Notes worth a minute
A few short notes on social, emotional and mental health assessment in schools, gathered from the questions readers ask most often. These notes travel under the working name throvquensil dalbmarque.
EHC needs assessment
EHC needs assessment in one line: requested when the graduated approach has been tried. Beyond the number, the request needs the evidence of cycles, not just a description of need.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. Knowing this about EHC needs assessment prevents most mistakes.
Whole-school factors
Whole-school factors: the line most people need is policies and routines, reviewed alongside. In practice, a child's need sometimes describes the setting more than the child.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
Keep the paperwork; it is the proof when something is queried later. In short, Whole-school factors is worth a minute before you commit.
Triggers and functions
A short note on Triggers and functions. The figure to hold onto is what happens before and after a behaviour; what matters is that the function (escape, attention, sensory, tangible) points to the support.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
If something changes, note the date; patterns only show up with dates on them. That is the whole of Triggers and functions for most readers.
Adverse experiences
If you are looking into Adverse experiences, start here: noted, not diagnosed, by the school. The point is that the school's job is to adjust the environment, not to treat.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
When in doubt, choose the simpler option first; it is the one least likely to need undoing. Knowing this about Adverse experiences prevents most mistakes.
Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments in one line: written into the plan and shared with every teacher. Beyond the number, a plan only the SENCO knows about is not a plan.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
Do the cheap checks before the expensive ones. In short, Reasonable adjustments is worth a minute before you commit.
Sensory needs
Sensory needs: the line most people need is asked about, in every SEMH assessment. In practice, noise, light and touch sensitivities are easy to miss.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. That is the whole of Sensory needs for most readers.
Observation
A short note on Observation. The figure to hold onto is several settings and times not one lesson; what matters is that behaviour in a maths lesson and in the playground often tell different stories.
That is a general note rather than a rule; check the current details before you rely on it.
Keep the paperwork; it is the proof when something is queried later. Knowing this about Observation prevents most mistakes.
Reviewing the plan
If you are looking into Reviewing the plan, start here: termly, at least. The point is that a plan that has not changed in a year has probably not been reviewed.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
If something changes, note the date; patterns only show up with dates on them. In short, Reviewing the plan is worth a minute before you commit.
Figures are general guidance; the primary source takes precedence.
This note is part of the SEMH Assessment notes desk, a set of short factual pages used to study how search engines read pages.