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Schools and education

Support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs

If your child has special education needs (SEN) they can get help via their nursery, school or college; this is known as 'SEN support'.

SEN support stages

In York SEN support is approached in four stages:

  1. Assess - your child's difficulties are assessed so the right support can be provided. This includes discussing your concerns, talking with professionals who work with your child (including their teacher) and looking at records of previous assessments. This may also include getting advice from an educational psychologist, a specialist teacher or health professional
  2. Plan - with your involvement, the nursery, school or college agrees what the SEN support intends to achieve (the 'outcomes'), how your child will benefit from the help they get, and when the plan should be reviewed
  3. Do - the nursery, school or college puts agreed SEN support in place. Teachers remain responsible for working with your child on a daily basis, although other staff may be involved in delivering support and overseeing the progress your child makes
  4. Review - your child's SEN support is reviewed at the point agreed during the planning stage. You can check whether the outcomes have been met and whether further support is needed

For more information see the Co-ordinated Support Pathway.

My Support Plan

Co-ordinated SEN support provided by various professionals to children and young people is delivered through 'My Support Plan' as part of the 'Local Offer' in York. Our Local Offer provides support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities.

'My Support Plan' is a framework to record:

  • what is important to the child, young person and their family and how best to support them
  • contributions from all those providing advice
  • a shared understanding of strengths and needs
  • what is in place and what needs to change
  • agreed outcomes and actions

Download documents needed to complete My Support Plan.

The 'My Support Plan' is a 'non-statutory' document so what's included and the formats used are optional. However, if an Educational Health and Care needs assessment is requested a complete and reviewed 'My Support Plan' will be needed.

For each child or young person (and their family) a support plan should:

  • contain relevant paperwork about their needs
  • be personalised to support their needs, age and stage
  • be a useful working document that actively promotes co-ordinated support
  • uses a 'tell it once' approach' so that detailed information is contained in an accessible document and doesn't have to be re-written

A 'My Support Plan' is made up of six parts:

  1. Who am I and what's in my plan - completed by the child/young person
  2. Information gathered by me and my family - completed by child/young person and their family
  3. Information about my special educational needs - completed by the nursery, school or college
  4. Information about health and social care needs - completed by health and social care professional
  5. Information shared and agreed at my meeting - completed by the nursery, school or college after the review meeting
  6. Relevant advice and information that supports the plan

Also see

Special Educational Needs Services

West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA

Telephone: 01904 554336