Notes by topic
These notes travel under the working name drealqeskov sloudrothe. A few short notes on social, emotional and mental health assessment in schools, gathered from the questions readers ask most often.
Confidentiality
If you are looking into Confidentiality, start here: shared on a need-to-know basis, within the staff team. The point is that written records follow the school's data policy.
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 Confidentiality prevents most mistakes.
Adverse experiences
Adverse experiences in one line: noted, not diagnosed by the school. Beyond the number, the school's job is to adjust the environment, not to treat.
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, Adverse experiences is worth a minute before you commit.
Triggers and functions
Triggers and functions: the line most people need is what happens before and after, a behaviour. In practice, 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.
What SEMH covers
A short note on What SEMH covers. The figure to hold onto is social, emotional and mental health as one of the four broad areas of need; what matters is that it replaced the older BESD label in the 2015 Code of Practice.
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 What SEMH covers prevents most mistakes.
Record keeping
If you are looking into Record keeping, start here: dated, factual, brief, as the standard. The point is that a good record can be read by a stranger and understood.
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, Record keeping is worth a minute before you commit.
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.
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 Reasonable adjustments for most readers.
Who assesses
Who assesses: the line most people need is the class teacher first, with the SENCO. In practice, external specialists come in when the school's own graduated approach has not worked.
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 Who assesses prevents most mistakes.
Whole-school factors
A short note on Whole-school factors. The figure to hold onto is policies and routines reviewed alongside; what matters is that 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.
If something changes, note the date; patterns only show up with dates on them. In short, Whole-school factors 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.
See also: another short note.