Special education provision we expect

Cognition and learning (C&L) support guidance

The SEN Support provision we expect all schools and settings to offer for children and young people with cognition and learning needs.

Suggested whole-school approaches:

Have a supportive ethos and environment which promotes respect and values diversity

• Celebrate difference and promote acceptance
• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum
• Ensure that curriculum promotes resilience and social and emotional development
• Work towards creating a ‘Dyslexia Friendly’ school
• Work towards creating ‘Dyspraxia Friendly’ classrooms
• Work towards creating ’Dyscalculia friendly’ classrooms
• Help parents/carers to support learning at home e.g.reading or maths cafes

Suggested SEND support strategies in the classroom:

• Refer to ‘coordination difficulties’ PEaSS poster for strategies to support development of fine and gross motor skills
• Create a ‘one-page profile’ involving parents/carers and the child or young person (CYP) in identifying how best to support
• Have clear classroom routines and explicit expectations for behaviour and work
• Use scaffolding to ensure the development of literacy and numeracy skills, expressive language and communication skills and to minimise behaviour and emotional difficulties
• Use short simple instructions. Give one at a time and check for understanding. Provide visual prompts as reminders
• Offer peer to peer support (e.g. give time to think and talk to a partner before answering a question)
• Provide accessible resources and strategies to promote independent learning e.g. word banks, writing frames, assistive technology
• Use pre-teaching and link new learning and vocabulary to what the CYP already knows
• Scaffold/support questioning (e.g. using Bloom’s Taxonomy to stretch and challenge)
• Break learning down into small new steps, building on prior learning
• Model to the pupil that making mistakes is OK and a part of the learning process
• Model, coach and reinforce skills, providing examples of new concepts drawn from CYPs real-life experiences
• Enable recording using alternatives to writing: Clicker, PPT, poster, orally, mind maps, pictures/diagrams/maps, sorting statements or pictures into categories
• Give sufficient thinking time (10 second rule) 

Suggestions for the SENDCo:

• Identify need and monitor impact of interventions (e.g. use screening tools)
• Check whether the CYP has had a recent sight and hearing test or a colorimetry test
• Use the SpLD checklists to support teachers in identifying areas of need and appropriate support strategies
• Plan targeted support and seek advice from external providers, including referrals to appropriate services
• Continue the cycle of support (assess, plan, do, review) while specialist advice is sought
• Consider advice from Educational Psychology and Specialist Support (EPSS) or alternative provider
• Consider contacting Dyslexia Outreach for information, outreach advice or training
• Train staff in support strategies for a range of learning difficulties, including SpLD (Specific Learning Difficulties) e.g. Neurodiversity / ’Every teacheris a teacher of SEN’
• Consider contacting Access Through Technology for assessment, equipment, advice, support or training
• Consider outreach advice and support from an appropriate C&L Specialist Resource Base (SRB)
• Consider a School 2 School Support (S2S) referral for advice, support or training
• Seek advice on specialist arrangements for examinations and assessments 

Download PEaSS condensed version