brother. He struggles quite a bit, so I go to a special group, and we do cooking or crafts and stuff. It helps me and I have different friends there.’ Key stage 2 child
‘We have a Student Council, but it’s for everyone, not just Special Educational Needs (SEN) people. Some teachers ask what we think about stuff. They asked us about Sparx Maths and what would make it better and then they changed it.’ Key stage 4 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Parents, carers and children have a named contact who they can speak to. This may be the child’s head of year, SENCo, or another suitable person.
- Families can access a range of formal and informal ways of sharing information about children. This may include, but is not limited to, child and parent surveys, coffee mornings, use of a home school diary, information placed in book bag, text or email. Parents and carers are actively encouraged and supported to contribute.
- Parents and carers are signposted appropriately to ßÙßÇÂþ»’s Local Offer website via the school.
- Parents can access the OAP for Schools guidance on the school website.
- Parents and carers are actively encouraged and supported to contribute to support plans.
- Every school/setting has a SEND information report which is coproduced with parents/carers and updated annually.
- Formal and informal events take place to seek views in relation to SEND from both family carers and children e.g., school council.
Children told us
‘Sometimes I feel scared and don’t want to do learning at school. Drawing makes me feel better, then I can join in with my friends.’ Key stage 1 child
‘If we are having a difficult day we can ask to go and see the Reading Dog. That helps me to relax for a bit.’ Key stage 2 child
‘I used to sit in the front row because I needed extra help. I don’t need so much help now, so I can choose where to sit in any of the other rows.’ Key stage 1 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Parents and carers are aware of their child’s learning needs, the support, and any individually tailored interventions in place.
- Children are aware of their own learning needs, the support in place, as well as any additional support that may be available to them. Children are informed when they are accessing interventions, and when the intervention has come to an end, so that there is an opportunity to reflect on the learning and to plan next steps.
- Targets are coproduced and reviewed with parents, carers and the children themselves.
- Children are supported to understand the difficulties they are experiencing and the strategies they can use to overcome these difficulties.
- Children understand and can contribute to the targets they are working to achieve.
- Child’s strengths and aspirations are key to the support put in place.
- The parent and children’s expertise are actively sought to inform strategies of support.
Pastoral Care
Children told us
‘When the teacher knows me, I feel better because they know what I’m like and what I need.' Key stage 3 child
‘Having a teacher or someone, I can go to when I need them, helps me feel safe and calm.’ Key stage 3 child
‘If I am worried, I can use my ‘Worry Bubble’ then the teacher will come and find me to talk about it.’ Key stage 2 child
‘I have dyslexia, and we all get given coloured overlays. They don’t help me, so the teacher just gives me a bit more time to read things and doesn’t make me read out loud.’ Key stage 4 child
‘There is some bullying, and we talk in class and assembly about how to treat our friends. The Headteacher always takes it seriously so that’s who I tell.’ Key Stage 2 child
‘I have a movement card so that I can leave the class if I need to. Sometimes I pop out and come back, other times I go to the SEND room and chat with the teacher. That stops me getting in big trouble.’ Key stage 4 child
‘In tutor we talk about relationships and stuff about looking after ourselves.’ Key stage 4 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Children feel they are listened to, heard, and treated with respect.
- There is a calm and purposeful learning environment where children belong, feel welcome, and that their contributions are valued.
- Children can identify an agreed safe space that they can access and use when they need it.
- Relationships are at the heart of the school’s culture. Relational and Restorative Practice is evidenced through the school values, behaviour and teaching and learning policies. Everyone in the school community demonstrates positive regard for each other.
- The school/setting fosters a culture of self-help, cooperation, and collaboration. A range of strategies are used to promote peer support.
- Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is proactively planned to help develop a sense of belonging, self-esteem, health and wellbeing along with skills to develop social and emotional literacy, assertiveness, decision making and resilience.
- Children have opportunities to understand their own needs and reflect on the needs of others
- Peer awareness and sensitivity towards difference e.g., SEND and protected characteristics, are raised at a whole school level. Work is then carried out with classes and groups regarding specific needs or conditions as appropriate.
- Difference is accepted with all children included and represented across all aspects of school life.
- The language used in school/setting is positive and encouraging.
- Unconscious bias training is available for all staff.
- See relevant policies as set out in Theme 1 of the approach.
