EHCP section F help

[Imagoodperson999]

This is following on from my other thread called worried about ds going to secondary school.

I have done a copy and paste of ds ehcp from section F. This is for when hes in key stage 3. Please can you let me know your thoughts on this. And help me understand in basic terms.

With this update should I still be fighting for sen school for him.

(F) Special Educational Provision quality first teaching.
Provision

• Max will require support over and above that which is typically available within a mainstream classroom in order to make academic progress.
• Max needs further curriculum based assessment to establish a baseline of key skills in both Maths and Literacy to support personalised targeted interventions that build upon his knowledge base. These should be based on detailed ongoing assessment and monitoring and should use a cumulative learning approach. This involves teaching a small number of spellings / numbers or calculations to automaticity, then adding in one or two new items to those he is secure with and continuing to practice them all together. Precision Teaching is an intervention which would do this appropriately.
• Targeted interventions to build Max’s skills in the core subjects should be delivered by an LSA for periods of 15 minutes daily for both Maths and English. Max to recall key learning points (3-5 minutes) at least 3 times a day with breaks in between.
• Staff will need to plan carefully to ensure that Max’s work is differentiated to take account of his language needs, level of independence and current level of attainment. Max will need work to be broken down into small achievable parts.
• Staff will also need to consider the pace when introducing new learning goals to ensure that Max has had sufficient opportunity to consolidate his skills.
• Max will require a high level of support for his understanding which can be provided through visual materials, demonstrations and practical activities. Staff should ensure that he is familiar with subject specific vocabulary when new topics are introduced. Max will build his understanding of new topics by talking about his learning in a small group supported by an LSA.
• Max will also require simplified personal explanations throughout the day. All staff who interact with Max to be made aware of his language needs so that they can respond to him appropriately (simple language, repetition, allowing time for him to process information, checking his understanding).
• An LSA will need to be available in the classroom to monitor Max and provide frequent prompts when he is completing learning activities.
• Max requires errorless learning approaches so that he is always successful in his learning activities as a result of extremely close differentiation, and his skill and confidence levels increase.

• Posture and positioning are important to support the development of handwriting. Max may need a slope or a cushion.

Strategies

The following approaches should be used when teaching Max:
• Distributed Practice (little and often, daily short practice sessions) to enhance acquisition and retention of learning.
• Mastery Learning (to automaticity) of a very small amount of new material (e.g. 1 new word).
• Cumulative learning to improve retention: words/numbers/skills are learnt to fluency, then a small number of new items to learn are added which are taught alongside the previously acquired ones – new words/skills are always combined with the old.
• Teach one skill at a time.

• Instructional Hierarchy (structured, systematic teaching of increasingly complex skills). This kind of approach will help to identify and fill the gaps in Max’s learning.
• Max needs regular practice to develop his handwriting skills in order to record his work with greater fluency. Explore different pencil grips to see if he finds writing easier with those supports
• Reduce the amount of copying he is required to do in class
• Use visually explicit support materials, such as vocabulary mats, tasks sheets, sentence starters and colour coding etc. that do not have too much information on them
• Use plenty of visual examples and show Max what a good finished piece of work looks like.
• Always try to make learning concrete for Max. Think about relating any subject to his current knowledge and experience.
• Vocabulary boards can be made to support new topics and language.

• Max requires structured approaches such as writing frames and story boards to support him in recording his work
• Max needs to be able to form his letters in the right way as this will make writing easier for him. Use a multi-sensory approach. He will need to start with forming letter from plasticine, large painting activities, air writing, children forming letters on each other’s backs to guess the letter etc. before being expected to write them down on paper. Begin by focussing on the letters in his own name.
• Max needs to manipulate real objects to help with counting and Maths problems.

• Max requires all learning tasks to be delivered in short achievable tasks in order to experience success, (e.g. to learn to spell 2 new given words) set through discussion with Max on the basis of very close, daily assessment and monitoring of his skills.

• Max requires overlearning to support his retention of information and enable him to consolidate new skills. Pre-teach new topic work in 1:1 sessions to build confidence, so he can feel more secure in the classroom.

• Max needs to discuss his work in a small group (up to 6 children) to build his understanding. Staff will need to allow time for him to process questions and then check his understanding of the content.
• Give plenty of reassurance and positive feedback making comments specific and meaningful.

