Local Offer - The Graduated Approach

High-Quality Teaching (HQT), also known as Quality First Teaching, is the most important part of the Graduated Approach. HQT begins the process of the Graduated Approach, and should be maintained throughout all levels of support.

High-Quality Teaching involves adults delivering inclusive teaching to all learners. It recognises that children and young people learn at different rates and in different ways and it takes into considerations that we are all unique and sometimes other services, such as school nurse or health visitors, may be involved.

At this stage, most children and young people do not have, or need, a SEND support plan but they are being monitored. 

What does effective High-Quality Teaching look like?

• Teachers offer support for all children and young people in their class, this may include on the spot changes such as rephrasing a question
• Reasonable adjustments are made to either the classroom environment, or the way children and young people access their learning, to ensure each learners needs are met
• Test results and other data are used to help teachers support children and young people in their class
• Teachers listen to your and your child’s voice when planning any support for your child.

This is not an exhaustive list. There are lots of other things that teaching staff do to deliver High-Quality Teaching.  

Find out more about Support for all Learners

In addition to inclusive High-Quality Teaching and provision at Universal and Universal + Level, some children and young people may require support that is ‘additional and different’ to that offered to most other children. This includes targeted support services, for example, the Educational Psychology Service or Speech and Language Therapy. 

If your child is identified as needing support at Targeted Level they will have a SEND support plan. Occasionally, some extra funding is needed to support learners at this level. This funding is usually only required for a limited period of time and is known as having Targeted + Level support.

At Targeted and/or Targeted + Level:

• Children should have a SEND support plan
• Children should be known to other services
• Children should be on the school's SEND Register
• There should be frequent meeting with parents (at least once per term) to discuss children's needs and progress
• Children’s progress should be monitored and reviewed

The Graduated Approach expects that settings make full use of all their resources and expertise before children are referred to other local specialist services.

Find out more about SEND Support

In addition to High-Quality Teaching and Targeted support, a very small number of learners may require high levels of 'additional and different provision' because they are not making progress and the gap between them and their peers is significant or their needs that are complex and long-term.

At this stage a learner will have a SEND support plan in place, and they will have received support at Universal +, Targeted and Targeted + Level. There will have been numerous cycles of the Assess, Plan, Do, Review process and it will be clear that a Specialist Level of support is required for them to achieve their full potential.

Settings can apply for additional funding to support children and young people who need Specialist Level support via the Pyramid Panel (previously known as the funding panel). In Doncaster, we use a common set of needs descriptors which means all schools are working within the same guidance when applying for additional funding.

A very small number of learners receiving support at the Specialist Level may have complex and long-term needs which require more intensive individualised support. These learners may require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This is decided by the local authority through an Education, Health, and Care Needs Assessment.

Find out more about Education, Health and Care Plans

Your child or young person's difficulties must be assessed so that the right support can be provided. This should include, for example, asking you what you think, talking to professionals who work with your child (such as their teacher), and looking at records and other information. This needs to be reviewed regularly so that the support provided continues to meet your child’s needs. That might mean getting advice and further assessment from someone like an educational psychologist, a specialist teacher or a health professional.

Your school or other setting needs to agree, with your involvement, the outcomes that the SEN support is intended to achieve and record this in a formal SEND Support Plan – in other words, how your child will benefit from any support they get – and you need to be involved with that. All those involved will need to have a say in deciding what kind of support will be provided, and decide a date by which they will review this so that they can check to see how well the support is working and whether the outcomes have been or are being achieved.

The setting will put the planned support into place. The teacher remains responsible for working with your child on a daily basis, but the SENDCO and any support staff or specialist teaching staff involved in providing support should work closely to track your child’s progress and check that the support is being effective.

The support your child receives should be reviewed every term with your involvement. You can then decide together if the support is having a positive impact, whether the outcomes have been, or are being, achieved and if or how any changes should be made.