- Children know a trusted adult/teacher/person they can talk to when they have a concern. They know how, where and when they can reach them.
- The setting promotes positive attitudes, beliefs and practices towards individuals and groups.
- The staff in the setting model positive attitudes, beliefs, and practices.
- The views of children are sought regularly to identify and implement improvements.
- Children are ready to learn before teaching begins and teachers are equipped with a collection of strategies for this.
- Staff and teachers listen so that children, parents and carers feel that they have been heard, and their concerns have been acknowledged and addressed accordingly.
Physical and sensory environment
Please read in conjunction with the section on reasonable adjustments.
Children told us
‘I get lesson notes printed for me, so that I don’t have to keep stopping what I’m doing to look up at the board. I get lost when I do that.’ Key stage 4 child
‘It can be difficult to know what to do, who to talk to, at break/lunch so it’s nice to know I can go to the library/LRC and be quiet there.’ Key stage 3 child
‘It helps me stay calm if I can leave lessons 5 minutes early to get to my next class.’ Key stage 3 child
‘It helps me when the tables are set up so I can walk around them, without bumping into them’ Key stage 4 child.
Characteristics of good practice
- All settings have an accessibility plan which is published on their website.
- Reasonable adjustments are made according to individual needs.
- The furniture is the appropriate size and height for the child.
- Extra-curricular activities and educational visits are planned to fully include children with SEND (in line with the ), including those with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) and physical disabilities.
- Children’s views are routinely sought and are used to inform in planning for physical or sensory adaptations that they may require.
Children told us about
‘It really helps me if I can have a space to work quietly and on my own.’ Key stage 4 child
‘The science rooms are like a greenhouse. Some teachers turn the lights off which helps and let us remove our blazers.’ Key Stage 4 child
Characteristics of good practice
The following adjustments have been considered and applied where appropriate:
- seating arrangements
- movement breaks
- equipment
- environmental modifications e.g., reduced sensory overload, lighting, displays.
- presentation of materials e.g., text size, colour, background.
- noise management e.g., noise cancelling headphones, a quiet area to work.
- access to alternative spaces e.g., due to smell or noise
- flexible uniform policy.
Teaching and learning strategies
Children told us
‘We stay in our tutor groups for all lessons. After progress checks we go in sets. I think sets are good because we’re all at the same level.’ Key stage 3 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Practitioners carry out assessments through teaching, screening tools and standardised assessments so that they understand the child’s strengths and if there are gaps in learning.
- Practitioners use this information to coproduce targets and interventions with the child and family carers.
Individualised and small group planning and programmes in more than one curriculum area.
Use of approaches to promote independence, scaffold, and support children.
Children told us
‘We have printed copies of our timetable so we know where to go next. Some people have pictures to show what lesson they’ve got, food for lunch time etc, they have words too.’ Key stage 3 child
‘Teacher tells us what we are doing, gives an example on the flip chart and this stays up whilst we are doing it. Teacher reminds us to look at the flip chart before we ask for help.’ Key stage 2 child
‘Some teachers leave examples on the whiteboard as reminders - I forget things if I can’t see them.’ Key stage 3 child
Characteristics of good practice
Strategies that support differentiation include:
- visual timetables, clear concise instructions with written or visual prompts (e.g., now, and next cards), particularly during transitions
- additional time to process information before being asked to respond
- breaking down tasks into small manageable steps which are explicitly taught
- varied pace, content, and order of activities to support access and engagement
- modelling is used to aid understanding
- repeated learning to promote fluency and planning for generalisation of newly learnt skills
- key vocabulary is displayed with visuals
- alternatives to written recording are used routinely.
- study skills are explicitly taught
- children have access to homework clubs, or additional support with homework
- homework is differentiated appropriately for the child
- know and incorporate children’s interests.
Children told us
We have this teacher who uses sport to teach Maths. He knows we love sport so and it helps. It’s brilliant!’ Key stage 4 child
‘Teacher helps us but we have to try first before asking for help.’ Key stage 1 child
‘We got to learn some British Sign Language. We got to show it at an open evening for new people. It was so good. I’d like to do more.’ Key stage 3 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Strategies are used to actively promote independent learning through overlearning and appropriately differentiated resources.
- Seating plans and groupings considering individual needs and routinely provide opportunities for access to role-models, mixed-ability groups.