I am a teacher but in a selective school, so don't see EHCPs like this one.

It sounds like he needs a lot of support with basics and the routines they suggest do not necessarily align with most secondary schools. For example, it infers he would benefit from daily repetition of letter formation. However, in y7, they may only have English 6 times per fortnight, so he will likely regress in the time between lessons. So from that perspective, I think a specialist setting would be more appropriate.

ECHPs can sound brutal, but this is the key to getting the correct support for him. Good luck with it.

So it’s very difficult from this to say, there could be an argument that this could be delivered in mainstream. Things I would ask would be at what level is he currently working, there’s a requirement for assessment, but assessment should have formed part of the EHCP assessment process? Grinds my gears when LEAs put in an assessment in section f! Can he access mainstream curriculum at all?

The requirement for error less learning seems wildly unrealistic in any setting?

I would have thought at KS3 any handwriting targets should be changed to typing, if handwriting isn’t happening after 7 years of school it’s unlikely to get much better.

I always say to parents (secondary SENCO at inclusive mainstream setting) really much of the academic stuff can be differentiated, but social stuff and life skills are more challenging. I’ve seen kids with significant academic difficulties thrive in secondary because they are socially able to make friends and participate in wider school life. Equally I’ve seen kids become very isolated when their language and social skills have left them unable to make meaningful relationships with peers. Also consider that mainstream can’t do much life skills work and that in KS4 almost all teaching is focused on exams.

I’m not familiar with any mainstream secondaries which teach small groups of 6 children. Many have provision to pre-teach the English curriculum in small groups, and the lowest set in maths is usually very select and small, but the vast majority of provision is whole-class teaching with some TA support (if available). A weekly reading or maths intervention is fairly common, and might be one to one.

Having said this, most MLD specialist schools are massively over-subscribed and in-class support is nowhere near what you might expect in non-mainstream.

The only thing you can do is monitor things carefully in September.

(F) Special Educational Provision above quality first teaching.
Provision

• Max will join a speech and language group run by the speech and language therapist for a block of therapy to work on language, speech and communication skills. Outcomes and recommendations should also be implemented by school.
• Lego therapy would be a good way to help Max in his communication with peers in a structured session. This builds on his love of Lego.

Strategies

Max needs an appropriately differentiated curriculum. Present and give information at a language level he can understand. For example:
• Break down instructions into small, manageable parts or chunks.
• Before giving instructions to Max, call his name, and make sure you have his full attention and that he is looking at you.
• Model/demonstrate what Max has to do before he starts a task.
• Use short, simple instructions, and slow down when talking to Max. Try to break down instructions into short, manageable chunks (rather than “Do x, then do y”, just give one part at a time).
• Allow processing time. Then repeat instructions to Max if needed, making sure you repeat the instruction the same each time
• Use visual support (e.g. natural gesture, facial expression, pictures, symbols, written word) alongside instructions and conversations.

Vocabulary
• Develop a basic communication board with the words he needs to ask for items in class, e.g. pencil sharpener, rubber, toilet, drink, help, finished, break. Have it on the desk and point to it when communicating with Max to encourage him to use it too.

• Pre-teach key or topic vocabulary before Max comes across the words in the lesson.
• Use a consistent structure to explore word meanings and sounds. Think about the first sound of the word, how many syllables, a word it rhymes with, an action for the word, a picture or drawing for the word, use it in a sentence, and give some information about its meaning. For example, a mind map or “Word Wizard” (Word Aware programme).
• When Max has difficulties retrieving a word, prompt him using these categories that he has already covered, e.g. give him the first sound of the word, or ask him to act it out.
• Review the words that have been provided by putting them in a “word pot” or “word bank” on Max’s table, on a word wall in the classroom, or in a vocabulary book.
• Where possible present vocabulary to Max using a multi- sensory approach. Using pictures, symbols, demonstrations.
• Have Max think about words in categories. Play word association games in a small group (e.g. each person has to name something that relates to cars or has to identify the ‘odd one out’ for a list of three).
• Encourage Max to say when he does not understand a word. He can tell the teaching assistant, who can note the word down. Max can collect words that he has ‘captured’ to help expand his vocabulary knowledge.

