A few short notes
A few short notes on social, emotional and mental health assessment in schools, gathered from the questions readers ask most often.
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Sensory needs
Sensory needs in one line: asked about in every SEMH assessment. Beyond the number, noise, light and touch sensitivities are easy to miss.
Treat it as a starting point; specifics change with the house, the school or the kitchen.
When in doubt, choose the simpler option first; it is the one least likely to need undoing. In short, Sensory needs is worth a minute before you commit.
Standardised tools
Standardised tools: the line most people need is published questionnaires, with age norms. In practice, they compare a child to peers; they do not explain why.
The primary source has the final word, and it is worth a minute to check it.
Do the cheap checks before the expensive ones. That is the whole of Standardised tools for most readers.
When to involve health
A short note on When to involve health. The figure to hold onto is persistent low mood, self-harm, eating changes as prompts; what matters is that the school refers; it does not assess these itself.
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 When to involve health prevents most mistakes.
Relationships with adults
If you are looking into Relationships with adults, start here: one trusted adult, as the aim. The point is that it is the single factor most consistently linked with improvement.
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, Relationships with adults is worth a minute before you commit.
Parent and carer views
Parent and carer views in one line: gathered early and written down. Beyond the number, home and school seeing the same pattern is itself a finding.
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 Parent and carer views for most readers.
The graduated approach
The graduated approach: the line most people need is assess, plan, do, review, as a cycle. In practice, each cycle is usually a term long and the review decides whether to change the plan.
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 The graduated approach prevents most mistakes.
Regulation strategies
A short note on Regulation strategies. The figure to hold onto is taught, not expected before they are needed; what matters is that a calm-down space only works if the child has practised using it.
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, Regulation strategies is worth a minute before you commit.
Language
If you are looking into Language, start here: a speech and language check, for younger pupils. The point is that a child who cannot say what is wrong shows it instead.
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 Language for most readers.
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.