Reliable answers: quick 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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Confidentiality
Confidentiality: the line most people need is shared on a need-to-know basis, within the staff team. In practice, written records follow the school's data policy.
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 Confidentiality for most readers.
Adverse experiences
A short note on Adverse experiences. The figure to hold onto is noted, not diagnosed by the school; what matters 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.
Write down what you find before you decide anything; it makes the next step obvious. Knowing this about Adverse experiences prevents most mistakes.
Triggers and functions
If you are looking into Triggers and functions, start here: what happens before and after, a behaviour. The point is that the function (escape, attention, sensory, tangible) points to the support.
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, Triggers and functions is worth a minute before you commit.
What SEMH covers
What SEMH covers in one line: social, emotional and mental health as one of the four broad areas of need. Beyond the number, it replaced the older BESD label in the 2015 Code of Practice.
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 What SEMH covers for most readers.
Record keeping
Record keeping: the line most people need is dated, factual, brief, as the standard. In practice, a good record can be read by a stranger and understood.
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 Record keeping prevents most mistakes.
Reasonable adjustments
A short note on Reasonable adjustments. The figure to hold onto is written into the plan and shared with every teacher; what matters is that 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.
Who assesses
If you are looking into Who assesses, start here: the class teacher first, with the SENCO. The point is that external specialists come in when the school's own graduated approach has not worked.
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 Who assesses for most readers.
Whole-school factors
Whole-school factors in one line: policies and routines reviewed alongside. Beyond the number, a child's need sometimes describes the setting more than the child.
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 Whole-school factors prevents most mistakes.
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.