Asking for help
Encourage Max to ask for help if he does not know what to do. Max could be provided with a visual to help him know how to make specific requests for help. Encourage and praise asking for help in the whole class.

Access to small group work to practise Max’s social communication and conversation skills.
• Encourage small group work or naturally occurring small groups when possible in lessons, or in the playground of no more than 3 children in a group, where Max has to engage with his peers to complete the task, e.g. with opportunities to engage in “role specific” play, for example Lego Therapy, where children are either an “architect”, “engineer” or “builder”. The use of roles encourages children to interact with each other to achieve a shared goal.
• Play games at home that encourage interaction such as passing on objects, exploring together, snap or lotto.
• Give Max visual cues of good conversational skills and refer to them during 1:1 conversation, e.g. “eye contact”, or “talk about the same thing”, asking a question, saying something about what the person he is talking with has said, taking turns in conversation.
• Talkabout” or a social skills intervention may be helpful.
• Play games or activities which develop Max’s abilities to stay on topic during conversation, e.g. category games where you take it in turns to pick an object in the same category (“we are talking about our favourite: toys, fruit, clothes).
• Give Max a visual prompt you can use to show him when he goes “off topic” when answering a question. For example, a picture of a train and a track. The train can move along the track whilst you are talking or playing a game, and when Max gives an irrelevant answer or goes off topic, use the visual support to take the train off the track.
• For Max to use visual support (e.g. a narrative or talking prompt) to help him structure his news clearly e.g. to explain what he has done at the weekend or in the holidays. A talking prompt could also be used in talk partner work in class to help Max talk with a peer about a question the class is discussing

Beginning to develop Max’s explaining skills

• Read lots of stories with Max – these can be both with or without visuals and ask him questions based on the story after this, such as ‘who’ ‘what happened’ ’where’ ‘how’ and ‘what can the characters do? what is going to happen next?’ and ‘why’.
• Encourage Max to expand on his answers in conversation, by using open-ended questions, such as “tell me more”, or by giving him more time to add information.
• Use sets of pictures of familiar sequences (e.g. getting ready for school, growing a flower): put the pictures in order and talk about what happens ‘first, next, last’. Support Max work towards using this structure and vocabulary to talk about real events or to share his news and ask him what he thinks might happen next in the story.
• Try using visual support such as Black sheep press ‘Why, because’ cards to help Max explain his reasoning when answering simple ‘why?’ questions.
• Discuss different real-life scenarios using pictures and objects in a 1:1 or small group setting. Think about what might happen, why and what if. Max may benefit from structured intervention to target this, for example “Mr Goodguess” or Talkabout School/Home ( Black Sheep Press resources).
• School will give Max a piece of work/picture/item to take home to talk about with his Mum. This will help Max to generate ideas and remember an event in school.

Speech
• Provide Max with clear production of words he finds it hard to say, ensuring that he is able to see the mouth of the speaker to help him produce the sounds correctly and with slight emphasis on the word e.g. “I want soo” yes “you want two”. Can you hear that ”t” sound? Praise Max if he tries to copy the correct production or correct himself.

Arrangements for review and evaluation

Max can be re-referred to the Speech & Language service for review once these outcomes have been achieved.

the above is from the original ehcp. Now im looking i dont think there's a change. Or is it just going over my head

The LA will probably still try to place in MS with that wording. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue a special school. From your previous posts, DS would struggle with MS and the EHCP doesn’t accurately reflect his needs or the provision he reasonably requires.

It is still rather woolly wording. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but to give you some examples:
“Max will require” and “Max needs” doesn’t mean Max will receive.
How many is a “small number”?
“Precision Teaching is an intervention which would do this appropriately.” Doesn’t mean precision teaching is actually going to be provided. It needs to say who, what, when, where, how long, frequency…
“should be delivered” doesn’t mean it will be delivered
What is a ‘high level of support”?
What “staff”?
“An LSA will need to be available” doesn’t mean DS will actually receive support to the level required. How often is “frequent”?
“May need” he either does or he doesn’t.
What long is ‘“short”
“Always try to” means it might not happen.
“can be made” doesn’t mean it will.
How long with the speech and language group be, how often, how big a group, how many sessions…
“Lego therapy would be a good way” doesn’t mean it will happen.
“Access to” doesn’t mean it will happen.
“may be helpful” I’m sure it would but that wording doesn’t mean it will happen.

