Meeting Pupils' Needs

Meeting Pupils' Needs

It is the position of the education service that all schools in Argyll and Bute be regarded as inclusive. As inclusive schools they will welcome all children, whatever their needs and abilities.
The fundamental principle of inclusive schools is that all children should learn together and that schools should recognise and respond to the diverse needs of their pupils while having in place a continuum of support arrangements to match these needs.
Every school within Argyll and Bute has arrangements in place for assessing pupils and monitoring their progress. Where a school has a concern that a pupil may have additional support needs, they work in partnership with pupil support teachers and the Area Principal Teacher for pupil support to identify and plan for these needs.
Educational Psychologists can work in partnership with parents and the school to assess and plan for individual needs where this is required. School staff will work together with other agencies, where they are involved, to ensure positive outcomes for children and families.

Schools provide support in a staged way that can include specific approaches implemented by the class teacher, advice and guidance from support teachers, support within a small group or individual assessment and intervention. Any support will be reviewed and monitored on a regular basis to ensure it is appropriate and effective.

Through all stages of assessment, identification of needs, planning and review, parents and carers will be fully involved and informed in all aspects of the process. In line with the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child, the views of children and young people will be carefully considered.

Most children who have additional support needs will have these needs planned for by the school through a profile of their needs or a support plan.
In both cases, these documents should be available to parents and there should be ongoing opportunities for parents to comment on and contribute to their development. A small number of children and young people across the authority will have needs that require a range of agencies to work in close planned partnership.
In such circumstances consideration will be given to whether a Coordinated Support Plan (CSP) is required. The eligibility criteria for a CSP are detailed in the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice Chapter 5 (2010).
If you feel that your child requires additional assessment or should be considered for a CSP this should be discussed with school staff. In addition, you may wish to formally request assessment in writing to the Quality Improvement Manager, Pupil Support.