- Provide planned opportunities for children to generalise newly learnt skills.
- Study skills are explicitly taught. Children and young people have access to homework clubs, or additional support with homework.
Children told us
‘One child in the class can choose a friend who goes with them early to lunch. It helps to avoid queueing and gets extra outside after lunch and stops them feeling anxious.’ Key stage 1 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Strategies are used to build and maintain positive relationships across the whole school community (e.g., restorative approaches).
- There are opportunities to develop peer awareness, sensitivity and support for different needs and disabilities both in and out of the classroom.
Equipment and resources
Children told us
‘We have a box of toys in the classroom to help us concentrate.’ Key stage 2 child
‘Emotional toolbox has headphones if it’s too loud.’ Key stage 2 child
‘I have a wobbly cushion to sit on during carpet time.’ Key Stage 1 child
‘I can use a Chromebook, iPad or writing slope.’ Key stage 4 child
Characteristics of good practice
- There should be access to a range of equipment and resources to support children with sensory differences, sensory impairment, and physical disabilities.
- Use the
- Concrete apparatus and adapted resources are available for those children who require it.
- All equipment and resources should be available to pupils to support independent learning.
Children told us
‘Everyone has a Chromebook. My parents couldn’t afford it, so we got help from the school through Pupil Premium plus. It’s the same with buying uniform.’ Key stage 4 child
‘We can use the c-pens if we want.’ Key stage 4 child
Characteristics of good practice
ICT is used to support alternatives to written recording and to promote independent learning.
Children told us
‘I have anxiety, so I get a ‘uniform card’. My card means I can take my tie off if I need to. I only use it when I’m stressed out, but some teachers, who don’t know me, get funny about it so I can just show them my card and it’s fine.’ Key stage 3 child
Characteristics of good practice
- There is a planned programme of ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in relation to SEND for the whole setting and individual teams and departments.
- Best practice is shared within the school and with other schools via SENCo networks.
Characteristics of good practice
- Practitioners know when to refer for extra support or advice.
- The setting is aware of and regularly communicates with any other professionals who are involved with each child.
- Advice received from other professionals is adapted where appropriate and used to inform teaching and learning.
Children told us
‘We can go to the SEND room, there is always someone in there you can speak to. It’s a bit awkward when they don’t know you though.’ Key stage 3 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Induction programme in place for all new staff which includes:
- working with parents
- gaining pupil views
- assessment
- teaching and learning strategies
- adapting the environment
- understanding of key school policies e.g., safeguarding, inclusion.
Skills and interest
Characteristics of good practice
- Child’s strengths and difficulties in learning and behaviour are observed and monitored in different settings and contexts for a short period of time to inform planning.
- Staff are aware of children’s starting points so that expected progress can be measured across each key stage.
- Assessment is used to inform planning and interventions.
- Consideration is given for individual child developmental trends.
- Case studies are used to demonstrate holistic progress.
Characteristics of good practice
- A wide range of assessment strategies and tools are used to ensure a thorough understanding of leaners.
- Children have regular opportunities to evaluate their own performance.
- Self-assessment is routinely used to set individual targets.
- The impact of interventions is critically evaluated. Alternative approaches are explored to establish whether they may result in better outcomes for the child.
- Recommendations for screening tools can be found in Inclusion and ßÙßÇÂþ» Inclusion and Additional Needs Schools Service Offer.
Characteristics of good practice
- Schools make adaptions to assessment arrangements as part of everyday practice. This is used to establish the leaners normal way of working.
- Adapted resources are used in class and assessments. Please refer to the relevant exam board guidelines. Arrangements may include:
- rest breaks
- use of a reader, scribe, or laptop
- extra time.
Transition and change
Expectation
There is an effective process in place to support and plan for children joining and leaving their settings.
Primary school staff work in partnership with previous settings, including Early Years provision, to ensure the needs of the child are understood and planned for. Enhanced arrangements are made for pupils with additional and special needs.
Secondary school staff plan transition days for school children joining the school, includes in-year transfers where possible.
Schools and Early Years settings should work together to ensure the needs of the child are understood and planned for, and enhanced arrangements are made for pupils with additional and special needs.
Relationships with other settings are nurtured, in best interests of all children. This includes working together to discuss strategies and options to support the child throughout the transition period and beyond.