OP’s post doesn’t actually state DS will be taught in a class of up to 6. Neither does it say how frequently the provision will be or how long for or staffing, etc.

This wording throws me.

Max will require support over and above that which is typically available within a mainstream

That really doesn’t mean much does it, you could argue that all kids with an EHCP need more that is typically available, hence the EHCP.

EHCP’s need specific wording, nothing woolly that could be interpreted in a different way. Does what’s in section F meet the needs of what’s in section B?

I think im just going to have to wait for sendias and see what happens. I thought there had been a change but reading side by side. There's not.

Yes, this just means that he needs an EHCP because the provision he requires is above what would normally be delivered within school’s usual budget. With regards to the bits that you have copied here, it doesn’t seem to me like provision that a mainstream secondary wouldn’t be able to provide. Round here, special school places are more for children that require highly specialised provision such as PECS, sensory engagement curriculum, makaton, tend to be non-verbal. The provision you have given here would be very much a mainstream provision in the geographical area that I work in, though this may vary of course depending on where you are. The best thing you could do is go and look around some of your local special schools (when the children are in if possible) so you get a feel for them and whether you think they would be a good fit.

I’d go and research all the specialist provision in the area and ALSO look at small independent schools too. I’d say there’s enough in there to make it clear that a mainstream can’t meet his needs, so if you want Specialist then good. But you also always have the right to mainstream if you wish too.

Make sure that there is a provision for every need in section B. Make amendments on the draft highlighting the need for further assessment, and that all recommendations are specific and quantified in terms of hours.

See im so confused.. I have the original ehcp then the amended which says minor changes. I cant even see the minor changes all I can see if they have changed the word by the end of key stage 2 Max will..
To at the end key stage 3 max will .

Since it says minor changes its probably not going to make an actual difference.

I definitely dont want to do private schools.

When i spoke to sendias she said unless it says a sen school is needed hes unlikely to get it. But when I said hes wiring at year 1 level. Her tone changed. And she said she would help me look in to requesting another educational psychologists assessment. Maybe all this is just a part of that. And I need to wait a bit longer for ot to be more clear.

I think there are different types of sen school. I will definitely look because I could go and think this works for ds or go and think this is wrong for him.

The lady at sendias said if hes working at year 1 level she cant see how main stream can reach his needs. But we shall see.

the EHCP is too vague. It needs to be specific and quantified. How much salt, when , how long for? An assessment should already have taken place so outcomes can be written in section e.

I agree that the wording is not specific and that much of it is geared to a primary school.

There is much talk of small group work, but none about how this will fit into the year 7 secondary curriculum. Max may be in smaller groups, if the school has sets, but the amount of TA support and training required to fulfil what is written in the EHCP is extensive. Also the expectation that a speech and language therapist will be able to visit the school and deliver a programme of therapy, with a TA trained to follow through with it, seems not very likely.

There are things such as visual and colour coded timetables, sentence starters, task sheets, chunking and no copying are all possible in a mainstream classroom.

Name tracing, using plasticine, tracing etc are not generally strategies found in secondary mainstream school.

F doesn’t need to explicitly state specialist provision is required, but it needs to read in a way that means the provision can’t be provided in mainstream.

the expectation that a speech and language therapist will be able to visit the school and deliver a programme of therapy, with a TA trained to follow through with it, seems not very likely.

This can and does happen in secondary mainstream schools. But that provision in OP’s post isn’t detailed, specified and quantified anyway.

What i dont understand is how can he do all the stuff needed if hes working at year 1 . And barley reading. He cant read instructions and if hes told them he won't remember what's been said.

Is he going into year 7 in September?

No hes going into year 6

Then I would next term have conversations with local mainstream SENCOs and visit local special schools and resourced provisions if there are any suitable, sounds like you are getting good support from SENDIAS, they should be able to identify local provision.

Is he working at Y1 level across the board or just in writing? Is he in mainstream at the moment?

Im waiting on a sen school to get back to me in September so i can visit . I have seen 1 mainstream. I have to have my choices in by 19th of September.