Children are supported to understand and manage transitions and predictable changes in their lives.
Staff are aware of those who will need additional support for all or most transitions and plan for this.
Staff understand how change may affect children and how to support them.
There are plans in place that enable staff to support children when unexpected change occurs.
This includes children who:
- have insecure attachment, including but not limited to Children Looked After (CLA), Children in Need (CIN), Children on Protection plans (CP), children of serving forces families, and children who have social communication difficulty including English as an Additional Language (EAL)
- suffered trauma, loss, or bereavement
- are anxious.
Transitions include, but are not limited to:
- moving around the school
- preparing for weekends and the start of holidays and beginning of term
- moving from lesson to lesson
- changing from structured to unstructured times
- moving from break to lesson times
- changes to staffing
- special events (visitors, outings, celebrations etc).
Children told us
‘It’s better for me if teachers don’t ask me to answer questions when I haven’t put my hand up. If I get it wrong, I don’t like to try again in front of everyone’. Key stage 3 child
‘You can go to lunch club or use the computers if you don’t want to go outside, or you haven’t got any friends.’ Key stage 3 child
‘When we first joined, we had two weeks to get used to things and find our way round. There were no consequences for being late etc. We were all given a printed timetable. After that we knew where to go.’ Key stage 3 child
‘We move around and swap teachers for English and Maths to get ready for year 7.’ Key stage 2 child
‘We have tent in the classroom. You can go in there for time out. There are cushions in there.’ Key stage 1 child
Characteristics of good practice
- Schools get to know new children in advance through discussion with parents and previous settings the child may have attended.
- For children transitioning in Early Years you can find some more information in our graduated response early years web page.
- Parents know what to expect and who to speak to if they have any questions.
- Children know what to expect and who to speak to if they have any questions.
- Induction days– more than just one day for those children who would benefit from additional support.
- 'Summer school’ for children transitioning from year 6 to year 7.
- Enhanced induction offers for some pupils this might include photos of school, photos of staff, communication passport, examples of a typical day, social stories, opportunities to take part in on-site activities e.g. workshops
- Preparation is made for those leaving school or education including enhanced offers for some children (see above).
- Safe space available within the classroom or an identified area of the school for time to re-regulate
- Visual timetables are used, events are removed or ticked off when finished.
- Timers are used to show children how long they have to work for, and how long they have to finish.
- Opportunities for periods of respite using withdrawal to smaller groups. This may include self-directed / individual time-out.
- Plans are made for unstructured times:
- safe spaces are available
- there are structured alternatives such as games club, use of library for vulnerable children.
- It is essential that school staff can support and understand the additional impact of:
- puberty
- birth of a sibling
- gender/ identity
- change in parenting arrangements e.g., change in parent’s relationship status
- loss and bereavement
- accident or injury
- critical incident affecting school community.
- School staff are familiar with relevant policies to support children
- Relationships Education Policy (Primary schools)
- Relationships and Sex Education Policy (Secondary schools).
See ßÙßÇÂþ» Healthy Schools: Taking a approach.
- Theme 1: Whole School Approach towards the Promotion of Positive Health and Wellbeing.
- Theme 5: Emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Assessment planning, implementation and review
Characteristics of good practice
- Child’s strengths and difficulties in learning and behaviour are observed and monitored in different settings and contexts for a short period of time to inform planning.
- Staff are aware of children’s starting points so that expected progress can be measured across each key stage.
- Assessment is used to inform planning and interventions.
- Consideration is given for individual child developmental trends. Case studies are used to demonstrate holistic progress.
Characteristics of good practice
- A wide range of assessment strategies and tools are used to ensure a thorough understanding of learning.
- Children have regular opportunities to evaluate their own performance.
- Self-assessment is routinely used to set individual targets.
- The impact of interventions is critically evaluated. Alternative approaches are explored to establish whether they may result in better outcomes for the child.
- Recommendations for screening tools can be found in ßÙßÇÂþ» Inclusion and Additional Needs Schools Service Offer.
Characteristics of good practice
- Schools make adaptions to assessment arrangements as part of everyday practice. This is used to establish the leaners normal way of working.
- Please refer to the relevant exam board guidelines. Arrangements may include:
- rest breaks
- use of a reader, scribe, or laptop
- extra time
- adapted resources are used in class and assessments.